| Aiko 敬宮愛子内親王 |
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| Princess Toshi of Japan | |
| Father | Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan |
| Mother | Masako, Crown Princess of Japan |
| Born | 1 December 2001 Tokyo, Japan |
| Styles of Princess Toshi (Aiko) of Japan |
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| Reference style | Her Imperial Highness |
| Spoken style | Your Imperial Highness |
| Alternative style | Japanese: denka 殿下 |
Aiko, Princess Toshi (敬宮愛子内親王 Toshi-no-miya Aiko Naishinnō), born 1 December 2001, is the daughter and only child of the heir apparent to the Japanese throne, Crown Prince Naruhito, and Crown Princess Masako.
Aiko, the princess's personal name, is written with kanji character for "love (愛)" and "child (子)" and means "a person who loves others."[1] She also has an imperial title, Princess Toshi (敬宮 toshi-no-miya) which means "a person who respects others."[1] This formal title will be dropped if she marries a commoner. The Imperial Household Law of 1947 abolished the Japanese nobility; and under provisions of this law, the imperial family was streamlined to the descendants of Emperor Taishō.[2] The laws of succession in Japan exclude females or males through a female line; if the laws were changed, Aiko would be second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
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In a break with tradition, the name was chosen by her parents, instead of by the emperor. It was selected from the teachings of the Chinese philosopher Mencius. In clause 56 of Li Lou II, Mencius said "One who loves others will be constantly loved by them; one who respects others will be constantly respected by them. (愛人者人恆愛之，敬人者人恆敬之。)"
Princess Aiko began her education at Gakushuin Kindergarten on April 3, 2006.[3] She graduated from the school on March 15, 2008.[4]
On Princess Aiko's eighth birthday, it was revealed her interests include but are not limited to: writing Kanji characters, calligraphy, jump rope, playing piano and violin, and writing poetry.[5]
In early March, 2010, Aiko began to stay home from school due to being bullied by her elementary school classmates.[6] Aiko returned to school on a limited basis on May 2, 2010. Since returning, she has attended a limited number of classes accompanied by her mother.[7] The Imperial Household Agency has denied reports in the Japanese media that it advised Gakushuin's administration to add drugs to the lunches of Aiko's tormentors to calm them down.[8]
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The birth of Princess Aiko sparked debate in Japan about whether the The Imperial Household Law of 1947 should be changed from the current system of agnatic primogeniture to absolute primogeniture, which would allow a woman to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne instead of a man, even her brother. Although Imperial chronologies include eight empresses regnant in the course of Japanese history, their successors were always selected from amongst the members of the paternal Imperial bloodline, which is why some conservative scholars argue that the women's reigns were temporary and that male-only succession tradition must be maintained in the 21st century.[2] Though Empress Gemmei was followed on the throne by her daughter, Empress Genshō,[9] Genshō herself was succeeded by her brother's son, thus keeping the throne in the same agnatic line; both Genshō and Gemmei, as well as all other empresses regnant and emperors, belonged to the same patriline.
A government-appointed panel of experts submitted a report on 25 October 2005, recommending that the Imperial succession law be amended to permit absolute primogeniture. On 20 January 2006, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi used part of his annual keynote speech to address the controversy when he pledged to submit a bill to the Diet letting women ascend to the throne in order that the imperial throne be continued into the future in a stable manner. Koizumi did not announce a timing for the legislation to be introduced nor did he provide details about the content but he did note that it would be in line with the conclusions of the 2005 government panel.
Proposals to replace agnatic primogeniture were shelved temporarily after it was announced in February 2006 that the Crown Prince's younger brother, Prince Akishino and his wife Princess Kiko were expecting their third child. On 6 September 2006, at 8:27 a.m. (Japan Standard Time), Princess Kiko gave birth to a son, Hisahito, who is third in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne under the current law, after his uncle, the Crown Prince and his father, Prince Akishino. The prince's birth provided the first male heir to be born in the imperial family in 41 years. On 3 January 2007, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that he would drop the proposal to alter the Imperial Household Law. Therefore, it seems unlikely that the succession laws will be changed to allow Princess Aiko to become reigning Empress.
See Japanese Imperial succession controversy.