Fumihito, Prince Akishino

Prince Fumihito 秋篠宮文仁親王 Prince Akishino Prince Akishino on 23 December 2009. Spouse Kiko Kawashima Detail Issue Princess Mako of Akishino Princess Kako of Akishino Prince Hisahito of Akishino Full name Fumihito (文仁) House Imperial House of Japan Father Emperor Akihito Mother Empress Michiko Born (1965-11-30) 30 November 1965 Imperial Household Agency Hospital, Tokyo, Japan Religion Shinto

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Fumihito, Prince Akishino (秋篠宮文仁親王, Akishino-no-miya Fumihito Shinnō, born 30 November 1965) is a member of the Japanese imperial family. He is the second son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko and currently second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne.^[1]

Since his marriage in June 1990, he has held the title of Akishino-no-miya (generally translated into English as Prince Akishino) and headed his own branch of the imperial family.^[2]

Early life and education

The prince was born on 30 November 1965 in Tokyo. His given name is Fumihito. His childhood appellation was Prince Aya (礼宮 Aya-no-miya). He attended the elementary and secondary departments of the Gakushuin.

In April 1984, he entered the Law Department of Gakushuin University, where he studied law and biology. After graduating from the university, he studied the taxonomy of fish at St John's College, Oxford in the United Kingdom from October 1988 to June 1990. In 1996, he was awarded a PhD degree from the National University for General Studies.^[2]

Upon the death of his grandfather, Emperor Shōwa, in January 1989, he became second-in-line to the throne after his elder brother, Crown Prince Naruhito.

Prince Fumihito received another PhD degree, this time in ornithology from the Graduate University for Advanced Studies in October 1996. His doctoral dissertation was titled, "Molecular Phylogeny of Jungle Fowls, genus Gallus and Monophyletic Origin of Domestic Fowls." He conducted field research in Indonesia in 1993 and 1994, in Yunnan Province in the People's Republic of China. When the current Emperor was still Crown Prince, he introduced tilapia to Thailand as an important source of protein. Tilapia can be easily cultured and Prince Fumihito, who is also known as "catfish specialist," has managed to maintain and expand the aquacultural studies with the people of Thailand.

He is a big fan of the Beatles and an avid tennis player. As a student, Prince Fumihito ranked among the top ten in the tennis doubles players in the Kanto Region.

He is also known as a successor to Arisugawa school of calligraphy.

Marriage and issue

On 29 June 1990, Prince Fumihito married Kiko Kawashima, the daughter of Tatsuhiko Kawashima (professor of economics at Gakushuin University) and his wife, Kazuyo.

The couple met when they were both undergraduates at Gakushuin. Like his father, the present Emperor, the Prince married outside the former aristocracy and former collateral branches of the imperial family. Upon marriage, he received the title Prince Akishino (Akishino-no-miya – strictly "Prince Akishino") and authorization from the Imperial Household Economy Council to form a new branch of the Imperial Family.

Children

Prince and Princess Akishino have two daughters and one son:

• Princess Mako (眞子内親王, Mako Naishinnō, born 23 October 1991)^[2]
• Princess Kako (佳子内親王, Kako Naishinnō, born 29 December 1994)^[2]
• Prince Hisahito (悠仁親王, Hisahito Shinnō, born 6 September 2006)^[2]

Since the third child is male, he is in the direct line of succession to the Imperial Throne and is likely to eventually succeed to the throne, unless Hisahito's uncle, Crown Prince Naruhito, produces a male heir, or the succession laws are changed (see succession controversy).^[3]

Functions

The Prince and Princess Akishino in December 2005.

Prince Akishino serves as the president of the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology and the Japanese Association of Zoological Gardens and Aquariums. He is also the honorary president of the World Wide Fund for Nature Japan, the Japan Tennis Association, and the Japan-Netherlands Association.^[2] He is visiting professor of Tokyo University of Agriculture.

Prince and Princess Akishino also foster friendly relations with foreign countries by representing Japan at select international events.^[4] For example, they traveled to the Netherlands in August 2009 to commemorate 400 years of trade between Holland and Japan. They were invited by the Dutch government and were hosted by Queen Beatrix in The Hague. Their public activities included meeting Japanese language students, visiting the Siebold House, a university hospital, and two other museums. At the Dutch National Archives, they attended the opening of a major exhibition of Japan-related material, "From Here to Tokyo, 400 Years of Trade with Japan;" they were accompanied by Dutch Princess Laurentien who lived and studied in Japan in her youth. In addition, this official visit also included talks with the Dutch prime minister.

In addition, Prince carried out public duties on behalf of the Emperor when he was hospitalized.^[5] He and other members of the imperial family visited the affected areas after the Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011.^[5]

Titles and styles

Styles of Prince Akishino
Reference style	His Imperial Highness
Spoken style	Your Imperial Highness
Alternative style	Sir

• 30 November 1965 – 29 June 1990: His Imperial Highness The Prince Aya
• 29 June 1990 – present: His Imperial Highness The Prince Akishino

Honours

See also List of honours of the Japanese Imperial Family by country

National honours

• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum^[6]

Foreign honours

•  Italy : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (12/04/1998).^[7]
•  Spain : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic (08/11/2008).^[8]

Honorary degrees

• Honorary degree (Kasetsart University, 1995)
• Honorary degree (Burapha University, 1995)
• Honorary degree (Khon Kaen University, 1999)
• Honorary degree (Chulalongkorn University, 2001)
• Honorary degree (Srinakharinwirot University, 2001)
• Honorary degree (Ubon Rajathanee University, 2003)
• Honorary degree (King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, 2007)
• Honorary degree (Chiang Mai University, 2011)
• Honorary degree (Kasetsart University, 2011)
• Honorary degree (Thammasat University, 2012)

Honorary positions

• Reserve Member of the Imperial House Council
• President of Yamashina Institute for Ornithology
• President of Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums
• Patron of the Society for the Protection of Mitera Sennyuji (Mitera Sennyuji is the temple in which the Imperial memorial tablets are enshrined)
• Patron of the Social Welfare Organization "Saiseikai" Imperial Gift Foundation Inc.
• Honorary President of World Wide Fund for Nature Japan
• Honorary Patron of Japan Tennis Association
• Honorary Patron of the Japan-Netherlands Society
• Honorary Patron of Association for All Nippon Gourd Fanciers
• Honorary President of Japan Water Prize Committee
• Honorary President of the Waksman Foundation of Japan INC
• Honorary Vice President of the Siam Society
• Researcher Extraordinary of the University Museum, the University of Tokyo
• Guest Professor of the Tokyo University of Agriculture
• Visiting Researcher of the Center for the Promotion of Integrated Sciences, the Graduate University for Advanced Studies

Issue

Ancestry

See also

• Imperial Household Agency

References

References

• Edström, Bert. (2002). Turning Points in Japanese History. London: Routledge. 10-ISBN 978-1-903350-05-8; 13-ISBN 978-1-903350-05-8
• Emori, Keiji. (1998). 秋篠宮さま (Akishino no Miya-sama). Tokyo: Mainichi Shinbunsha. 10-ISBN 978-4-620-31203-3; 13-ISBN 978-4-620-31203-3; OCLC 40129675
• Hills, Ben. (2006). Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne. New York: Penguin Books. 10-ISBN 978-1-58542-568-6; 13-ISBN 978-1-58542-568-6; OCLC 76074219

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Prince Akishino.

• Kunaicho | Their Imperial Highnesses Prince and Princess Akishino and their family
• Kunaicho | Press Conference on the Occasion of the Birthday of His Imperial Highness Prince Akishino (2006)
• "Prince Akishino regrets brother's remarks on Masako," The Japan Times. 1 December 2004.