Kiko, Princess Akishino

Kiko 文仁親王妃紀子 Princess Akishino Princess Akishino on 23 December 2009. Spouse Fumihito, Prince Akishino Issue Princess Mako of Akishino Princess Kako of Akishino Prince Hisahito of Akishino Full name Kiko (紀子) House Imperial House of Japan Father Tatsuhiko Kawashima Mother Kazuyo Sugimoto Born (1966-09-11) 11 September 1966 Shizuoka, Japan Religion Shinto

Japanese Imperial Family HIM The Emperor HIM The Empress HIH The Crown Prince HIH The Crown Princess HIH The Princess Toshi HIH The Prince Akishino HIH The Princess Akishino HIH Princess Mako of Akishino HIH Princess Kako of Akishino HIH Prince Hisahito of Akishino HIH The Prince Hitachi HIH The Princess Hitachi HIH The Prince Mikasa HIH The Princess Mikasa HIH Princess Tomohito of Mikasa HIH Princess Akiko of Mikasa HIH Princess Yōko of Mikasa HIH The Prince Katsura HIH The Princess Takamado HIH Princess Tsuguko of Takamado HIH Princess Noriko of Takamado HIH Princess Ayako of Takamado v t e

Kiko, Princess Akishino (文仁親王妃紀子, Fumihito Shinnōhi Kiko), née Kiko Kawashima (川嶋紀子, Kawashima Kiko, born 11 September 1966), is the wife of Fumihito, Prince Akishino, the second son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko of Japan. She became the second commoner to marry into the imperial family; her mother-in-law, the Empress, was the first in 1959. She is also known as Princess Kiko.

Early life

Kiko was born in Shizuoka, Japan. She is the eldest daughter of Kazuyo and Tatsuhiko Kawashima. Her father worked as an economics professor at Gakushuin University. She was affectionately called "Kiki" by friends and relatives in her childhood.

She spent her preschool days in the United States when her father received a PhD in Regional Economy from the University of Pennsylvania and later taught there. Princess Kiko attended elementary and high school in Vienna, Austria, when her father became the chief researcher at The International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, Austria, where he studied spatial science and NGO activities. The future princess became fluent in English and German. She participated in the Ship for Southeast Asian Youth Program (SSEAYP) in 1987 and continues to be a supporter of the program. She received her undergraduate degree from the Department of Psychology in the Faculty of Letters of Gakushuin University in 1989. Kiko subsequently began graduate study in psychology at Gakushuin and completed the first part of the doctorate in 1995.

She was chosen as one of the Young Global Leaders for 2007, drawn from a poll of 4000 candidates.

Marriage

Princess Akishino in 1990.

Prince Fumihito first proposed marriage to Kiko Kawashima on 26 June 1986 while they were both undergraduates at Gakushuin. Three years later, Imperial Household Council announced the engagement on 12 September 1989^[1][2] and the engagement ceremony was held on 12 January 1990. The wedding took place at an exclusive shrine at the Tokyo Imperial Palace on 29 June 1990.^[3] The Imperial Household Council had previously granted the prince permission to establish a new branch of the Imperial Family and the Emperor granted him the title Akishino-no-miya (Prince Akishino) on his wedding day. Upon marriage, his bride became Her Imperial Highness The Princess Akishino, known informally as Princess Kiko.

The engagement and marriage of Prince Akishino to the former Kiko Kawashima broke precedent in several respects. First, at the time, the groom was still a graduate student at Gakushuin and married before his older brother, Crown Prince Naruhito. Additionally, the princess was the first woman from a middle-class background to marry into the imperial family. (Although Empress Michiko was born a commoner, she was from a very wealthy family; her father was the president of a large flour-milling company.) Unusual for the time, their engagement and marriage were romantically based, rather than arranged.^{[citation needed]}

Princess Akishino completed her post-graduate studies in psychology in between her official duties and received her master's degree in psychology in 1995. She is known for her continuing interest in deaf culture and the Deaf in Japan. She learned Japanese sign language and she is a skilled sign language interpreter.^[4] She attends the "Sign Language Speech Contest for High School Students" held every August, and "Praising Mothers Raising Children with Hearing Impairments" every December. In October 2008, she participated in the "38th National Deaf Women's Conference."^[5] She also signs in informal Deaf gatherings.^[6]

In March 2013, Kiko was granted PhD in psychology at the Graduate School of Humanities and Sciences, Ochanomizu University, for her thesis titled "Knowledge, perceptions, beliefs and behaviors related to tuberculosis: A study based on questionnaire surveys with seminar participants of the National Federation of Community Women's Organizations for TB Control and female college students."^[7]

The princess suffers from carpal tunnel syndrome osteoporosis aggravated by child-nursing, a symptom common among middle-aged women, her doctor said on 14 December 2007.^[8]

Children

Since 1997, Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko and their children have maintained a principal residence on the grounds of the Akasaka Estate in Motoakasaka, Minato, Tokyo. The couple have two daughters and one son:

• Princess Mako (眞子内親王, Mako Naishinnō, born 23 October 1991)
• Princess Kako (佳子内親王, Kako Naishinnō, born 29 December 1994)
• Prince Hisahito (悠仁親王, Hisahito Shinnō, born 6 September 2006)^[9][10]

Official duties

Princess Akishino often accompanies her husband to attend a wide variety of official events within Japan. These events include the Festival of the Sea, the National High School Horse Riding Festival, the All Japan High School Cultural Festival, the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize Ceremony, the National Sports Festival, the National City Greening Festival and All Japan Lifelong Learning Forum. The couple is also called upon to meet with important overseas visitors to improve diplomatic relations.

The Prince and Princess have made numerous official visits to foreign countries. In June 2002, they became the first members of the Imperial Family to visit Mongolia, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of diplomatic relations. In October 2002, they visited the Netherlands to attend the funeral of the Prince Claus of the Netherlands. In September 2003, the Prince and Princess made goodwill visits to Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, again, the first time ever members of the Imperial Family had visited these countries. In March 2004, the Prince and Princess returned to the Netherlands for the funeral of Queen Juliana of the Netherlands. In January 2005, they visited Luxembourg to attend the funeral of Grand Duchess Josephine-Charlotte. In January 2006, they visited Indonesia for a ceremony commemorating the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Republic of Indonesia. From October to November 2006, they visited Paraguay to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Japanese emigration to that country.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between Japan and the Slovak Republic, Slovak President Ivan Gasparovic solemnly invited Japanese prince Fumihito Akishino and princess Kiko Akishino for an official visit to Slovakia. The expected date of their visit was set for the second half of June and their official program in Slovakia, including a meeting with the President and participation at various events in honor of the establishment of diplomatic relations, is still under preparation.

Princess Akishino has also assumed the role of Patroness of the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association, succeeding the Late Princess Chichibu in June 1994. As the Patroness, she attends various ceremonial events such as the Anti-Tuberculosis National Convention, the Central training seminar for branch leaders of Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Women's Society, and meetings with specialists who participate in the international training course in the National Tuberculosis Program Management. Also, Princess Akishino assumed the role of Patroness of the Social Welfare Juridical Person "Imperial Gift Foundation Boshi-Aiiku-Kai", succeeding Princess Mikasa in October 2010, and visit and see its activities. She also plays an active role in the Japanese Red Cross Society.

The Princess has a strong interest in supporting female researchers who restart researches after childbirth and child care, and attends presentations by researchers supported by "Research Fellowship for Young Scientists - Restarted Post Doctoral fellowship" of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. She carries out research in areas related to health care, and was nominated as the Honorary Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science in February 2009.

Titles and styles

Styles of Princess Akishino Reference style Her Imperial Highness Spoken style Your Imperial Highness Alternative style Ma'am

• 11 September 1966 – 29 June 1990: Miss Kiko Kawashima
• 29 June 1990 – present: Her Imperial Highness The Princess Akishino

Honours

National honours

• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown

Foreign honours

•  Spain : Dame Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic^[11]
•  Sweden : Commander Grand Cross of the Order of the Polar Star

Honorary Positions

• Patroness of the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association
• President of the Imperial Gift Foundation Boshi-Aiiku-kai
• Honorary Vice-President of the Japanese Red Cross Society
• Honorary Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science

Issue

See also

• Japanese succession controversy
• Emperor of Japan: Succession
• Crown Princess Masako

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Princess 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)
• CNN | Japan's Princess Kiko has boy
• BBC | Japan welcomes imperial baby boy
• CNN | Japan's new prince meets public