Aiko, Princess Toshi

Japanese Imperial Family
HM The Emperor HM 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 Princess Takamado HIH Princess Tsuguko of Takamado HIH Princess Ayako of Takamado

Princess Aiko, The Princess Toshi (敬宮愛子内親王, Toshi-no-miya Aiko Naishinnō, born 1 December 2001) is the only child of Naruhito, Crown Prince of Japan and his wife, Masako.

Name

In a break with tradition, the name of the princess 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 the 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。)"

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] The princess 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.

Personal life

Princess Aiko began her education at Gakushuin Kindergarten on April 3, 2006.^[2] She left kindergarten on March 15, 2008.^[3] On 18 March 2014, Princess Aiko finished at Gakushuin elementary school and on 6 April 2014 she entered Gakushuin Girl's Junior High-school.

On her 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.^[4]

In November 2011, Aiko was hospitalized with pneumonia.^[5]

In early March 2010, Aiko began to stay home from school due to, along with other girls, being bullied by her elementary school classmates.^[6] Aiko returned to school on a limited basis on May 2, 2010. After returning to school, she attended a limited number of classes, accompanied by her mother, upon advice from a doctor at the Crown Prince’s household.^{[7] [8]}

Throne

The Imperial Household Law of 1947 abolished the Japanese nobility; under provisions of this law, the imperial family was streamlined to the descendants of Emperor Taishō.^[9] The laws of succession in Japan forbid inheritance by or through females. If the laws were changed, Aiko would be second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

Debate

The birth of Princess Aiko sparked debate in Japan about whether the Imperial Household Law of 1947 should be changed from the current system of agnatic primogeniture to absolute primogeniture, which would allow a woman, as firstborn, to inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne ahead of a younger brother or male cousin. 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.^[9] Though Empress Gemmei was followed on the throne by her daughter, Empress Genshō,^[10] 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.

Birth of male cousin

Proposals to replace agnatic primogeniture were shelved temporarily after it was announced in February 2006 that the Crown Prince's younger brother, Fumihito, Prince Akishino and his wife Kiko, Princess Akishino 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 Shinzō 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 Empress regnant.

Titles and styles

Styles of Aiko, Princess Toshi
Reference style	Her Imperial Highness
Spoken style	Your Imperial Highness
Alternative style	Ma'am

Aiko is styled as "Her Imperial Highness The Princess Toshi".

Ancestry

References

External links

• Kunaicho | Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako
• Kunaicho | Press Conference by Their Imperial Highness The Crown Prince and Crown Princess After the Birth of Her Imperial Highness Princess Aiko
• Kunaicho | Press Conference on the occasion of the First Birthday of Her Imperial Highness Princess Aiko
• BBC News | Japan's new princess meets the public

Japanese princesses Generations indicate descent from Emperor Meiji, in whose time the Empire of Japan was formed. 1st generation Masako, Princess Tsune Fusako, Princess Kane* Nobuko, Princess Fumi Toshiko, Princess Yasu* 2nd generation None 3rd generation Shigeko, Princess Teru* Sachiko, Princess Hisa Kazuko, Princess Taka† Atsuko, Princess Yori† Takako, Princess Suga† Princess Yasuko of Mikasa† Princess Masako of Mikasa† 4th generation Sayako, Princess Nori† Princess Akiko of Mikasa Princess Yōko of Mikasa Princess Tsuguko of Takamado Princess Noriko of Takamado† Princess Ayako of Takamado 5th generation Aiko, Princess Toshi Princess Mako of Akishino Princess Kako of Akishino * Reduced to commoner status with the abolition of titles of nobility by the American occupation authorities. † Lost the title upon her marriage.