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Prince Hisahito of Akishino

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"Prince Hisahito" redirects here. For emperor of the same name, see Emperor Go-Fukakusa.

Hisahito
Hisahito in 2020
Born (2006-09-06) 6 September 2006 (age 18)
Aiiku Hospital,
Minato, Tokyo, Japan
HouseImperial House of Japan
FatherFumihito, Crown Prince of Japan
MotherKiko Kawashima

Prince Hisahito of Akishino (悠仁親王, Hisahito Shinnō, born 6 September 2006) is the youngest child and only son of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan.[1][2] He is the nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to the throne after his father, Fumihito.

Preceding his birth, the paucity of male heirs in the imperial family had triggered the Japanese imperial succession debate, with some politicians favoring the abandonment of agnatic primogeniture which has prevailed in Japan since its monarchy was established in 660 BC, with eight exceptions (the last reigning empress being Go-Sakuramachi, r. 1762–1771), and which remains the law of imperial succession under the post-war constitution of Japan. The birth of Hisahito in 2006 removed the need to make any non-traditional provision for the succession. He became, at birth, next in the line of succession after his uncle and father.

Birth

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Japanese tabloids announcing the birth of Hisahito, then third in line for the Chrysanthemum Throne

Prince Hisahito was born at 08:27 JST (23:27 UTC) on 6 September 2006 at Aiiku Hospital, Tokyo. He was delivered by Caesarean section, two weeks early, after complications in the pregnancy.[1]

Hisahito is the youngest of three children and only son of Fumihito, Prince Akishino, and Kiko, Princess Akishino.[3] He has two older sisters, Mako Komuro and Princess Kako of Akishino. He was first seen in public on 15 September 2006, outside Aiiku Hospital.[3]

Hisahito, the Prince's personal name, chosen by his father, means "serene and virtuous", according to the Imperial Household Agency.[3] An alternative translation is "virtuous, calm, everlasting".

Hisahito was the first male child born to the Imperial House of Japan since his father's birth in 1965. In January 2007, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that he would drop an earlier proposal to alter the Imperial Household Law so as to allow women to inherit the throne. The proposal had been made on the basis of the fact that the brother and two sons of Emperor Akihito had, at the time, no sons of their own. Given Hisahito's birth, it now seems increasingly unlikely that the laws will be changed to allow Hisahito's cousin Princess Aiko, daughter of Emperor Naruhito, to become a reigning empress.[4] The supporters of changes criticized the current law as it placed a burden on the few aging males old enough to perform royal duties as females left the family.[5]

Education

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In the spring of 2010, Prince Hisahito began kindergarten at a school affiliated with Ochanomizu University in Tokyo; on 14 December 2012, the Imperial Household Agency announced he would enter Ochanomizu University Elementary School in April 2013 so he could be with many of his friends from kindergarten. The prince thus became the first member of the Imperial House of Japan to receive his education at a school other than Gakushūin Primary School, which is also in Tokyo.[6] By his second year, he was reported to be doing well at school, helping to look after first-year pupils and playing with his friends.[7] In April 2019, Hisahito was enrolled in Ochanomizu University Junior High School.[8] Police reports indicate that there was an assassination attempt on him there in May 2019.[9]

In August 2019, he accompanied his parents on an official visit to Bhutan.[10]

In March 2021, he was awarded a second-place prize in the junior high student category of Kitakyushu's 12th Children's Nonfiction Literature Awards.[11] In February 2022, he was accused of plagiarism concerning that award-winning essay, which was about his trip to the Ogasawara islands.[12][13] The Imperial Household Agency and Prince Hisahito acknowledged that the essay's citations were "inadequate" and that the prince would contact the organizers of the award with revisions. The award was not considered for revocation.[12]

In April 2022, Hisahito was enrolled in University of Tsukuba Senior High School [ja].[14]

The mon of the Akishino branch of the imperial family represents the Japanese umbrella-pine tree (kōyamaki).

References

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  1. ^ a b "Japan princess gives birth to boy". BBC News. 6 September 2006. Archived from the original on 3 November 2022. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  2. ^ Walsh, Bryan (5 September 2006). "Japan Celebrates: It's a Boy!". Time. Archived from the original on 13 May 2007. Retrieved 5 September 2006.
  3. ^ a b c "Japan's new prince seen in public". BBC. 15 September 2006. Retrieved 14 June 2018.
  4. ^ Yoshida, Reiji (27 March 2007). "Life in the Cloudy Imperial Fishbowl". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  5. ^ Kōichirō, Takahashi (25 July 2014). "The Future of Japan's Dwindling Imperial Family". Retrieved 26 July 2014.
  6. ^ "Prince Hisahito to enter Ochanomizu University Elementary School". The Japan Times. 15 December 2012. Archived from the original on 19 December 2012. Retrieved 2 June 2017.
  7. ^ "Prince Hisahito, third in line to Imperial throne, turns 8". The Japan Times. 6 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 November 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  8. ^ "Prince Hisahito tells junior high school entrance ceremony of new students' hopes to broaden perspectives". The Japan Times. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  9. ^ "School intruder wanted to stab Japanese prince, say police". South China Morning Post. 8 May 2019. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
  10. ^ "Japan's Crown Prince Akishino and family meet Bhutan's king". The Japan Times. 20 August 2019. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
  11. ^ "Japan's Prince Hisahito receives kids' nonfiction lit award for travel account". The Mainichi. 13 March 2021. Retrieved 30 October 2021.
  12. ^ a b Ryall, Julian (23 February 2022). "Japan's 15-year-old prince to keep literary award despite plagiarism row". The Telegraph. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
  13. ^ "Prince Hisahito accused of plagiarism in praised essay". The Asahi Shimbun. 17 February 2022. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  14. ^ "Prince Hisahito attends high school entrance ceremony". The Asahi Shimbun. 10 April 2022. Retrieved 20 February 2024.
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Prince Hisahito of Akishino
Born: 6 September 2006
Lines of succession
Preceded by Succession to the Japanese throne
2nd in line 		Succeeded by
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