Crown Prince Naruhito

Prince Naruhito 皇太子徳仁親王 Crown Prince of Japan Prince Naruhito in Brazil, 18 June 2008 Spouse Crown Princess Masako Detail Issue Aiko, Princess Toshi Full name Naruhito (徳仁) House Imperial House of Japan Father Emperor Akihito Mother Empress Michiko Born (1960-02-23) 23 February 1960 Tokyo, 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

Crown Prince Naruhito (皇太子徳仁親王, Kōtaishi Naruhito Shinnō, born 23 February 1960) is the eldest son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, which makes him the heir apparent to the Chrysanthemum Throne of Japan.

Early life and education

Naruhito in February 1961

Titled Prince Hiro (浩宮 , Hiro-no-miya), he was invested as the Crown Prince on 23 February 1991, following the death of his grandfather, Emperor Shōwa on 7 January 1989.

He received his bachelor's and master's degrees in history from Gakushuin University in 1982 and 1988, respectively. From 1983 to 1985 he studied at Merton College, Oxford University in England.

Prince Naruhito plays the viola and enjoys jogging, hiking, and mountaineering in his spare time. He has written several papers and a memoir of his Oxford days, The Thames and I: A Memoir of Two Years at Oxford.

Marriage and issue

The Prince pursued and eventually proposed (reportedly twice) to the then 29-year-old Masako Owada, a diplomat in the Japanese Foreign Ministry working under her father Hisashi Owada who is currently a judge on the International Court of Justice, former vice minister for foreign affairs and former Japanese ambassador to the United Nations. The Imperial Palace announced their engagement on 19 January 1993.

On 9 June 1993, The Crown Prince of Japan and Masako Owada were married at the Imperial Shinto Hall in Tokyo before 800 invited guests and an estimated media audience of 500 million people around the world. Many of Europe's crowned heads attended. So, too, did most of Europe's elected heads of state. The couple make their home at the Tōgū Palace, on the Akasaka Estate in Minato, Tokyo.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess have one daughter from their marriage:

Aiko, Princess Toshi (敬宮愛子内親王, Toshi-no-miya Aiko Naishinnō, born 1 December 2001)

Succession controversy

See also: Japanese succession controversy

Aiko's birth, which occurred more than eight years after their marriage, sparked lively debate in Japan about whether The Imperial Household Law of 1947 should be changed from that of agnatic primogeniture to cognatic or absolute primogeniture, which would allow a woman to ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

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, then 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.

Following the birth of Hisahito, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe announced that he would drop the proposal to alter the Imperial Household Law. Therefore, it seems increasingly unlikely that the succession laws will be changed to allow Princess Aiko to become reigning Empress. Although Imperial chronologies include eight reigning empresses 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 should be maintained in the 21st century.

Masako controversy

On 11 July 2008, Naruhito sought public understanding for his wife, who was suffering from a stress-induced form of depression, diagnosed as an adjustment disorder. "I would like [the public] to understand that Masako is continuing to make her utmost efforts with the help of those around her. Please continue to watch over her kindly and over the long-term." Pressures to produce a male heir, to conform with the ancient traditions and a 1947 imperial law, were perceived to be behind her illness.

Personal interests

Naruhito is interested in water policy and water conservation. In March 2003, in his capacity as honorary president of the Third World Water Forum, he delivered a speech at the forum's opening ceremony titled "Waterways Connecting Kyoto and Local Regions". Visiting Mexico in March 2006, he gave the keynote address at the opening ceremony for the Fourth World Water Forum, "Edo and Water Transport." And in December 2007, he gave a commemorative talk at the opening ceremony for the First Asia-Pacific Water Summit, "Humans and Water: From Japan to the Asia-Pacific Region."

Official duties

Crown Prince Naruhito is an honorary member of the World Commission on Water for the 21st century and patron of the Global Water Partnership, established by the World Bank, the United Nations, and the Swedish Agency of Development.

The prince was a patron of the Japanese Olympic Games Committee until 1998 when he was made a member of the International Olympic Committee. On behalf of the crown, the prince carries out representative duties in Japan and abroad. The prince is also a supporter of the world organization of the Scout Movement and in 2006 attended the 14th Nippon Jamboree, which is the Japanese national jamboree organized by the Boy Scout Association of Japan. The crown prince has also been an honorary vice-president of the Japanese Red Cross Society since 1994.

The crown prince was the honorary president of Expo 2005.

Acting on behalf of the Emperor

The Crown Prince performed the Emperor's duty on behalf of him on a number of occasions on a temporary basis (not as a regent), most recently and currently during and after heart bypass surgery on his father.

First visit to Vietnam

On Monday, 9 February 2009, Crown Prince Naruhito left Japan for Vietnam, the first visit to a communist nation for the heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne. During the week-long trip, he met President Nguyễn Minh Triết in Hanoi and visited the ancient city of Huế in central Vietnam, as well as Ho Chi Minh City in the south. The trip marked the 35th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Selected works

This is an incomplete list, which may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by expanding it with reliably sourced entries.

• 2006 – The Thames and I: A Memoir of Two Years at Oxford with Hugh Cortazzi. Folkestone, Kent: Global Oriental. 10-ISBN 1-905246-06-4; 13-ISBN 978-1-905246-06-9; OCLC 65196090
• 1993 – Temuzu to tomoni: Eikoku no ninenkan (テムズとともに: 英国の二年間, OCLC 032395987)

Titles and styles

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

• 23 February 1960 – 23 February 1991: His Imperial Highness The Prince Hiro
• 23 February 1991 – present: His Imperial Highness The Crown Prince of Japan

Honours

Standard of the Crown Prince

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

National honours

• Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum

Foreign honours

• Austria : Decoration of Honour for Services to the Republic of Austria, Grand Decoration of Honour in Gold with Sash (1999)
• Bahrain : Order of al-Khalifa Collar
• Belgium : Grand Cordon of the Order of Leopold
• Denmark : Knight of the Order of the Elephant (16.11.2004)
• Italy : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
• Netherlands : Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown
• Norway : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav
• Portugal : Grand Cross of the Order of Christ (02/12/1993)
• Qatar : Necklace of Merit
• Spain : Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III
• Sweden : Knight of the Royal Order of the Seraphim

Honorary degree

• University of Oxford

Honorary positions

• Honorary Vice-President of the Japanese Red Cross Society
• Honorary President of the United Nations Secretary-General's Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation

Issue

Name	Birth	Marriage		Issue
Princess Toshi	1 December 2001

External links

• Kunaicho | Their Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako
• Kunaicho | Press Conference on the occasion of His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince's Birthday (2011)

Crown Prince Naruhito Imperial House of Japan Born: 23 February 1960
Lines of succession
First Heir apparent	Line of succession to the Japanese throne 1st position	Succeeded by The Prince Akishino
Japanese royalty
Preceded by Akihito later became Emperor Akihito	Crown Prince of Japan 23 February 1991 – present	Incumbent
Order of precedence in Japan
Preceded by The Emperor	Gentlemen HIH The Crown Prince	Succeeded by The Prince Akishino