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Empress Masako

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Masako
皇太子妃雅子
SpouseCrown Prince Naruhito
IssueAiko, Princess Toshi
FatherHisashi Owada
MotherYumiko Egashira
OccupationCrown Princess of Japan

Crown Princess Masako (皇太子妃雅子, Kōtaishihi Masako, the Crown Princess Masako) (born 9 December 1963) is the wife of Crown Prince Naruhito, the first son of the Emperor Akihito and the Empress Michiko, and a member of the Imperial House of Japan through marriage.

Early life and education

Born Masako Owada (小和田 雅子, Owada Masako), she is eldest daughter of Hisashi Owada, a senior diplomat, and President of the International Court of Justice. She has two younger sisters, twins named Setsuko and Reiko.[1]

Masako went to live in Moscow with her parents when she was two years old, where she completed her kindergarten education. Upon returning to Japan, she attended a private girls' school in Tokyo, Denenchofu Futaba, from elementary school through her second year of senior high school. Masako and her family moved to the United States when her father became a guest professor at Harvard University and vice ambassador to the United States. In 1981, she graduated from Belmont High School, where she was president of the National Honor Society,[2] and she entered Radcliffe College.

Princess Masako holds a Bachelor of Arts magna cum laude in Economics from Harvard University and attended but did not finish the graduate course in International Relations at Balliol College, Oxford University. Her senior thesis advisor at Harvard was Jeffrey Sachs. She also studied briefly at the University of Tokyo, where her father taught, in preparation for the entrance examinations at the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.[3]

In addition to her native Japanese, she is fluent in English and French, and is said to be of conversational standard in German, Russian, and Spanish.[4][5]

Employment

Masako was formerly employed by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, where she worked with her father, the Director General and prospective Vice Minister.[6] During her career she met many world leaders, such as U.S. president Bill Clinton and Russian president Boris Yeltsin. She also took part as a translator in negotiations with the United States concerning superconductors.

Marriage

Masako first met the prince when she was a student at the University of Tokyo in November 1986, although some say they had actually met previously when her father served as an escort to members of the Imperial Family. Masako and the prince were pursued relentlessly by the press throughout 1987.[1]

Masako's name disappeared from the list of possible royal brides due to controversy about her maternal grandfather, Yutaka Egashira, Chairman of Chisso, a corporation infamous for the Minamata disease, a major pollution scandal. Behind the scenes, however, her relationship with the prince continued unabated. The Prince proposed several times before Masako finally honored his request on 9 December 1992. Palace officials formally announced the engagement on 19 January 1993. Although many were surprised at the news (as it was believed that the prince and Masako had gone their separate ways), the engagement was met with a surge of renewed media attention directed towards the imperial family and their new princess.

Masako was joined in marriage with His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Naruhito in a traditional wedding ceremony on 9 June 1993. By virtue of the marriage, Masako Owada assumed the formal predicate Her Imperial Highness, The Crown Princess of Japan. In addition, she was placed in the Japanese Imperial Order of Precedence (used for the most formal occasions) behind her mother-in-law, The Empress Michiko, and her grandmother-in-law, The Dowager Empress Nagako. [7]

Family and succession

Standard of the Crown Princess
Cover of the book Princess Masako by Ben Hills, showing her in a jūnihitoe on her marriage ceremony

The Crown Princess' first pregnancy was announced in December 1999. However, the Crown Princess miscarried soon after the announcement.[8]

Princess Aiko

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess have one child, Princess Aiko (her official title is Toshi no Miya, or Princess Toshi), born on 1 December 2001.[9][10]

The child's birth, which occurred more than eight years after her parents' marriage, sparked lively debate in Japan about whether the The Imperial Household Law of 1947 should be changed from that of male-only primogeniture to equal primogeniture, which would allow a woman to inherit 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 equal 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.

The Japanese Constitution does not allow the members of the Imperial Family to engage in political activities. The Prince has made pointed and controversial comments about discourtesies and pressures placed on his wife by the Imperial Household Agency and his wife's desire to pursue the life of a diplomat.[11]

Nephew

Plans to change the male-only law of Imperial succession were shelved after it was announced in February 2006 that Masako's brother-in-law, Prince Akishino, and his wife Princess Kiko were expecting their third child. On 6 September 2006, 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.[12][13][14]

Health

Princess Masako has remained largely out of the public eye since 2002, reportedly due to emotional disorders which many speculate are caused by the pressure to produce a male heir and adjusting to life in the Imperial Family.[15][16] In July 2004, she was diagnosed as suffering from adjustment disorder and is reported to be seeking treatment.[17][18][19]

On July 11, 2008, Naruhito sought public understanding for his ailing wife. He was on an 8-day trip to Spain without her: "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 are perceived to be behind her illness.[20]

Ancestry

8. Kaneyoshi Owada
4. Takeo Owada
9. Takeno Koga
2. Hisashi Owada
10. Matashirō Tamura
5. Shizuka Tamura
11.
1. Masako Owada
12. Yasutarō Egashira
6. Yutaka Egashira
13. Yoneko
3. Yumiko Egashira
14. Tanin Yamaya
7. Suzuko Yamaya
15. Sadako Niwa

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "The Princess Bride". People Magazine. June 21, 1993. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help) Cite error: The named reference "MasakoWeddingPeopleMagazine" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  2. ^ "Oft Rejected, Japan's Crown Prince Gets a 'Yes' from a Harvard Grad" People Magazine. January 25, 1993. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  3. ^ "Weight of Imperial world on Princess Masako" The Japan Times. May 19, 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  4. ^ Hills, Ben (2006). Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne. VNU Business Media, Inc. p. 336. ISBN 1585425680. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  5. ^ Ruoff, Kenneth (2003). The People's Emperor: Democracy and the Japanese Monarchy, 1945-1995. VNU Business Media, Inc. p. 331. ISBN 0674008405. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  6. ^ "The Imperial Family". Japan Zone.
  7. ^ Hills, Ben (2006). Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne. VNU Business Media, Inc. p. 336. ISBN 1585425680. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
  8. ^ Royal life takes its toll on Japan's crown princess
  9. ^ Girl Born to Japan's Princess New York Times. December 1, 2001. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  10. ^ Asia: Japan: A Name For The Royal Baby New York Times. December 8, 2001. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  11. ^ Airing wife's troubles a turning point: prince The Age. February 24, 2005. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  12. ^ "Japan princess gives birth to boy". BBC News. 2006-09-06. Retrieved 2006-09-05.
  13. ^ Walsh, Bryan (2006-09-05). "Japan Celebrates: It's a Boy!". Time. Retrieved 2006-09-05..
  14. ^ "Life in the Cloudy Imperial Fishbowl" Japan Times. 27 March 2007.
  15. ^ "Japan princess makes rare solo public visit" AFP. March 2, 2009. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  16. ^ "Tabloids turn against the Crown Princess Masako" The Times. February 5, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2009.
  17. ^ Royal wives seek new role in monarchies July 13, 2004. China Daily. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
  18. ^ Princess trapped by palace guard February 3, 2006. BBC News. Retrieved October 4, 2009.
  19. ^ Mie SAKAMOTO. "'Imperial diplomacy' proves elusive dream". The Japan Times Online. The Japan Times. Retrieved 2008-06-16.
  20. ^ Japan's crown prince seeks public understanding for ailing princess GMA News and Public Affairs. July 11, 2008. Retrieved November 4, 2009.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Masako, Crown Princess of Japan.
Styles of
The Crown Princess of Japan
Imperial Coat of Arms
Imperial Coat of Arms
Reference styleHer Imperial Highness
Spoken styleYour Imperial Highness
Alternative styleJapanese: denka 殿下

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