Luncheon Celebrates Japan Prince Hisahito's Coming of Age

The luncheon was hosted by the Crown Prince and Crown Princess Kiko and attended by about 30 guests, including Princess Kako, Prince Hisahito's elder sister, and Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Crown Prince Akishino said in a speech that he hopes that Prince Hisahito will fulfil his duties as an adult Imperial Family member.

Prince Hisahito's coming-of-age ceremony was held on his 19th birthday on Saturday, following a one-year postponement due to his university entrance exam preparations.

Wednesday's luncheon was the final in a series of ceremonies and events marking Prince Hisahito's coming of age.

Crown Princess Kiko Turns 59 with Relief over Son's Coming of Age

Japanese Crown Princess Kiko turned 59 on Thursday, feeling relieved that her son, Prince Hisahito, had completed his coming-of-age ceremony.

"I want him to embrace every responsibility, play his role and walk his own way," she said in a written answer to questions from the press.

On Saturday, the traditional coming-of-age ceremony was held for the first time since the previous one, for Crown Prince Akishino, 59, the father of the 19-year-old prince, who was held 40 years ago.

Crown Princess Kiko said that her son "appeared to feel the importance of the ceremony and his own responsibilities and duties" while preparing for it.

"I was deeply moved by the traditional Imperial ceremony being passed on from father to son and by Hisahito performing it with reverence," the Crown Princess said.

She also wrote that Prince Hisahito, currently a first-year student at the University of Tsukuba who splits his time between Tokyo and the city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, sometimes brings vegetables grown at the Akasaka Estate to Tsukuba to cook for himself.

"I feel his growth", as the prince thinks about improving his life, she said.

The prince obtained his driver's license this spring and sometimes drives Crown Prince Akishino's beloved car from his university days, a bright yellow Volkswagen Beetle. He enjoys driving around the Akasaka Estate with his father in the front passenger seat, according to the Crown Princess.

Meanwhile, former Princess Mako, now commoner Mako Komuro, the 33-year-old eldest daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, gave birth to her first child this spring while living in the United States. "Everyone in our family is very happy about this," said Crown Princess Kiko.

"I hope (the daughter) will visit Japan at a convenient time," she added.

As this year marked the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, she visited the western prefecture of Hiroshima with her husband in July and with her second daughter, Princess Kako, 30, in August.

"I strengthened my understanding that memories of the war are not confined to the past, but are connected to the present," Crown Princess Kiko said.

 [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]