Panel settles on title for Prince Akishino
TOKYO- A government advisory panel Thursday released its points of discussion on the Emperor’s abdication, in which its members agreed to give Prince Akishino the future title “koshi” to indicate that the younger brother of current Crown Prince Naruhito will become first in the Imperial line of succession after the Emperor abdicates and Naruhito ascends to the throne.
The government will move ahead its study based on the proposal from the panel, which is chaired by Takashi Imai, honorary chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren).
According to the outlines of the 11th and 12th meetings on April 4 and 6, which were released on the website of the Prime Minister’s Office, the panel members proposed the idea of continuing to use his family name Akishino for addressing him because his “name and presence as a prince of the Akishino family are recognised well by and are familiar to the public.”
The members also pointed out one way would be to add “koshi” to his current name in order to help the public easily understand his position when he becomes first in the Imperial line of succession.
According to the outlines, the Imperial Household Agency then explained that it will be “reasonably possible to call the prince ‘Akishinonomiya Koshi,’ ‘Koshi Akishinonomiya’ or ‘Koshi.’”
The agency also said it would be appropriate to translate “koshi” into English as “crown prince,” (meaning “kotaishi”) although “koshi” has been translated as “Imperial heir.”
As for the title of the Empress after the Emperor’s abdication, the outlines note that some members were saying the word “kotaigo,” or empress dowager, is currently used only to describe a widowed empress, and the panel suggested instead using the term “jokogo,” which did not elicit any objections at the panel.