The Newly Adult Japanese Prince's 'Sleeping Arrangement Thesis' Sparks Controversy Over Privileges

Emperor's Nephew Hisahito, First Author of 'Dragonfly Paper'
Mother Kiko Expresses Pain Over Malicious Internet Comments

On the 6th, Hisahito (Hisahito) Prince, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito (Naruhito) who turned 18 years old, recently became embroiled in a college admission privilege controversy. His mother, Kiko (Kiko) Princess, the wife of Crown Prince Fumihito (Fumihito), Naruhito's younger brother, expressed her distress over malicious comments on the internet.

In a written interview response sent to the press corps of the Imperial Household Agency earlier this month, Princess Kiko confessed, "I am worried because it seems that many people are having a hard time due to malicious posts on the internet," and added, "When our family faces such situations, it is difficult to feel at ease and there are times when it is painful."

On the 6th, Prince Hisahito of Japan, who turned 18 years old [Photo by the Imperial Household Agency of Japan]

This response is significant because Prince Hisahito has recently become the target of criticism online due to the controversy over preferential admission to the University of Tokyo. Last month, he attended the '27th International Congress of Entomology' held in Kyoto with his parents. At this conference, known as the "Olympics of Entomologists" and the largest entomological conference in the world, Hisahito presented research results on the ecology of dragonflies within Akasaka Palace, and Crown Prince Fumihito and his wife gave opening remarks.

Prior to this, in November last year, Prince Hisahito was a co-author of a paper on dragonflies published in the academic journal "Bulletin of the National Museum of Nature and Science," issued by the National Museum of Nature and Science in Japan. Among the three authors, Hisahito was listed as the first author. Japanese media reported that Hisahito conducted the research under external guidance in a leading position and explained the dragonfly list by showing data on a computer.

The Imperial Household Agency announced on the 6th that Prince Hisahito has reached the age of legal adulthood and that his coming-of-age ceremony will be postponed until next year to allow him to complete his studies. They added, "The prince has a great interest in natural history, including insects. He wants to absorb various aspects and grow, learning more through all experiences." However, public opinion is not favorable. In particular, there are criticisms that Hisahito, a high school senior, might be using the "dragonfly paper" to gain an advantage for university admission. Last month, the Japanese weekly magazine Shukan Shincho reported that Hisahito's paper is being criticized as "a way to build credentials for applying through the University of Tokyo's recommendation system." There were also speculative reports that he might enter the Faculty of Agriculture at the University of Tokyo, which has an entomology major.

The childhood image of Prince Hisahito with his parents.

So far, no member of the Japanese imperial family has graduated from the University of Tokyo. Most members of the imperial family, including Emperor Naruhito, graduated from Gakushuin University (formerly under the imperial household, now private), and Princess Aiko, Naruhito's only daughter, also graduated from Gakushuin. More than 12,000 people have signed a petition opposing Prince Hisahito's recommended admission to the University of Tokyo.

Since Crown Prince Fumihito, Hisahito's father, became an adult in 1985, nearly 40 years have passed without an adult male member in the imperial family. Among the 17 members of the Japanese imperial family, only four are male, and Prince Hisahito is the youngest among them. Article 1 of the Japanese "Imperial House Law" stipulates that "the throne shall be succeeded by a male of the male line (a male born to a male member of the imperial family)." Also, if a female member of the imperial family marries a commoner, she loses her royal status. Therefore, Princess Aiko, the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito, cannot inherit the throne. Currently, the first in line to the throne is Crown Prince Fumihito, and the second is Prince Hisahito. Crown Prince Fumihito has two sons and one daughter.

However, recently in Japan, public opinion supporting the recognition of a female emperor has been growing, making Prince Hisahito's actual succession to the throne uncertain. In May, Japanese lawmakers began discussing the possibility of relaxing the imperial succession rules. Earlier, in an April poll conducted by Kyodo News, 90% of Japanese citizens supported a female emperor. Among those who supported a female emperor, 50% responded that "the role of the emperor is not related to gender."