Japan Empress Masako Turns 62 with Stronger Hope for Peace

Tokyo, Dec. 9 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s Empress Masako turned 62 on Tuesday, with stronger hope for peace cultivated through her visits this year to places associated with World War II. Marking the 80th year since the war ended, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited Iwoto, a remote Tokyo island also known as Iwo Jima, the prefectures of Okinawa, Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall to pray for the war dead. In a statement released through the Imperial Household Agency, the Empress said that this year deeply reminded her once again of the importance of protecting peace permanently. On the visits to Okinawa, Nagasaki and the Tokyo hall, the Imperial couple was accompanied by their daughter, Princess Aiko. The family interacted with people who experienced the war and storytellers. Empress Masako said in the statement that she felt the importance of young people who do not know the war learning and passing it on to future generations. The Empress also said she is deeply saddened by wars and conflicts that continue in many parts of the world, adding that she profoundly feels the importance of continuing efforts to build peace without the use of force or violence. When she visited Hiroshima, the Empress listened to hibakusha atomic bomb survivors at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum and discussed the importance of peace with them. During a trip to Mongolia in July, the Emperor and the Empress visited a memorial monument for Japanese people who died in detention there. The Empress said that she offered flowers at the monument as she thought of the hardships and sorrows of those who died in the extremely cold region while remembering their hometowns. The couple also attended the opening ceremony of the Naadam Festival, Mongolia’s largest event, with Mongolian President Ukhnaa Khurelsukh and his wife. The Empress participated in a Mongolian game using sheep knuckle bones. In January, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attended a memorial ceremony to mark the 30th anniversary of a powerful earthquake that hit the western Japan city of Kobe and surrounding areas on Jan. 17, 1995. The Empress said in the statement that she was deeply impressed by the recovery of the areas affected by the quake 30 years ago and that she wants to spend her time while thinking of people in disaster-hit areas, also noting that next year will mark the 15th anniversary of the March 11, 2011, major earthquake and tsunami in the Tohoku region of northeastern Japan and the 10th anniversary of major earthquakes in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, in April 2016. The Empress visited the 2025 World Exposition in the western city of Osaka twice, at its opening ceremony in April and again in October. At the Future of Life pavilion, she looked surprised at the androids, saying, “They made eye contact.” At the Imperial Palace in Tokyo, she had dinners with foreign royalty who visited Japan for the Osaka Expo. Empress Masako noted in the statement that her daughter is working sincerely on each of her official duties. This year, Princess Aiko visited areas heavily damaged by the Jan. 1, 2024, earthquake in the Noto Peninsula in Ishikawa Prefecture, central Japan. The young princess also visited Laos as her first official trip abroad. In September, Empress Masako attended a coming-of-age ceremony for Prince Hisahito, the son of Crown Prince Akishino, the younger brother of the Emperor, and Crown Princess Kiko and second in line to the throne. The Empress said she looks forward to seeing Prince Hisahito grow up step by step. Meanwhile, Empress Masako continues to undergo treatment for adjustment disorder. A team of doctors at the Imperial Household Agency said that the Empress is still in the process of recovery and that her condition continues to fluctuate. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]