Japanese Princess Kako Turns 31

Tokyo, Dec. 29 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Princess Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, turned 31 on Monday. As this year marked the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II, she has an even stronger wish for peace after studying stories of the war again and feeling anew the importance of thinking about the suffering caused by conflicts around the world, according to the Imperial Household Agency. In July, Princess Kako and her family visited an exhibition on the devastation caused by the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima. The princess and her mother visited the atomic-bombed western city the following month to pray for the victims. This year, Princess Kako also participated in many public activities in Japan and abroad and interacted with people. In April, she visited Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, and met with lacquer artists affected by the January 2024 Noto Peninsula earthquake. She also visited a temporary workshop for the Wajima-nuri lacquerware. She felt the charm of the central Japan prefecture’s traditional crafts again and was deeply impressed, according to the agency. In June, she paid an official visit to Brazil to mark the 130th anniversary of the establishment of the country’s diplomatic relations with Japan. She hopes that the two countries’ friendly ties will deepen further. Her younger brother, Prince Hisahito, who is second in line to the throne, entered the University of Tsukuba in April and attended his coming-of-age ceremony in September. Princess Kako always supports the prince, who is diligently devoted to his studies, and is pleased that he is studying what has long interested him. She sincerely hopes that he will lead a happy life. During the Tokyo Deaflympics in November, she attended the opening ceremony with her family and the closing ceremony alone. She watched tennis and other games and interacted with athletes and others through sign languages from all over the world, including International Sign. Princess Kako hopes that society will be a place where everyone can live with peace of mind and have a wide range of options. She continues to work around twice a week as a part-time staff member of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]