Japanese Prince Hisahito Turns 20, Leading Fulfilling Life

Tokyo, Sept. 6 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prince Hisahito, the son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, turned 20 on Sunday, leading a fulfilling life mainly through his studies at university. The prince, second in line to the throne, is a second-year student of the College of Biological Sciences in the School of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Tsukuba, and is also engaging in official duties as a young member of the Imperial Family. After completing his coming-of-age ceremony in September last year, Prince Hisahito made his debut at several events at the Imperial Palace, such as the New Year’s greetings in early January and a banquet for Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and his wife held during their state visit to Japan in May. For the Imperial New Year’s poetry-reading ceremony, known as “utakai hajime,” he submitted a poem for the first time, depicting a memory related to dragonflies, a subject of his research. In the past year, the prince visited six prefectures–Hokkaido, northernmost Japan, Mie in central Japan, and Kyoto, Osaka, Nara and Hiroshima in western Japan. Last month, he attended a boy scout event in Hiroshima unaccompanied by other Imperial Family members. He worked with other participants around his age to prepare “tonjiru” pork miso soup for breakfast, chatting in a friendly manner with them while checking the fire for the pot containing the ingredients. Last November, he visited the remote Tokyo island of Izu Oshima in the Pacific with his mother to watch an orienteering event of the Tokyo Deaflympics. He high-fived children who came to see him off at a port on the island. At the University of Tsukuba, located in the city of Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, northeast of Tokyo, Prince Hisahito is taking compulsory courses in English, which helps him read biology papers, and physical education, according to an aide. His biology-related courses and lab classes have become more advanced, and he took part in an outdoor field study this summer. He now spends most of his time in the city of Tsukuba. When he is at his family’s residence at the Akasaka Estate in Tokyo, he often grows vegetables and rice, and observes dragonflies. The prince has been deeply interested in maps since childhood. Last month, he visited the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan’s Science Museum of Map and Survey near his university and deepened his knowledge of Japan’s geological features and surveying. The prince mourned the victims of recent natural disasters, including a major earthquake in Kumamoto Prefecture, southwestern Japan, in July and torrential rains in many parts of the country, while wishing all those affected well. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]