Eschewing Japanese royal tradition, the princess opted not to have a new tiara made for the ceremony, instead, she chose to wear her aunt, the former Princess Nori’s diamond tiara. In comparison, the former Princess Mako’s coming-of-age ceremony tiara reportedly cost a cool 28 million Japanese yen (around SG$336,594). She reportedly refused to make a new tiara out of consideration for the people suffering under restrictions and hardship as a result of the pandemic. This is the first time in 150 years that a new tiara has not been made for female Japanese royal who has come of age.

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According to Japanese media reports, Princess Aiko’s move to give up making a new tiara will save the royal family 28 million yen (about SG$336,594) in expenses. The Japanese people were reportedly mostly positive about the fact that Princess Aiko gave up making a tiara, and praised her as “a model of the royal family”, and her “wise judgment”, saying that she “has gained the trust of the people”. As early as April, when the Imperial Household Agency announced the 2021 budget, this was already widely discussed by Japanese netizens, because it did not include the production costs of Princess Aiko’s tiara.

The princess is currently studying Japanese language and literature at the Gakushuin University in Tokyo. She is also reportedly taking classes in English, Spanish, Japanese history and art. In addition, the Princess’s hobbies include playing the piano and violin, and she has also dabbled in calligraphy and writing poetry.

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As the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, Princess Aiko was already special from birth. For a start, the princess’s birth name was chosen by her father, instead of the Emperor, as tradition decreed. He chose her personal name ‘Aiko’, from one of Chinese philosopher Mencius’s teachings, and, written in kanji, it bears the characters for ‘love’ (愛) and ‘child’ (子) and bears her parents’ wishes for her to be a person who loves others. Her formal imperial title, Princess Toshi, means “one who respects others”.

Her parents also chose the cork azalea, or white-flowered Asian azalea, Rhododendron quinquefolium, as Princess Aiko’s symbol at birth, wishing that she would have a heart as pure as the white flower.

The princess’s birth has led to public debate over the 1947 Imperial House Law, which restricts ascension to the Chrysanthemum Throne to only male royals. The world’s oldest monarchy is facing an impending succession crisis, with only three remaining eligible heirs to the throne—namely, Crown Prince Akishino, his son Prince Hisahito, and Prince Hitachi, the uncle of the current emperor, Bloomberg reports. Currently, female royals have to give up their titles and position in the royal family upon marriage, reducing the current pool of royals in Japan to just 17 members at the moment. According to a recent poll, over 80 per cent of the Japanese public support having “both a reigning empress and an emperor descending from a female member of the imperial family”, and seeing the Japanese Imperial family as “a critical part of national identity”.

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