Coming-of-Age Ceremony for Prince Hisahito: Let Us Celebrate His New Start as Adult Member of Imperial Family

Editorial

15:27 JST, September 6, 2025

The coming-of-age ceremony for Prince Hisahito, the son of the Akishino family, will be held on Sept. 6 at the Imperial Palace and other locations. This marks the first such ceremony in 40 years for a male Imperial family member since that of his father, Crown Prince Akishino.

Prince Hisahito reached the age of majority at 18 in September last year. As he was preparing to enter university at that time, the ceremony was scheduled to be held in conjunction with his 19th birthday.

The coming-of-age ceremony will include the “Kakan-no-Gi” ceremony in which Prince Hisahito will wear a crown for adulthood, and the “Choken-no-Gi” ceremony, in which he will offer greetings to the Emperor and Empress to mark having reached adulthood. We would like to extend our sincere congratulations to his new start as an adult member of the Imperial family.

Following the coming-of-age ceremony, Prince Hisahito is expected to begin participating in events such as the New Year reception, in which the Emperor and Empress receive New Year greetings from members of the Imperial family and other prominent figures, and the general public’s visit to the Imperial Palace for the New Year greeting.

Prince Hisahito attends the University of Tsukuba. We hope that he will shoulder the significant responsibilities of the Imperial family in supporting the system that positions the Emperor as the symbol of the state, and will become a figure even more deeply respected and beloved by the people, while deepening his academic pursuits.

However, the fact that a coming-of-age ceremony for a male Imperial family member will be held for the first time in 40 years also indicates the severe circumstances surrounding the Imperial family. The reality is that the number of male members with the right to assume the Imperial throne is just three: Crown Prince Akishino; Prince Hisahito; and Prince Hitachi, the younger brother of the Emperor Emeritus.

Emperors perform duties including traditional rituals and acts in matters of state, and play a major role in international goodwill.

Emperors have visited the scenes where fierce battles took place in World War II to mourn the war dead. They have also visited the affected areas and listened to the voices of victims whenever a disaster occurs in Japan. Many people have derived peace of mind and courage from how they have prayed for peace and order in society.

A stable succession to the Imperial throne is a prerequisite for maintaining this system of the Emperor as the symbol of the state.

The number of Imperial family members, which stood at 25 three decades ago, is now down to 16, including the Emperor. Five unmarried female members, including Princess Aiko, the daughter of the Emperor and Empress, and Princess Kako, the second daughter of the Akishino family, will be required to leave the Imperial family in accordance with the current Imperial House Law if they marry a man outside the Imperial family.

If this situation goes on, the continuation of the Imperial lineage after Prince Hisahito will be in jeopardy. The crucial issue is how to ensure a sufficient number of Imperial family members. To that end, it is essential to amend the Imperial House Law to allow female members to remain in the Imperial family after marriage.

In addition, the possibility should not be ruled out that the husbands and children of female members might be recognized as Imperial family members, and there might be a female emperor, or an emperor who accedes to the throne only via a maternal family line.

The ruling and opposition parties failed to reach a consensus on this debate even during the ordinary Diet session. This is because opinions were divided on the status of the husbands and children of female members, as well as on the potential policy of accepting paternal-line male descendants of former Imperial family branches into the Imperial family as adopted children.

Further postponement of this debate is unacceptable. The Diet needs to reach a conclusion promptly.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 6, 2025)