Princess Kako Attends Ceremony at Japanese University Commemorating Acceptance of Female Students

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Princess Kako makes a speech at a ceremony at Tohoku University on Saturday.

Princess Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, attended a ceremony at Tohoku University in Sendai, commemorating 110 years since the university began accepting female students.

Tohoku University began allowing women to attend in 1913, the first university in the country to do so. Princess Kako said that the acceptance was “an important step” and noted that the number of women studying science and engineering in the country is low.

She said that the environment created by society makes it difficult for women to choose science majors, adding, “I hope that we’ll live in a society where everyone can live with peace of mind and have a wide range of options.”