Princess Kako, Daughter of Japan’s Crown Prince Akishino, Turns 29

Jiji Press

12:39 JST, December 29, 2023

Tokyo (Jiji Press)—Japan’s Princess Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, turned 29 on Friday.

Princess Kako has engaged in many official duties in the last year and wishes for a society in which everyone can live with peace and have a variety of lifestyle options, according to the Imperial Household Agency.

She attended more events in the past year than before, reflecting the removal of COVID-19 pandemic-linked restrictions.

In May, the princess traveled to the northeastern prefecture of Miyagi mainly to attend an urban greenery festival.

During the trip, she visited a museum and other spots related to the March 2011 major earthquake and tsunami, located in the city of Ishinomaki, and renewed her understanding of the importance of passing on memories of the disaster, which hit northeastern Japan hard.

In September, Princess Kako attended a ceremony at Tohoku University commemorating the 110th anniversary of the first women entering university in Japan. She described the acceptance of women by the university, located in the Miyagi capital of Sendai, “an important first step.”

She also expressed wishes for gender equality at an event held in Tokyo by the Girl Scouts of Japan in October.

The princess went on an official visit to Peru the following month, attending a ceremony marking 150 years of diplomatic ties between Japan and the South American country as well as meeting people of Japanese ancestry. She has expressed gratitude for the warm welcome she received there and interactions she was able to have with many people.

The princess continues to perform sign language-related official duties. She delivered addresses in sign language at speech and performance competitions for high school students in August and September.

She used Peruvian sign language at a school for the deaf during her visit to the country.