Prince Hisahito Holds First Press Conference; Prince Shares Concerns About Iwate Pref. Wildfire

The Yomiuri Shimbun

19:05 JST, March 3, 2025

Prince Hisahito, the eldest son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, held his first press conference on Monday at Tokyo’s Akasaka East Residence.

At the start of the press conference, which began at 2 p.m., Prince Hisahito, 18, said he hoped the wildfires in Iwate Prefecture and elsewhere “will be brought under control as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile, when asked about the role of the Imperial family, he said, “I think that we should always be thinking about the people and be close to them.”

Prince Hisahito, who is currently in his third year at Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba, is second in line to the throne.

The age at which a person becomes an adult in Japan was lowered to 18 in a revision to the Civil Code. Prince Hisahito became an adult last September.

Previously, the last male Imperial family member to become an adult was Crown Prince Akishino in autumn 1985, 39 years prior.

Starting in April, Prince Hisahito will study at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences’ College of Biological Sciences at the University of Tsukuba.

Prince Hisahito’s coming-of-age ceremony will be held on Sept. 6, his 19th birthday.