Women in the Reiwa Era Imperial Family / Princess Kako Assumes Larger Role, Following in Footsteps of Japan’s Royal Women

The Yomiuri Shimbun

6:00 JST, May 15, 2025

This is the second installment in a three-part series about what roles women born into the Imperial family should play in the Reiwa era.

Princess Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, visited the Imperial Palace to greet the Emperor and Empress on Dec. 29, her 30th birthday. As she was driven into the palace through the Hanzomon gate, she waved cheerfully to people along the street. She also expressed her gratitude in sign language.

Influenced by her mother, who can sign fluently, Princess Kako has been familiar with sign language since she was young. She began signing in her official duties when she was a university student. In 2021, after graduation, she started working at the Tokyo-based Japanese Federation of the Deaf.

“Her sign language has become smoother since the pandemic. She must have practiced hard,” said an executive at an organization for the deaf.

In addition to Signed Japanese, a sign language that is adapted to Japanese word order, she has also learned Japanese Sign Language, which has a long tradition among deaf people. She chooses which to use according to whom she is speaking with.

The princess also learns the sign languages of other countries before she goes abroad. When she visited a special-needs school in Peru in November 2023, children asked in surprise how she knew Peru’s sign language.

“She has shown that she appreciates the history and feelings of deaf people, and that she intends to be a partner for them,” said Ruruka Minami, 63, a sign language interpreter.

In speeches and documents, Princess Kako has called for “a society where everyone can live in peace and security” and “a society where everyone has a wider range of options.” She has reached out to vulnerable people wherever her duties have taken her.

After an event in Tokyo to honor the deaf in January last year, Princess Kako asked officials if she could talk with Kenji Yamamoto.

Yamamoto, 61, is a lacquer artist whose home in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, was damaged when the Noto Peninsula Earthquake hit the city on New Year’s Day. He has hearing difficulties but does not use sign language. Instead, he reads people’s lips.

“Please don’t worry about the time,” the princess reportedly told Yamamoto before listening quietly to his story. She showed concern for his family, asking after his wife, and she looked relieved when he said his family was safe.

At the end of the roughly 10-minute conversation, she smiled and clasped hands with Yamamoto.

“She gave me great strength during an emotionally difficult time,” said Yamamoto.

Concerned about employment for people with disabilities, the princess once asked a senior official of the Imperial Household Agency how the agency was tackling the issue. She also hopes to see the realization of gender equality.

“I hope you will acquire a better understanding of backgrounds and situations that are different from your own,” she said at a Girl Scouts event.

Growing duties

Princess Kako has also helped people feel closer to the Imperial household. In August last year, she attended the 13th Nippon Agoonoree, an international camp for scouts with special needs, in Fukushima Prefecture.

When asked by a child if it was all right to photograph her, the princess responded warmly. She also threw on an apron and helped serve curry. And at a dance competition for people with disabilities, she cheered and waved pom-poms.

The hoodie she wore during her visit to Peru got people talking because of its frugal make. Then in a meeting with craftspeople in Kanazawa in October, she wore earrings finished with Wajima-nuri lacquer, and those earrings are still attracting orders.

“It helps to promote the appeal of Wajima-nuri,” said Fukuko Yatsui, 76, who works for the maker of the product in Wajima.

Princess Kako has taken over the official duties of her sister Mako Komuro, 33, who married in 2021. Last year, the princess participated in 61 official engagements on her own, nearly three times as many as she performed in 2019, the year she graduated from university.

“She is diligent,” said a source who previously served her. “She was sometimes so busy with her schedule that she looked completely exhausted while traveling.”

The princess is scheduled to visit Brazil in June. With the Imperial family growing older and shrinking, she has proved a key figure in promoting international goodwill.

“As her roles have increased, she has grown into someone you can depend on,” said one of her close aides.

Philanthropy before WWII

The role of women in the Imperial family is not explicitly stated in the Constitution or the Imperial House Law, but they have been a part of the Imperial family’s activities since before World War II, supporting disaster victims and working to improve the public’s welfare.

Empress Shoken, the wife of Emperor Meiji, visited hospitals during the first Sino-Japanese War (1894-95). She supported the Japanese Red Cross Society, providing both material aid and advocacy.

The empress also called for doctors to be dispatched when Mt. Bandai erupted in Fukushima Prefecture in 1888. This marked the beginning of disaster relief by the society.

Empress Teimei, the wife of Emperor Taisho, supported Hansen’s disease patients suffering from discrimination. During the second Sino-Japanese War that started in 1937, Empress Kojun, the wife of Emperor Showa, directed the women of the Imperial family to visit places across the country to console people. Princess Chichibu joined in efforts to prevent tuberculosis since before World War II.

“After the end of the war, the emperor and male members of the Imperial family began working together with the women of the family more frequently, such as in visits to social services facilities,” said Takeshi Hara, professor emeritus at Meiji Gakuin University. “The Empress Emerita has been listening to the concerns and ordeals of women during meetings in regional areas since she was the crown princess.”