Ichigen koji (76)
Posted by ampontan on Friday, December 2, 2011
一言居士
- A person who has something to say about everything
The discussion of the (Imperial) system should be left to debate in the Diet…(but) when discussing the ideal form of the Imperial Household in the future, I would very much appreciate it if they asked for my opinion, or that of His Majesty the Crown Prince.
- Prince Akishino, second in line to the Imperial throne, during a news conference held on his 46th birthday
Most of the coverage in the media both in Japan and overseas focused on his comment that there should be discussion of the possibility of establishing a retirement age for the Emperor. The current Tenno is 77, has had health problems in the past, and recently spent time in the hospital for pneumonia. The overseas media is aware that the position is almost entirely ceremonial, but unaware of the amount of time required to serve.
This statement was not widely reported overseas, however. Those in Japan who play close attention thought the statement was rather frank for a member of the Imperial family. They suspect it might be an expression of frustration within the family that the political class makes the decisions on important matters related to the family without consulting them at all. The family is of course aware that some Diet members, including former Prime Minister Kan Naoto, are closet republicans who would abolish the system if given a chance.
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camphortree said
Mrs. Dewi Sukarno was born in Japan, and she is the third wife of late Indonesian President Sukarno. She started campaigning for the petition to replace Crown Prince Tokuhito with his younger brotehr Prince Akishino. The petition follows below:
“We the people ask Prince Tokuhito to step out of line to the Imperial throne and gives his position to his younger brother, Prince Akishino. The elder Prince Tokuhito would be remembered and respected by the people if he keeps living as the most loving and caring husband as he has been (and not much else.)
I happen to agree 5,000% with Mrs. Dewi Sukarno of whom I know little. Crown Prince Tokuhito is a slave of his wife Princess Masako, who is a slave of her ten year old (fourth grade) daughter, Princess Aiko. In the past Princess Masako stayed her whole two years of her high school at ESL class in Belmont High, then she jumped into Harvard when her dad got a visiting professor position at Harvard with the gigantic donation from Mitsubishi Real Estate behind. Thanks to her dad’s connections she threw whole study work to Tokyo Mitsubishi Bank staffs 糠澤和夫・真野輝彦・榊原英資 , and she graduated from Harvard. One of those gentlemen openly admitted that they were the ones who actually wrote Princess Masako’s Harvard graduation thesis.
She came back to Tokyo and took a job at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Office where her dad took a position as a head of the department. Masako was put in a working team when Japan had series of negotiations with the U.S on the market openning.
On the first day Masako reportedly bursted crying and went home in the middle. Ever since she workd in the office supervising the copy machine. She was called a copy machine watch-man general (コピー番長). That position was created for her. While in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs her dad took a position as a visiting proffesor at Tokyo University. Then he registered Masako to be a visiting student at Tokyo University. Thus Masako got a right to have a studying vacation from her working office. The record shows that Masako got no credit at Tokyo University. During on her time of studying vacation she went to a driving school and got a driving license. I wonder why she did not take a driving lessons and driving license in the U.S where she and her family stayed long years. Her dad was a U.N. ambassador. I took driving lessons and driver’s licence in my first year in America while attending to state college.
Princess Masako’s only child daughter, Aiko has attended to her school one to three days a week as she pleases. Aiko’s school attendance included going to school with her mom near lunch time, eat Imperial special bento box at a secluded VIP room and came home. When Aiko happened to go to the classroom Mom Princess Masako followed after, sat on a pipe chair at the back of the room and stared at everyone. At recess when Aiko went out to the school yard Mom Princess Masako followed after. She put expensive opera-glasses to her eyes and watched everyone. When Aiko got bored or tired or something they came home.
Both Aiko and Mom Princess (48yrs old) grow their hair long that are below their hips. They say they grow their hair long because Aiko likes to grow her hair long. When Princess Masako appears in the public she is often clad with the same looking white pants suit with her dangling long hair on the back that reminds me of an American refrigerator. She wears no hair band, no hair clip, no nothing. Probably she does not have time to take care of herself. They say Princess Masako can not get up in the morning.
Before she was married she was often late to work. Contrary to the wedding propaganda which said that she was a super duper career diplomat she was actually a copying machine supervisor. Among many career women working in the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Masako was the first and porbably the last who served in such a job.
Her dad was a powerful man in the Office of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. He made a connection with Prince Takamado. Through the Prince Takamado connection Masako’s dad made an indroduction for his daughter to Crown Prince Tokuhito. Masako was introduced as a Harvard graduate super career diplomat. With stars in his eyes Crown Prince proposed to Masako, and they were married.
Masako quickly abandoned her pulblc duties as a Princess. Last November she refused to greet the King and Queen of Bhutan when they came to Tokyo on their official visit. Most of the welcoming events were carried out by Crown Prince’s younger brother, Prince Akishino and his wife Princess Kiko. Emperor Akihito had been sick in bed when the Bhutan’s King came. Masako refused to go to see the Emperor in the hospital. By the way Masako refused to attend the funeral service when the Emperor’s mother passed away years ago. The Imperial Household announced that Princess Masako could not attend because of “a sickness of something like summer cold（夏風邪の様なもの)”.
Dr. 日野原重明 from the Tokyo St. Lukes Hospital once announced that Princess Masako was a healthy person, and she suffered from no particular illness. Masako kicked out all the Imperial household physicians, then she brought in a new psychologist whom her sister introduced to her palace. He is Dr.大野裕. He announced that Princess Masako has been suffering from severe environmental adjusting problems, she is a frail individual, and she needs more freedom.
Winter has come. Princess Masako apparently gets up slower than she did in the Autumn. She goes to school near lunch time and eats Imperial bento boxs in the VIP room with Aiko. At lunch break Mom Princesss follows after Aiko to the school yard and watch everyone through her opera glasses. Her long hair reportedly swings and flutters in the air as the north wind blows.
My Ameircan female friends express how sorry they feel about Princess Masako. They believe that Princess Masako is a victim of Japan’s old fashioned Imperial House that would not liberate women. In their mind there is no doubt that Masako has been oppressed and suffering while she is trying her best to be independent.
I do not know where to start to explain…
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C: Thanks for that. Your American friends get their news about Japan from American newspapers. Their articles about Masako are written largely by female grievance mongers who have no idea what happens here (or anywhere else, for that matter). Doesn’t stop them from having an opinion.
- A.