Playback ’05] The Owada Family’s “Disbelief” in the Crown Prince’s “Apology Conference”: “Masako is the only one who has been wronged…” [Playback ’05

The unrelenting pressure of the “birth of a boy”…

It was around the spring of 2003 that Princess Masako’s health began to visibly change. She began to suffer from fever and difficulty getting up in the morning. In December of the same year, she developed shingles, which was thought to be caused by stress, and was hospitalized. In March 2004, he entered a period of recuperation at the Owada family’s villa in Karuizawa.

The cause was seen as being that he was exhausted from the efforts he had made to blend in with the imperial family since his marriage in June 1993. And the pressure of the “birth of a boy” after the birth of Princess Aiko in December ’01 added further impetus. In June 2003, when Princess Masako’s physical condition began to show signs of abnormality, Toshio Yuasa, then Director General of the Imperial Household Agency, said, “I still want another child,” and “I think many people are thinking so, too. However, in December, when Princess Masako was hospitalized with shingles, he stated to the Akishino family that he strongly desired a third child. Princess Masako was reportedly heartbroken. It was in this vein that she made her “character-denial remark” in May 2004.

As the article in this magazine states, the Crown Prince “apologized” for this “character-denigrating remark,” but he has continued to shield Princess Masako and watch over and support her and the rest of the family, including Princess Aiko. Many people may have gradually come to sympathize with the family’s friendly relationship, which has been shown to the public from time to time.

Even now that she is Empress, Masako is still undergoing medical treatment. Even she does not know until just before the day of the event whether she will be able to perform her official duties on the day of the event. Even so, she has been participating in official duties more and more. In 2011, for the first time in 21 years, he visited Indonesia on an international goodwill visit. His Majesty’s thoughts are slowly but steadily bearing fruit.