<figure id="attachment_423067" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2189px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-423067"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="8e5a0474"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/04/2cda0aa2a6e4d1f3623dab4bf9420e7d.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-423067" class="wp-caption-text">Princess Kako (left) and Princess Aiko smile and chat with guests. In this year&#8217;s garden party, the route was changed for the first time in 62 years, with the imperial family members walking along three different routes.</figcaption></figure>
<h2>The double princesses pave the way for a new era</h2>
&#8220;Princess Aiko (23) was followed by Princess Kako (30) as they visited guests. I could feel Princess Aiko&#8217;s growth as she actively engaged in conversation with the guests. Princess Aiko wore a light blue kimono that reminded one of the flow of a spring stream, and Princess Kako, following her, wore a young grass-colored kimono that evoked the breath of spring.&#8221;
These are the words of Noriko Tsuge, a part-time lecturer at Seibu Bunri University and the scriptwriter for &#8220;The Window of the Imperial Family&#8221; (TV Tokyo), as she reminisces about a moment from the spring garden party held on April 22.
Princess Kako is scheduled to officially visit Brazil in June. In terms of imperial diplomacy, Princess Aiko is expected to follow in her cousin’s footsteps. According to a national newspaper’s Imperial Household reporter:
&#8220;Since the beginning of this year, Princess Aiko has made her debut at royal banquets and duck pond receptions, where she effortlessly communicated with foreign dignitaries in foreign languages. As a young figure in diplomacy, there is great anticipation for Princess Aiko&#8217;s first official overseas visit.&#8221;
The aforementioned Tsuge also hopes to see Princess Kako and Princess Aiko standing side by side on the diplomatic stage.
&#8220;I believe Princess Kako wants to pass on the international goodwill she has cultivated to Princess Aiko, who has always approached it like a younger sister. Princess Kako will likely share her experiences and insights from overseas exchanges, and the day when the two of them together take on the role of &#8216;carriers of international goodwill&#8217; is likely near.&#8221;
Like sisters, the double princesses are set to usher in a new era of imperial diplomacy.
<figure id="attachment_423069" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 2500px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-423069"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="1b293cc4"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/04/12f8cbdcbd241bb338486d45dd8331c6.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-423069" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished Cut: Princess Kako and Princess Aiko &#8211; The Double Princesses Paving the Way for a New Era in Imperial Diplomacy</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_423070" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1667px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-423070"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="d2103b3b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/04/45f239fa935eb25a9f11794e74c2a94f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-423070" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished Cut: Princess Kako and Princess Aiko &#8211; The Double Princesses Paving the Way for a New Era in Imperial Diplomacy</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_423068" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1667px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-423068"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="b2cff555"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/04/d00e771dfba26d6adc55896ddcdb2d50.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-423068" class="wp-caption-text">Unpublished Cut: Princess Kako and Princess Aiko &#8211; The Double Princesses Paving the Way for a New Era in Imperial Diplomacy</figcaption></figure>
From the “FRIDAY” May 9, 16, and 23, 2025 combined issue.
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>

 Japan Magazine Publishers Association

 Princess Kako and Princess Aiko wore bright furisode (long-sleeved kimono) to the Spring Garden Party. Kako is scheduled to visit Brazil in June, and Aiko's first official overseas visit is highly anticipated. The day is near when the two of them will fulfill the role of "bearers of international goodwill" together...

Princess Kako and Princess Aiko Leading the Way in a New Era of Imperial Diplomacy

Access Ranking