The Akishino Family: First Official Appearances by a Family of Four since Reiwa’s Establishment

The eldest daughter, Mako, has not yet returned to Japan, but she is the first member of the family to go on official business since the appointment of
But for the first time since Reiwa, all four members of the family are going on official business together.
The subtle distance is worrisome. ……

The Akishino family stares intently at a photo of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. However, the delicate distance between the four of them somehow draws the eye. ……

On July 11, Prince Akishino and his family visited the “80th Anniversary of the Atomic Bombing: Hiroshima 1945,” a photo exhibition being held in Tokyo. It was the first time in Reiwa that the family participated in official duties together.

Her second daughter, Kako (30), has been energetically engaged in official duties this year, including the Kanto Tokai Flower Exhibition in January, the Spring Garden Party (April), and the Midori no Koso Festival (May), etc. She just returned from Brazil in late June, where she paid an official visit to celebrate the 130th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, and she looks tired. …….

It is true that the number of people who carry out official duties is decreasing, but Her Imperial Highnesses Prince Mikasa and Prince Takamado are actively engaged in work that is positioned as private activities, not as official duties of the Imperial Family. Since the eldest daughter of the Akishino family, Mako (33), has left the Imperial Family, Her Imperial Highness Princess Kako’s official duties have been increasing, so I think it is time to consider having Her Imperial Highness the Queen take on some of the official foreign visits and domestic official duties,” said Shinji Yamashita, an Imperial Household commentator.

The image of the Akishino family has been tarnished by the Mako marriage scandal and the issue of Prince Hisahito of Akishino (18) going on to higher education. However, thanks to Kako, who has been working hard to fulfill her official duties, the family’s image has been recovering. The current concern is the coming-of-age ceremony,” analyzes Yuji Odabe, professor emeritus at Shizuoka University of Welfare.

Prince Hisahito of Akishino will attend his coming-of-age ceremony on September 6, the first in 40 years since his father, Prince Akishino. The ceremony was originally scheduled to take place on his birthday last year, but was postponed one year because of his university entrance examinations, and Prince and Princess Akishino are surely being extra cautious. They will want to carry out the ceremony without causing more fuss than necessary about Mako’s recent situation and the public expense of the coming-of-age ceremony.”

Mako gave birth to their first child in May. The busy Kako’s marriage is also attracting attention.

The Imperial Household Agency would like her to continue her official duties as a member of the royal family, and Kako is probably wondering if she would like to marry someone she loves someday. With such a large number of official duties, it is difficult to say ‘I won’t do it. On the other hand, I am wondering whether her energetic efforts will make her marriage more welcome or make it harder for her to leave the Imperial Family.

With Mako not returning to Japan and Prince Hisahito of Akishino unable to rely on her, the Akishino family is now supported by Kako, who is struggling on her own.

From the August 1, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY