Entering the University of Tsukuba High School! Prince Akishino’s Family and Princess Eugene’s “Strictly Guarded School Attendance Style
Even though he has few friends at the school, his "special treatment" has already created a gap between him and his classmates. ...... He was dressed casually in a navy blue parka and a backpack.
On April 11, Prince Eugene, 15, the eldest son of the Akishino family, was walking up the very steep Akebito Yokozaka Slope in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, taking one step at a time.
In April, His Imperial Highness Prince Yuji entered the high school attached to the University of Tsukuba, which is said to be the origin of the name of this slope. It was the opening ceremony of the school, and since the school does not have uniforms, Prince Eugene was dressed casually in a navy blue parka and a backpack.
However, the school had quietly set up an “ultra-strict” security system around him. First, two plainclothes policemen were leading the way a few meters in front of Eugene, keeping a watchful eye on his direction of travel. When he passed through the school gate, security vehicles entered the school one after another. On this day alone, there were five security vehicles and nearly 20 policemen who appeared to be escorting him. During the opening ceremony, the police officers kept a sharp lookout near the school gate.
The Metropolitan Police Department is eager to prevent a repeat of the “knife incident” at the Ochanomizu University junior high school in 2007. Furthermore, Chikuzuke’s security system has been tightened to an extent that is unparalleled in the past.
Security cameras have been installed, two guards are on duty 24 hours a day, and a “ninja-barrier,” a metal device with a sharp point, has been installed on the wall to prevent intruders from entering. It is said that they have taken excessive measures because they have never hosted the royal family before.
If such tight security continues, there is a strong possibility that Eugene’s school life will be disrupted.
Yuji Odabe, a professor emeritus at Shizuoka University of Social Welfare, said.
The school will probably become centered on Prince Eugene when he enrolls in the school. The principle of the Imperial Family is to stand by the people and walk with them. I think you need to think a little more about how much care and consideration the people around you will have to give to the Imperial Family.”
Will there ever be peace in Eugene’s high school life?
From the April 29, 2022 issue of “FRIDAY
Photo by： Shinji Hasuo
