Japan

Concerns for health of Japanese princess as mystery illness continues into New Year

The Japanese Imperial Family is not having the smoothest of beginnings for this 2024. They were forced to cancel the public appearance for New Year following a devastating 7.5 earthquake in the Ishikawa prefecture, and the tragic plane crash at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport that took the lives of five coast guards service people scheduled to deliver aid to the affected area. Now, less than a…
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Japan

Are the Japanese royals about to land on social media?

The Japanese Imperial Household has announced the launch of a new public relations affairs office, which will be in charge of creating a new system to convey information between the Japanese Imperial Family and the public. Until this point, this task fell exclusively on the Imperial Household Agency, which selectively released information to a limited number of pre-approved media…
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Japan

A first for Emperor Naruhito’s reign

Japanese Emperor Naruhito ascended to the Japanese throne four years ago, after his father’s abdication, but this is the first time he has been able to give a public birthday address.  Due to the global pandemic, the yearly tradition was repeatedly cancelled. Though…
Japan

Emperor Naruhito opens a monumental year with a speech full of hope

Japanese Emperor Naruhito has released a New Year message filled with hope for the future while also recognising the hardships that the world is enduring. In his traditional New Year address, the Emperor is seen sitting in a room of the Imperial Palace alongside the Empress and their daughter, Princess Aiko.  In front of them was a statuette of a rabbit, symbolising the entrance to this new…
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Japan

Princess Nobuko undergoes successful breast cancer surgery

Princess Nobuko of Japan has undergone a successful surgery to remove breast cancer tissue, according to the Imperial Household Agency. In the press release, the Imperial Household Agency announced that the Princess underwent surgery on Saturday, 19th November, at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo.  During the procedure, she was diagnosed with stage zero breast cancer, and thankfully…
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