Japan

Yuriko, Princess Mikasa hospitalised with heart failure

Japan’s Yuriko, Princess Mikasa has been hospitalised following a heart failure diagnosis, the Imperial Household Agency has announced. Yuriko, Princess Mikasa is the oldest member of Japan’s Imperial Family and the great-aunt of Emperor Naruhito. The Imperial Household Agency said that the 97-year-old Princess is in stable condition and is able to speak and eat. She will receive…
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Japan

Pandemic impacts Princess Mako's wedding plans

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Princess Mako of Japan’s wedding plans. The Princess announced her engagement to Kei Komuro in May 2017 with a wedding set for the following year; however, in 2018, the couple announced that they were postponing their wedding for two years. The couple cited a lack of time to prepare, but the Komuro family’s financial dispute is widely thought to…
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Japan

Empress Masako concludes 2020 silk farming

Empress Masako of Japan has concluded this year’s silk farming. The Empress took part in the tradition for the first time this year – since becoming Empress of Japan last year when her husband, Emperor Naruhito succeeded his father, Akihito, who abdicated in his favour. Silk farming has been a tradition passed down since the late 19th century in Japan, and Empress Masako was happy…
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Japan

Emperor Emeritus Akihito visits Imperial Palace for first time since March for research

Emperor Emeritus Akihito visited the Imperial Palace in Tokyo for the first time since March on Thursday for research purposes. Akihito spent about an hour and a half in a biology research institute inside the palace where he has long conducted research regarding goby fish. He arrived and left the palace in a surgical mask as Japan still takes precautions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.
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