Addresses and Press ConferencesTheir Imperial Highnesses Crown Prince and Crown Princess Akishino and their familyPress ConferencesPress Conference on the Occasion of the Birthday of His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Akishino (4th year of Reiwa)
Press Conference by His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Akishino on the Occasion of His Birthday (2022)
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I think that this world is flooded with various kinds of Information. This also includes various matters relating to the Imperial Family, and there is information that is correct and information that is not correct, and I think that a great variety of information is circulating. Under these circumstances, I think that naturally it is important that information about the Imperial Family needs to be correct and disseminated in a timely manner, along with indications as to where the most reliable source(s) of correct information can be found.
It has also been reported that the Imperial Household Agency is considering strengthening the dissemination of information through such means as SNS (Social Networking Service), and I think that many Royal Families overseas have been combining the use of websites and SNS. I am not sure if this is an appropriate way to describe it, but in a sense all the necessary information is posted on a website, while brief but extremely important information is posted on SNS. In this day and age, many people probably use smart phones to search for information on various things. These searches would take one to SNS, where one would find information on something, and those who want to know more about it would view the websites (from) where the information originated. I think that this relationship could be analogized as a website being like a planet with plenty of information, and around the planet the SNS is a satellite hosting brief but extremely important information. Although I do not have information on the details, I think that this is probably the structure that the Imperial Household Agency is contemplating.
On the other part of your question about articles of the sort that can be regarded as bashing, I mentioned at last year’s press conference here that if one were to counter articles of this sort, it would naturally require setting certain thresholds. I subsequently had consultations also with those in charge at the Imperial Household Agency. As for their opinions, some said it would be necessary to counter articles that crossed some sort of threshold, while others said it would be better not to do anything of that sort at all. Actually, I also took a sample article and checked it myself, because unless you are the one concerned, you often cannot tell if the individual description is correct or factually inaccurate. By checking an article, I found first hand that it does indeed require enormous work and effort. I therefore think it would be quite difficult to set thresholds for countering articles of this sort, and that it would be a matter for continued consideration.
Is this an adequate answer to your question?
Thank you.
In mentioning His Majesty the Emperor’s prostate examination, I think you are referring to His PSA (Prostate-Specific Antigen) level, which showed a slightly elevated value, so He subsequently underwent an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) test. As stated in the announcement made at the time, the findings were not concerning, though He was diagnosed with an enlarged prostate. My understanding, however, is that naturally, to take every possible precaution, it has been announced that His Majesty the Emperor is to undergo a prostate biopsy, by which I think the medical team also intends to make some confirmations. Speaking for myself, I have understood the announcements that have been made to date at their face value.
Was the next part of the question on Their Majesties the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita in Akasaka?
Please tell us how Their Majesties the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita are getting along at the Akasaka Estate as well as Their present health.
This April Their Majesties the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita moved to the present Akasaka Sentō Imperial Residence from the Sentō Temporary Imperial Residence in Takanawa. The Akasaka Sentō Imperial Residence is the place where Their Majesties had resided for many years. As Their residence is within the same Akasaka Estate in which my family and I live at present, I see Them once in a while, for instance when Their Majesties are strolling. On such occasions, I talk with Them not for a long but only for a short time, while we are walking. Naturally, since it is a place where They resided for a long period, They appear to have much-cherished memories of it.
On Their present health, there is nothing else apart from what has been announced, but I hope They take good care of Themselves, since They are close to ninety.
Was the next part of your question about my own health?
Please tell us about your own health at present, and any health precautions Your Highness is taking.
My physical health condition is not bad at present. There are no particular health precautions that I am taking, but I am trying to walk as much as possible. Regarding your question on health, it can be said that in general any of us* may contract a disease at any time, and thereby develop poor physical condition. I believe that naturally a system would be required so that when any of us would be in such a physical state, we could visit a hospital quickly and easily to be tested and treated by a medical specialist in the related field without any exaggerated action being taken.
*1.
“in general any of us” here refers to His Majesty the Emperor and His family, Their Majesties the Emperor Emeritus and Empress Emerita, or His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Akishino and his family.
First, on my younger daughter, she is currently performing official activities for various host organizations when they offer her the opportunity. What I myself think is that I would like her to perform each and every activity in earnest, since the host organizations are kindly offering her these opportunities.
Was the next part of your question about my advice for her?
Yes.
On this part of your question, I advise her when she asks for my opinion. That is probably about all I advise her on. Next on marriage, at present, there is nothing in particular that we are talking about. On respecting the will of my daughter, I have already been taking the position of respecting her own will as far as possible. On the other hand, I cannot give an answer on the alternative option for a Princess (i.e. Naishinnō) to remain in the Imperial Family after marriage, because this is a matter for the legal system.
Next, on the school life of my son, he became a senior high school student from this April, and one could perhaps say that after having spent the last 12 years, from kindergarten to junior high school, at the same school in a sense, from this April he started at a new school. He appears to be spending a busy but fulfilling time at school, attending lessons and extracurricular activities. On the next part of your question, I think I have also spoken about this before, based partly on my own experience, that each region in Japan has its own distinct local culture. I think it would be extremely meaningful for his future as well to learn from actually visiting these places while he is young, to experience their local cultures for himself. Therefore, I am recommending this to him from time to time. And I also tell him that I expect him to gain knowledge for instance by reading books about various things, particularly about subjects like the history of Japan.
Turning to my elder daughter, I will refrain from replying here, since my elder daughter seems to be saying not to reply about matters such as how she is getting along lately.
Having observed the situation of the COVID-19 endemic for more than 2 years, I have been at last able to restart activities outside Tokyo from around this spring. This has been a great pleasure for me. There have been quite a number of opportunities to talk with people in various locations through online conferencing, but I have noticed that online conferencing is a little different from talking to people in person at onsite meetings by traveling to the same physical venue. This is partly perhaps because I myself am not used to the time lags involved in online conferencing, particularly when you interact with multiple people at the same time. As I expected, when I have met people in person, I have felt strongly how it is far easier to talk in person without the time lags of online conferencing. As well as this, for instance, when I am being briefed on something that I see physically in front of me, most naturally, holding the object actually in your hands is a completely different sensation from seeing it through a monitor.
And I think that another thing that physical attendance also brings is coincidental encounters. Among some of the actual encounters, for instance, my wife, and son and I were viewing various exhibits at the All Japan Senior High School Cultural Festival, which was held in Tokyo this summer, and when we were walking around the venue, in one place we came across two people who appeared to be a parent and a child viewing a piece of work. I approached the work, as I also wanted to see it, and the two of them, of whom the child happened to be the creator of the work, noticed us. And we were able to hear directly from the parent and child, which was in a sense a coincidence and not a planned encounter at all, made possible at a physical venue. I look forward to further exchanges through these sorts of encounters in the future, too.
And on the next part of your question, about how I intend to support His Majesty the Emperor, I was for the first time temporarily delegated to perform the Emperor’s acts in matters of State for just a single day this September. This is stipulated in the Act on Temporary Delegation of the Emperor's Acts in Matters of State, and therefore unless extraordinary circumstances prevent me from performing this official duty, I shall be performing the Emperor’s acts in matters of State during His Majesty’s overseas visits or if there are other circumstances that prevent Him from performing acts in matters of State. When thinking of how I can support His Majesty, besides my official duty of performing the Emperor’s acts in matters of State, I think I can also support His Majesty by attending various official activities on occasions when His Majesty is unable to attend. I suspect that there are various offers for Him, but His schedule cannot accommodate all of these offers for Him to attend. In that case, although I am aware that role-sharing is somewhat inaccurate as a description of supporting His Majesty, I can attend some of those events that His Majesty is unable to attend. And for instance, if I attend an event of this sort held in one of Japan’s regions, and have opportunities for exchanges with various people on that occasion, I feel that this may be a form of support for His Majesty in a sense, although it may be quite indirect.
Is there another question?
It is fine, thank you.
Is this an adequate answer to your question?
There were various incidents this year. For example, Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, conflicts and civil war in various places, and extreme weather. There were also major accidents and incidents in which a large number of precious lives were lost, and incidents that threatened people’s livelihoods. Among these, extreme weather, including flooding, drought, and heat waves, is thought to be caused by climate change. There are various things besides these, such as forest fires. I am very concerned about climate change. It also greatly impacts the ecosystem, and I think it also impacts our livelihoods, for example through food shortages. This climate change is (observed) across the globe, and the anthropogenic contribution accounts for a dominant weight of it too, as indicated by the Sixth Assessment Report (AR6) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Therefore, I feel that individual people also need to focus their awareness on this.
Regarding the demise of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, I think there were various hardships during Her 70-year reign. But I think She practiced what She declared in Her speech on Her twenty-first birthday, which was “・・・ my whole life・・・shall be devoted to your service ・・・.” I felt anew that Her Majesty was trusted by Her people, with so many mourners gathering at Westminster Hall to pay their respects to Her Majesty after Her demise. I think that I myself had the honour of meeting Her Majesty twice in 1989 and in 1990, after Her State Visit to Japan (in 1975).
The 50th anniversary of Okinawa’s reversion to Japan is also one of the events that were memorable this year. Okinawa’s reversion to Japan was in May 1972, when I was in the first grade at Gakushuin Primary School. I have a very vivid memory of the School’s Principal telling all the pupils that “Okinawa reverted to Japan today” at the morning assembly, so I think it must have been on the day the ceremony of Okinawa’s reversion took place, though I am not sure. I have retained this vivid memory for 50 years now. And I think this year marking the 50th anniversary has also offered opportunities to extend one’s thoughts to the Battle of Okinawa, in which an extremely large number of people died, said to be one in four residents of Okinawa Prefecture at the time of the Battle. I think this anniversary year has also offered opportunities for learning about Okinawa’s culture and arts from the various exhibitions held and performances (for instance of Ryukyu Buyo, or the dances of Okinawa) given.
On other (news) items, I also think that the perception people have of the COVID-19 situation has been changing considerably since the Omicron variant, compared to the period up to the time of the Delta variant. I myself often hear from various medical professionals in the field, to whom I have also talked, that they have the feeling that the variants are now as if they are completely different diseases. Behavioral restrictions have also been significantly eased, so travelers from overseas have been visiting Japan. In these circumstances, I myself am very pleased that tourist destinations are bustling again, and that various places, not just tourist destinations, are getting close to their pre-COVID-19 state. On the other hand, when infections are increasing, the situation for medical facilities and hospitals would be strained if there were to be an increase in in-patient numbers. I feel that it is quite difficult to find an appropriate balance. Speaking with regard to COVID-19, there are quite a large number of zoonoses among infectious diseases. I also have the impression that the concept is spreading gradually of what is often called “One Health”, which positions (or recognizes) infections in the holistic context of the animal-human ecosystem(s) interface, rather than merely as individual infectious diseases or in the context of human-to-human infections alone.
Lastly, I am relieved that in April this year I was able to complete the worship related to the Ceremonies for Proclamation of Crown Prince by paying reverence at the Jingu (Ise Jingu Shrine), as well as at the Imperial Mausolea, thus completing the whole series of ceremonies related to the Imperial Succession.
These are all the events that were memorable this year.
Speaking from the perspective of the dissemination of information about the Imperial Family, I think that naturally dissemination that is not indirect would convey the information in a straightforward, understandable way. I think, however, that whether it would be appropriate for this to be done on the Imperial Household Agency’s website would also need to be considered. I think that the following question(s) of positioning may also require consideration in the future. Is the Imperial Household Agency’s website to be regarded as being equal, in effect, to the Imperial Family’s website? Or is the Imperial Household Agency disseminating information about the Imperial Family in its role as an administrative organization that supports the Imperial Family?
So in that case, it would be on SNS (Social Networking Service) rather than on the Imperial Household Agency’s website.If so, might one expect the possibility that each Imperial Family member would have an account from which they would disseminate information?
I do not know whether any member of the Imperial Family currently has an individual account from which they are disseminating information, but I think that it would be a possibility, though I think that I would probably not do so myself.
Thank you.
As there appears to be another hand raised, please ask your question.
This is also somewhat related to the thresholds mentioned earlier. I think that it would be a possibility to counter factually inaccurate information when the description is excessively factually inaccurate by pointing out that a description (in an article) is incorrect.
On the other hand, as I mentioned also at last year’s press conference, an article does not contain only a single description, but multiple descriptions of things. Therefore, in the case where an article contains an excessively factually inaccurate description, as well as several minor factually inaccurate descriptions, though it may be odd to describe them as minor factually inaccurate descriptions, just pointing out one excessively factually inaccurate description in the article could also be interpreted as implying that the other minor factually inaccurate descriptions are all correct. This is exactly what I pointed out last year by mentioning that it would naturally require setting thresholds, and what I am pointing out just now is that it is extremely difficult to set thresholds. So I think that it would be helpful if there were some good way to communicate that descriptions (in an article) are incorrect, but this matter would probably require continued consideration.
As there appears to be one more question, please ask your question.
First on sign language, I used sign language for the first time for the very last phrase, which I practiced quite a lot, in closing my speech at an event related to the Japanese Federation of the Deaf. On that occasion, although my wife advised me to some extent, I think there was no particular advice from my younger daughter. But in the future there might be some advice from her, since naturally I feel that, for instance, at the National Sports Festival for People with an Impairment, too, even if I do not give my entire address in sign language, I would need to master sign language to a certain degree.
On (my reply to) question 3, what I meant by “I advise her when she asks for my opinion” is that I advise her on work and also that I make comments when she asks me to review her speech text for some event, for instance.
Is this an adequate answer to your question?
Thank you.
