December Babies: Princess Aiko

Princess Aiko was the long-awaited child of the then Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Japan.

Born on 1 December 2001, her parents chose her name, breaking with the royal tradition of the Emperor selecting the name. Her parents chose her name from clause 56 of Li Lou II (from the teaching of the Chinese philosopher Mencius). The name Aiko means “a person who loves others.”

Aiko’s imperial title is Princess Toshi, which means “a person who respects others.”

vBy 外務省ホームページ, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Princess Aiko began kindergarten in 2006 at Gakushūin, but by 2010, the Princess was forced to stay home from school due to bullying. After a few months at home, she returned to school on a limited basis with her mother accompanying her. By 2014, she was enrolled at Gakushuin Girl’s Junior High School and attended a summer programme at Eton College in 2018.

Her university education was spent at Gakushuin University where she studied Japanese language and literature. She graduated in 2024 and has slowly begun royal duties after coming of age in 2021.

By 外務省ホームページ, CC BY 4.0, Wikimedia Commons

Aiko is the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, but since Japan does not allow women to reign in their own right, she is not in the line of succession.

After her birth, there were debates in Japan about changing the succession laws to allow for reigning queens, but the birth of her younger male cousin ended the debates for quite a while. Since her father ascended the throne, debates have raged again on whether the succession laws should be changed. However, there are no plans to alter the laws.