TOKYO, March 3 (Bernama-Kyodo) -- Japan's Prince Hisahito, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, expressed on Monday his desire to approach his public duties with care and awareness as he fulfils his role as a member of the imperial family.
Speaking at his first press conference, held at the Akasaka Estate residence in Tokyo to commemorate his coming of age, the 18-year-old said the symbolic role of the emperor "is a presence that always thinks of the people and stays close to them."
The prince reached adulthood last September, becoming the first male member of Japan's imperial family to do so in around 39 years, since his father in December 1985.
Currently a third-year student at Tokyo’s Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba, Hisahito will study biology at the university’s School of Life and Environmental Sciences from April.
A coming-of-age ceremony, traditionally held within the imperial family, will take place on his 19th birthday on 6 September.
The young prince is the only heir of his generation in the Japanese imperial family, as the Imperial House Law states that only males with male lineal descent from emperors can ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne.
The other heirs are his father and the emperor’s uncle, Prince Hitachi.
-- BERNAMA-KYODO
