|
Listen to article
|
The Imperial Household Agency has announced the death of Princess Mikasa, the oldest member of Japan’s royal lineage and the great aunt of Emperor Naruhito. She passed away on Friday at a hospital in Tokyo, aged 101.
Princess Mikasa had been under medical care since March, following complications from a stroke and pneumonia. After receiving intensive care treatment, she remained in the hospital to recuperate but ultimately succumbed on Friday.
Princess Mikasa, originally named Yuriko Takagi, was born into an esteemed aristocratic lineage on June 4, 1923. At just 18 years old, she became part of Japan’s royal family through her marriage to Prince Mikasa, the younger sibling of wartime Emperor Hirohito.
Together, the couple welcomed five children into their family—two daughters and three sons. Their eldest, a daughter, was born in 1944 during the height of World War II, marking the beginning of their parenthood in a challenging era.
The family faced immense hardship during World War II when an air raid obliterated their home, compelling the princess to take her baby and seek shelter in a makeshift refuge, as detailed by Japan’s Asahi Shimbun.
Hirohito — who served as Japan’s commander-in-chief during its brutal march across Asia in the 1930s and 40s — surrendered in an August 1945 speech, after the United States dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
Read also: Japanese Politics Torn Apart As Ruling Party Loses Majority
Princess Mikasa’s husband Prince Mikasa, who died in 2016 at 100, was in favour of the decision to end the war.
But young officers who disagreed would come regularly to the shelter to try and change his mind.
Princess Mikasa recalled that the atmosphere was “very frightening” with “heated arguments and tension, as if bullets were about to fly”, the Asahi Shimbun said.
Having lost their home, the decades that followed were far from luxurious for the princess, who took on domestic duties as the family struggled financially.
“When I was raising my children, Japanese society was still in a difficult period,” she said on her 100th birthday in a statement released by the Imperial Household Agency.
“I recall with deep gratitude how many people, including my husband, always supported me,” the princess added.
All three of Princess Misaka’s sons passed away before her, including one who died aged 47 while playing squash at the Canadian embassy.
