News On Japan

Princess Ayako to get engaged to commoner

Jun 27 (NHK) - Japan's Imperial Household Agency will announce plans for the engagement of Princess Ayako.

The princess is the third daughter of the late Prince Takamado, Emperor Akihito's cousin. She is 27.

Her prospective fiance, Kei Moriya who is 32, works at a major shipping company in Tokyo.

He and his parents are said to have been invited to a party at the princess's residence in April.

Sources say the princess's mother has given her blessing to the couple, and that the Emperor and Empress have also been informed of their wish to get engaged.

Agency officials say a wedding ceremony will be held at Tokyo's Meiji Jingu shrine on October 29th.

Marriage of male members of the Imperial family requires approval by the Imperial House Council, headed by the Prime Minister.

But the step is not necessary for female members. Their engagement becomes official after a betrothal ceremony, called the Nosai-no-Gi.

Princess Ayako wrote on her 20th birthday in 2010 that she loves children, and hopes to marry one day. She said she wants to nurture a warm family filled with laughter, with a person she can respect.

Princesses must leave the Imperial household upon marriage but a serious decline of members could trigger fresh debate over the system.

Princess Ayako's elder sister, Noriko, left the family when she married a Shinto priest in 2014.

Announcements were made last year for the planned engagement of Princess Mako, the eldest daughter of Prince Akishino, to a friend from college.

Source: ANNnewsCH

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

New Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) President Ishiba is moving forward with personnel appointments, aiming to appoint former Defense Minister Iwaya as the new Foreign Minister.

Autumn foliage is advancing early in the Tateyama region of the Northern Alps in Toyama Prefecture, with vibrant red and yellow hues starting to appear.

The Hakamada case, a decades-long legal struggle, ended with an acquittal for Iwao Hakamada (88), who, along with his sister Hideko, fought for 58 years. Hakamada was suspected of the 1966 murder of a miso company executive’s family.

A Japanese government information-gathering satellite has successfully been put into a planned orbit around Earth. (NHK)

Japan's National Police Agency is introducing new patrol cars equipped with red lights designed to assist people with hearing impairments, flashing differently depending on whether the vehicle is on an emergency run or a routine patrol.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A 17-year-old girl was found dead in a hotel in Osaka on Saturday at around 11 p.m., when a hotel employee in Osaka City reported, 'A woman is wrapped in bedding and not breathing.'

Three men broke into the Paris home of renowned chef Kei Kobayashi, 47, who has earned three Michelin stars, on September 26th, assaulting Kobayashi's wife who suffered severe injuries. Kobayashi commented, saying, 'This is unforgivable.'

Four Japanese men have been caught at an Australian airport on suspicion of trying to smuggle a large amount of cigarettes into the country. (NHK)

Japan's National Police Agency is introducing new patrol cars equipped with red lights designed to assist people with hearing impairments, flashing differently depending on whether the vehicle is on an emergency run or a routine patrol.

The former representative of the martial arts event company 'Breaking Down,' Yugo Itagaki, along with two other individuals, has been arrested by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police on charges of defrauding a company executive out of 80 million yen.

Strange incidents involving a woman placing black tape on outlets have been occurring around zoos in the Izu area of Shizuoka Prefecture.

As the number of households with Buddhist altars continues to decline, largely due to space limitations in modern housing, wholesalers of Buddhist goods are struggling with unsold inventory.

Twelve individuals involved in the traditional 'Ageuma Shinji' horse event held last year at Tado Shrine in Kuwana City, Mie Prefecture, have been referred to prosecutors on allegations of violent behavior toward horses, including forcing them up steep slopes.