News On Japan

Tragic story of the world's loneliest princess - who faces a harrowing choice

Japan’s Princess Toshi cannot ascend to the throne and must decide whether to risk national scandal by marrying a commoner or become a chaste shrine maiden as she navigates the country’s conservative traditions

May 22, 2022 (mirror.co.uk) - The life of a princess is envied around the world. Royal palaces, lavish ceremonies and a huge wedding are all usually part of the package. But Japan's Princess Toshi is said to be the loneliest princess.

The 20-year-old, also known as Princess Aiko, is the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako.

The young princess had a difficult childhood and said she was bullied at school.

Princess Toshi lives in the imperial palace in Tokyo without any companions of her own age and is yet to marry.

Royal tradition in Japan is particularly restrictive for women and they are only permitted to marry members of nobility.

But as there are none left in Japan which leaves Princess Toshi in a heartbreaking position. ...continue reading

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

A magnitude 5.5 earthquake struck eastern Japan at around 7:46 p.m., with a maximum seismic intensity of lower 5 recorded in parts of Gunma and Saitama prefectures, though no injuries or major damage had been confirmed and there was no risk of a tsunami.

JR Ueno Station has unveiled "Ueno Canvas," a new 75-square-meter LED display featuring videos that highlight the area's cultural attractions, tourism destinations, and artistic heritage as part of a station renovation aimed at connecting people and the city through culture.

Japan's Fair Trade Commission has conducted on-site inspections of six major food manufacturers over suspicions they formed a cartel to coordinate ice cream prices, with authorities investigating whether the companies exchanged information and unfairly adjusted planned retail price increases in response to rising costs.

A parent bear and two cubs were spotted near an interchange in Kyoto Prefecture, just a few minutes' drive from a nursery school, in one of many bear sightings reported across Japan in recent days.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako watched Japan's opening FIFA World Cup match against the Netherlands together with King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima, highlighting the close ties between the Japanese Imperial Family and the Dutch Royal Family.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Society NEWS

A stone-skipping tournament on the Nagara River in Gifu Prefecture has drawn attention to 32-year-old Kosei Kigo of Nagoya, whose extraordinary dedication to the childhood pastime includes spending hours searching for the perfect stones, taking private coaching lessons, and competing against some of Japan's top athletes in pursuit of stone-skipping mastery.

More than 900 packs of the food linked to a food poisoning outbreak at a Costco store in Nagoya were sold over a two-day period, health authorities said.

Police in Osaka have arrested 41 men and women in a fraud case involving more than 600 million yen in suspected losses, uncovering what investigators believe was a scheme in which real influencer accounts were bought and used to impersonate their original owners and solicit followers into costly side-business programs.

The number of foreign residents living in Japan surpassed 4 million for the first time by the end of 2025, reaching a record high and underscoring the increasingly important role foreign workers play in supporting the country's labor-short industries.

A court in Shiga Prefecture has sentenced a 29-year-old former sex industry employee to life imprisonment for the murder of a company president, the theft of his cash card, and the disposal of his body in Lake Biwa.

The Hokkaido Community Chest, which operates Japan's annual Red Feather Community Chest fundraising campaign, has revealed that approximately 180 million yen in donated funds are unaccounted for, with a senior official suspected of misappropriating the money over several years.

Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, who are visiting the Netherlands, took a stroll around the grounds of the Dutch royal family's residence where they are staying, revisiting places connected to a previous visit two decades ago.

A 23-year-old Syrian man died after drowning in the Itadori River in Seki, Gifu Prefecture, on June 14th while enjoying a river outing with friends.