Nov 15 (NHK) - Japan's Princess Mikasa, whose given name is Yuriko, passed away at the age of 101. The princess was the widow of Prince Mikasa, a younger brother of the late Emperor Showa.
She was hospitalized at St Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo on March 3 after suffering a stroke and aspiration pneumonia.
She was initially treated in an ICU, but she was moved to a private room about 10 days later. That was after significant recovery was seen in the movements of her right hand and leg, as well as an improvement in her pneumonia.
However, the princess was returned to the ICU for more than three weeks through early September, after showing signs of mild pneumonia. Recently, she was recuperating in a private room.
Officials with the Imperial Household Agency said that the princess passed away of old age at around 6:30 on Friday morning.
Princess Mikasa's life of more than a century was marked by times of turbulence. She was born in 1923 as the second daughter of a noble family. She married Prince Mikasa at the age of 18 in 1941.
But the Pacific War began soon after their marriage. Their house burned down in the air raids and she lived in a shelter for some time.
After the war, she spent decades serving as the president of a foundation dedicated to maternal and child welfare.
She was committed to improving welfare throughout her life. She served as an Honorary Vice-President of the Japanese Red Cross Society.
The princess turned 101 on June 4. That was the oldest for a member of the Imperial family since the Meiji era that began in the late 19th century.
