Tag - family

 
 

FAMILY

A conceptual image of the official YouTube channel screen to be operated by the Imperial Household Agency starting April 1
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2025
Japan's imperial family to start YouTube account
The channel, which goes live on Tuesday, follows the imperial family's social media debut last year on Instagram, which now has nearly 2 million followers.
The number of child abuse cases handled by child consultation centers in Japan hit a record high in fiscal 2023, with psychological abuse cases accounting for 60% of the total.
JAPAN
Mar 25, 2025
Child abuse in Japan hits record 226,000 cases in fiscal 2023
The number of psychological abuse cases grew by 6,834 to 134,948, or some 60% of the total.
Prince Hisahito arrives at the University of Tsukuba's Senior High School at Otsuka in Tokyo on Tuesday morning for the school's graduation ceremony.
JAPAN
Mar 18, 2025
Prince Hisahito graduates from high school
The 18-year-old prince, nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to the throne, is scheduled to enter the University of Tsukuba in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, next month.
Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko observes the 2025 World Exposition venue from the top of a ring-shaped roof called the Grand Ring, the world's largest wooden structure and a symbol for the Expo, on Wednesday in Osaka's Konohana Ward.
JAPAN
Mar 13, 2025
Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko visit Osaka Expo venue
The Crown Prince serves as honorary president of the Expo, which will be held in the city for six months from April 13.
Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan leader Yoshihiko Noda addresses a rally calling for the introduction of a system allowing married couples to choose whether to use the same or different family names on Feb. 26 at parliament.
JAPAN / Politics
Mar 8, 2025
Some 44% of Japanese lawmakers back selective dual surname system
The figure far outstrips the 1% who said that the country should maintain its current same surname system.
Clinic director Oleksandr Feskov poses for a photo in one of the operating rooms at the Feskov clinic in Kharkiv on Feb. 17. Many more Ukrainian civilians are freezing their sperm and eggs — procedures that were rare before the war — with demand rising every time the war takes a turn for the worse.
WORLD / Society
Mar 6, 2025
Ukrainians waiting for peace before having children
New legislation means that Ukrainian soldiers can freeze their sperm for free, and many clinics are already offering the service.
Prince Hisahito attends his first news conference at Akasaka Estate in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2025
At first news conference, Prince Hisahito pledges to fulfill royal duties
The prince, who is second in line to the throne, underlined the importance of thinking of the people as a member of the imperial family.
Prince Hisahito in the city of Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, on Feb. 12
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2025
Prince Hisahito's coming-of-age ceremony set for Sept. 6
The event will be the first coming-of-age ceremony for a male member of the imperial family since that of Crown Prince Akishino 40 years ago.
The number of newborns in 2024 fell 5% from the previous year to 720,988, extending a nine-year streak of declines, according to preliminary population data released Thursday by the health ministry.
JAPAN
Feb 27, 2025
Japan records fewest births on record, deepening demographic crisis
The number of newborns in 2024 fell 5% from the previous year to 720,988, extending a nine-year streak of declines.
Girls take care of their baby brother before leaving for school in Seoul. South Korea just recorded its first rise in fertility rates in nearly a decade.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 26, 2025
South Korea's policy push springs to life as world's lowest birth rate rises
That shift in societal norms could prove pivotal in a country that has seen its birth rate plummet to the lowest in the world.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako greet people gathered at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Sunday to celebrate the emperor's 65th birthday that day.
JAPAN
Feb 24, 2025
Over 20,000 visit the Imperial Palace for the emperor's 65th birthday
A total of 23,019 people visited the Imperial Palace on the day, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
Emperor Naruhito speaks to reporters on Thursday. He turned 65 on Sunday.
JAPAN
Feb 23, 2025
Emperor turns 65, renewing wish for peace 80 years after end of WWII
At a news conference held at the Imperial Palace ahead of his 65th birthday, the emperor said he is grateful that Japan has been without war for 80 years.
Prince Hisahito heads to greet the Emperor and Empress on the occasion of his 18th birthday in Tokyo on Sep. 6.
JAPAN
Feb 21, 2025
Japan's Prince Hisahito to hold first news conference on March 3
It is customary for Imperial Family members to hold a press conference when they reach the age of majority.
Prince Hisahito (center) visits Maizuru Repatriation Memorial Museum in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, last week.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2025
Prince Hisahito obtains driver's license
Prince Hisahito is set to enter the University of Tsukuba in April.
Naturalized Japanese citizens from Taiwan will be able to list Taiwan as their place of origin in their family register instead of China from May.
JAPAN / Society
Feb 17, 2025
Naturalized Japanese can soon list Taiwan as original nationality
Since Japan does not officially recognize Taiwan as a country, those from the self-ruled island had been required to list China as their original nationality.
The Imperial Household Agency's renewed website is also optimized for smartphones.
JAPAN
Feb 13, 2025
Imperial Household Agency's website optimized for smartphones
About ¥9.6 million was spent on renovating the website and adding a panoramic photo in fiscal 2024.
Emperor Hirohito speaks during a welcome ceremony hosted by U.S. President Richard Nixon in Anchorage, Alaska, on Sept. 26, 1971.
JAPAN / History
Feb 11, 2025
Emperor Showa was cautious about Nixon's 1972 visit to China, document shows
That the emperor voiced his own position on the visit to China may raise questions about diplomacy involving the imperial family.
The Imperial Household Agency's Instagram account boasts over 1.8 million followers.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Feb 3, 2025
Imperial Household Agency finds success on Instagram amid public relations push
With the account boasting over 1.8 million followers, the agency is aiming to boost engagement.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, along with other members of the imperial family, attend the spring garden party at Akasaka Palace  in Tokyo in April last year.
JAPAN / Politics
Jan 31, 2025
Lower House speaker wants early conclusion on imperial family talks
Despite the speaker's hopes, it is unclear whether an agreement can be reached among the parties because there remain gaps between their views.
A monument erected near Ulaanbaatar to remember Japanese nationals who died in Mongolia after being detained by the former Soviet Union during World War II
JAPAN
Jan 30, 2025
Japan's emperor and empress will likely visit Mongolia in July
This would be the couple's third overseas goodwill trip since the emperor's accession to the throne in 2019.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone. 
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan