Tag - family

 
 

FAMILY

Empress Emerita Michiko visits Meiji Jingu shrine in Tokyo in April.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2024
Japan's former Empress Michiko recovers from COVID-19
The former empress tested negative for the COVID on Monday morning.
Emperor Naruhito (left) meets with Luxembourg's Crown Prince Guillaume at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Monday.
JAPAN
Jun 11, 2024
Emperor Naruhito meets with Luxembourg's crown prince
At the meeting the Emperor expressed his gratitude for the sympathy from Grand Duke of Luxembourg Henri for people and areas affected by the Noto quake.
Emperor Naruhito, Empress Masako and Princess Aiko enjoy cycling at the Imperial Stock Farm in Tochigi Prefecture in May.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 7, 2024
Photos of Emperor Naruhito's family released
Among the images are seven photos taken by the emperor with his own camera.
Tomomi Bitoh, 33, Japan's top ultrarunner, stretches as she takes part in a workout session around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Science & Health
Jun 6, 2024
As Japan's birth rate drops, runner freezes her eggs to sustain motherhood dream
Last year Tokyo authorities started offering subsidies of up to ¥300,000 ($1,900) for women aged between 18 and 39 to have their eggs frozen for future pregnancies.
Japan’s birth rate has been in decline for decades as more women choose to get married and start a family later in life.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 5, 2024
Japan’s birth rate hit new low in 2023
The latest figure of 1.20 is 0.06 point down from the previous year in 2022 and the lowest since the government started keeping records in 1947.
A photo of Princess Yuriko taken on May 22, 2023, before her 100th birthday. She turned 101 on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2024
Princess Yuriko, oldest member of Japan's imperial family, turns 101
The great-aunt of Emperor Naruhito has also become the oldest member of the imperial family born in or after the Meiji Era, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako greet guests during the spring garden party at the Akasaka Palace imperial garden in Tokyo on April 23. The imperial couple will make a state visit to U.K. in late June.
JAPAN
Jun 4, 2024
Japan's emperor and empress to pay three-day state visit to U.K.
The imperial couple will arrive on June 22, but will spend the first three days in private engagements before the official state visit from June 25 to 27.
Royalty took the top image spots on the June 3, 1924, edition of The Japan Times. In addition to Japan's imperial celebrations, the paper nodded to the birthday of Britain's King George V.
JAPAN / History / Japan Times Gone By
Jun 1, 2024
Japan Times 1924: Tokyo gaily makes merry
After having suffered from a devastating earthquake the previous year, a royal wedding brings back a celebratory mood to the capital.
Some 2,181 morning-after pills were sold at 145 pharmacies across the nation, with Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture recording over 200 sales each.
JAPAN / Science & Health
May 20, 2024
Morning-after pill buyers back prescription-free sales following trial
Some 27% of purchases were made on Saturdays and Sundays, when many clinics are closed.
Representatives of the ruling bloc and opposition parties meet in Tokyo on Friday to start discussions on possible relaxations of the imperial family's strict succession rules.
JAPAN
May 17, 2024
Lawmakers begin talks on Japan's dwindling imperial line
Japan currently has only one heir: Emperor Naruhito's 17-year-old nephew Prince Hisahito.
Legislation that allows the option of joint custody of children after divorce is passed at the Upper House plenary session on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 17, 2024
Japan changes law to allow joint custody after divorce
For decades in Japan, one parent — almost always the mother — has been granted legal custody when a marriage ends.
Japan’s custody system may soon change with the introduction of joint custody, though issues like a lack of protection against domestic violence and abuse must also be tackled.
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 10, 2024
Joint custody alone won’t fix Japan’s flawed system
Japan could be on the verge of adopting joint custody. While to some this is a step in the right direction, it may not be enough to protect families.
Princess Aiko visits an exhibition featuring Japanese literature from the Heian period held at the National Archives of Japan in Tokyo on Saturday.
JAPAN
May 12, 2024
Princess Aiko visits Heian literature exhibition
It was the first time for the 22-year-old princess, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, to perform official duties alone.
Taro Aso (center), vice president of the Liberal Democratic Party, hands the party's proposals for securing a sufficient number of imperial family members to Lower House Speaker Fukushiro Nukaga (left) at the parliamentary building on April 26.
JAPAN
May 8, 2024
Interparty talks on shrinking imperial family may start next week
The talks are likely to focus on retaining female imperial family members after marriage and adopting male relatives.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako speak to evacuees at a shelter in Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in March.
JAPAN
May 1, 2024
Emperor Naruhito marks five years since enthronement
The emperor's first five years on the throne were largely overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.
JAPAN / Society / Longform
Apr 29, 2024
Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree
Among official records in Japan, the "koseki" is key to discovering where you came from. However, it's not without controversy.
Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako attend an event in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 27, 2024
Imperial couple to visit Britain in June in first trip to country since '22
The visit will be the first trip to Britain by Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako since they attended the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in 2022.
Princess Aiko attends an imperial garden party in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Apr 24, 2024
Princess Aiko makes debut at imperial garden party
The princess joined the party hosted by the emperor and empress at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens after graduating from Gakushuin University last month.
A bill on joint custody passes during a Lower House plenary session in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Apr 16, 2024
Bill allowing joint custody after divorce clears Japan's Lower House
The move would bring Japan closer to adopting a practice seen in other countries.
Emperor Naruhito at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on Tuesday
JAPAN
Apr 11, 2024
Japan to launch full-scale talks over shrinking imperial family
Japan's ruling and opposition parties are set to start talks on measures to address the shrinking number of imperial family members.

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’