Japan’s Imperial Women’s Association is in the news again, or to be more accurate, the story is not about the group at all, but rather the young women it champions.
This time, the association, which was founded in 1920 as a group to preserve the reputation of Imperial Waesas, is highlighted by the politics of a possible leadership succession. It has been petitioning to have Empress Michiko’s 88-year-old husband, Prince Mikasa, allowed to marry again, a move that, according to both their society and Japanese traditions, is fraught with peril.
Prince Mikasa announced in March that he had suffered a stroke and will be hospitalized, prompting speculation that they may leave the imperial family for good.
Even though there are rumors that Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako will soon follow suit, the Imperial Women’s Association, which represents about 40,000 royal families across Japan, wants the two to stay put. And the teenaged royal daughters who call themselves “Heian women” appear to be standing with them.
“The Kojima girls,” according to a report in the NHK, the public broadcaster, “do not hesitate to reveal their loyalty to their father, Prince Mikasa, as they show their affection by performing rituals with their hands or feet.”
Princess Aiko is 19, Princess Mako is 18, and Princess Ikuko is 17. The three royal daughters are fond of allegedly binding their hands and feet together in a heart-shaped gesture as they perform ritualistic dances at the Obon festival, or holiday commemorating the return of the dead from the afterlife.
This royal family “seeks,” to use the association’s own words, a “disappearance of Prince Mikasa’s people.”
But exactly what their ambitions are remains vague, thanks in part to the association’s refusal to share a cohesive purpose or even a specific vision.
It has been more than two years since former Imperial Waesas made a televised public speech in the Mandarin language. This year’s appeared in English. The association has even struggled to follow the rules. In March, it fell a day behind a rule that required it to announce its activities before the Obon festival, according to an article in The Guardian.
Given the organization’s history — in 2014, an association lawmaker died just hours after speaking about their activities at a press conference — it may take some time for the Kojima girls to have a formal say in their future. Until then, the subjects of their royal power appear to be focused on one day having a true word with the future king.
The organization believes that reviving the monarchy, a top presidential responsibility, is a path to replacing the emperor. That call is in line with its history: It’s been advocating on behalf of current emperor Akihito since he ascended the throne in 1989, as Japan dealt with its post-war struggle with racism and a virulent anti-shogunist movement.
