is the youngest child and only son of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko of Japan. He is the nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to the throne after his father, Fumihito. Preceding his birth, the paucity of male heirs in the imperial family had triggered the

Japanese imperial succession debate From 2001 to 2006, Japan discussed the possibility of changing the laws of succession to the Chrysanthemum Throne, which is currently limited to males in the male line of the Japanese imperial family. As of June 2025, there are three people ...

, with some politicians favoring the abandonment of

agnatic primogeniture Primogeniture () is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit all or most of their parent's estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relat ...

which has prevailed in Japan since its monarchy was established in 660 BC, with eight exceptions (the last reigning empress being Go-Sakuramachi, ), and which remains the law of imperial succession under the post-war

constitution of Japan The Constitution of Japan is the supreme law of Japan. Written primarily by American civilian officials during the occupation of Japan after World War II, it was adopted on 3 November 1946 and came into effect on 3 May 1947, succeeding the Meij ...

. The birth of Hisahito in 2006 removed the need to make any non-traditional provision for the succession. He became, at birth, next in the line of succession after his uncle and father.

Birth

Prince Hisahito of Akishino Newspaper 2006-9-12 02

Prince Hisahito was born at 08:27 JST (23:27

UTC Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) is the primary time standard globally used to regulate clocks and time. It establishes a reference for the current time, forming the basis for civil time and time zones. UTC facilitates international communica ...

) on 6 September 2006 at Aiiku Hospital,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. He was delivered by

Caesarean section Caesarean section, also known as C-section, cesarean, or caesarean delivery, is the Surgery, surgical procedure by which one or more babies are Childbirth, delivered through an incision in the mother's abdomen. It is often performed because va ...

, two weeks early, after complications in the pregnancy. Hisahito is the youngest of three children and only son of Fumihito, Prince Akishino, and Kiko, Princess Akishino. He has two older sisters, Mako Komuro and Princess Kako of Akishino. He was first seen in public on 15 September 2006, outside Aiiku Hospital. Hisahito, the Prince's personal name, chosen by his father, means "serene and virtuous", according to the

Imperial Household Agency The (IHA) is an agency of the government of Japan in charge of state matters concerning the Imperial House of Japan, Imperial Family, and the keeping of the Privy Seal of Japan, Privy Seal and State Seal of Japan. From around the 8th century ...

. An alternative translation is "virtuous, calm, everlasting". Hisahito was the first male child born to the

Imperial House of Japan The is the reigning dynasty of Japan, consisting of those members of the extended family of the reigning emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present constitution of Japan, the emperor is "the symbol of the State ...

since his father's birth in 1965. In January 2007, Prime Minister

Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...

announced that he would drop an earlier proposal to alter the Imperial Household Law so as to allow women to inherit the throne. The proposal had been made on the basis of the fact that the brother and two sons of Emperor

Akihito Akihito (born 23 December 1933) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan who reigned as the 125th emperor of Japan from 1989 until 2019 Japanese imperial transition, his abdication in 2019. The era of his rule was named the Heisei era, Hei ...

had, at the time, no sons of their own. Given Hisahito's birth, it now seems increasingly unlikely that the laws will be changed to allow Hisahito's cousin

Princess Aiko is a member of the Imperial House of Japan. She is the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako of Japan. Following her birth, the ongoing Japanese imperial succession debate had resulted in some politicians holding a favorable ...

, daughter of Emperor

Naruhito Naruhito (born 23 February 1960) is Emperor of Japan. He acceded to the Chrysanthemum Throne following 2019 Japanese imperial transition, the abdication of his father, Akihito, on 1 May 2019, beginning the Reiwa era. He is the 126th monarch, ...

, to become a reigning empress. The supporters of changes criticized the current law as it placed a burden on the few aging males old enough to perform royal duties as females left the family.

Education

In the spring of 2010, Prince Hisahito began kindergarten at Ochanomizu University Kindergarten in Tokyo; on 14 December 2012, the

announced he would enter Ochanomizu University Elementary School in April 2013 so he could be with many of his friends from kindergarten. The prince thus became the first member of the Imperial House of Japan to receive his education at a school other than Gakushūin Primary School, which is also in Tokyo. By his second year, he was reported to be doing well at school, helping to look after first-year pupils and playing with his friends. In April 2019, Hisahito was enrolled in Ochanomizu University Junior High School. Police reports indicate that there was an assassination attempt on him there in May 2019. In August 2019, he accompanied his parents on an official visit to

Bhutan Bhutan, officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked country in South Asia, in the Eastern Himalayas between China to the north and northwest and India to the south and southeast. With a population of over 727,145 and a territory of , ...

. In March 2021, he was awarded a second-place prize in the junior high student category of

Kitakyushu is a Cities of Japan, city located in Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. As of June 1, 2019, Kitakyushu has an estimated population of 940,978, making it the second-largest city in both Fukuoka Prefecture and the island of Kyushu after the city of Fuk ...

's 12th Children's Nonfiction Literature Awards. In February 2022, he was accused of plagiarism concerning that award-winning essay, which was about his trip to the Ogasawara islands. The Imperial Household Agency and Prince Hisahito acknowledged that the essay's citations were "inadequate" and that the prince would contact the organizers of the award with revisions. The award was not considered for revocation. In April 2022, Hisahito was enrolled in . In April 2025, Hisahito enrolled at the School of Life and Environmental Sciences of the

University of Tsukuba is a List of national universities in Japan, national research university located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, Ibaraki, Japan. The university has 28 college clusters and schools with around 16,500 students (as of 2014). The main Tsukuba ca ...

Honours

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

: Grand Cordon of the

Order of the Chrysanthemum is Japan's highest Order (decoration), order. The Grand Cordon of the Order was established in 1876 by Emperor Meiji of Japan; the Collar of the Order was added on 4 January 1888. Unlike European counterparts, the order may be Posthumous award, ...

(6 September 2025)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hisahito of Akishino, Prince 2006 births Living people Nobility from Tokyo People from Minato, Tokyo Japanese princes 21st-century Japanese people Japanese Shintoists 21st-century Shintoists