Japanese Crown Prince Akishino Turns 59

Tokyo, Nov. 30 (Jiji Press)--Japanese Crown Prince Akishino turned 59 on Saturday.

At a press conference held in advance at the Akasaka East Residence in Tokyo, the Crown Prince declined to make a comment related to the Imperial Family system, including a proposal being discussed in Japan's parliament to allow female members to stay in the family after marriage to secure a sufficient number of Imperial Family members.

But he said that Imperial Household Agency staff who support Imperial Family members "need to know" how the members who would be affected by such a change think about the issue, because they are "humans."

On the most memorable thing that happened this year, he mentioned the powerful earthquake that hit the Noto Peninsula in central Japan on Jan. 1, followed by heavy rains in the same region in September. "This was very big thing," he said.

Wishing for early reconstruction of the region, the younger brother of Emperor Naruhito expressed condolences over those who perished and sympathy to those affected by the disasters.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]