Related events in Japan's Palace Office

Kiko, the wife of Prince Wen Ren of Japan, is in the hospital for labor, because the new generation of Japanese royal family has no male heir, and many Japanese people hope that she can have a male heir to the throne. Originally, Prime Minister Koizumi fully supported the revision of the law to make the female heir emperor, but the arrival of new life forced the plan to be shelved.

According to the conservative Japanese Palace Office, the first "job" of members of the royal family is to have children and continue the Japanese monarchy. Time magazine recently published an article detailing the contradiction between the imperial palace and members of the Japanese royal family on the issue of the heir to the emperor.

On the evening of August 16, a long motorcade of the Japanese royal family left the official residence of Prince Wen Ren in Tokyo, and the destination was Ai Yu Hospital. One of the motorcades stood out because Prince Wen Ren and his wife Princess Kiko were sitting inside. Kiko wore a gray plaid suit that day, which was elegant and generous. She opened the window, and the car was surrounded by media reporters. Japanese journalists call Kiko a "smiling princess"-a well-trained royal smile. This elusive expression shows that she knows the royal way very well.

Kiko was admitted to the hospital that day to prepare for the birth of the third child. Her due date is mid-September, but the hospital plans to give her a caesarean section on September 6. From August 16, the expectant mother was hospitalized for three weeks. Kiko is 39 years old, and most importantly, the child in her belly is likely to be the future monarch of Japan. Therefore, her doctor has every reason to be cautious.

At present, the Japanese royal family is facing an heir crisis. According to Japanese law, monarchs can only be passed on to men. However, Emperor Akihito's two sons-Prince Naruhito, 46, and Prince Wen Ren, 40-have so far given birth to three daughters. As the hope of increasing the number of men in the royal family gradually faded, Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi supported the initiative to amend the inheritance law to allow women to inherit the throne. However, in February this year, after the news of Princess Kiko's unexpected pregnancy was announced, the hope of male heirs was rekindled, so the plan to amend the inheritance law was forced to be shelved.

Little is known about the details of Kiko's pregnancy. Of course, the most important thing is the sex of the child.

Aiko Hospital, where Kiko is due to give birth, is the imperial hospital of the Japanese royal family. That year, Emperor Hirohito donated money to celebrate the birth of his eldest son (later Emperor Akihito). Kiko's ward is guarded by the Japanese Palace Hall, as tight as a watertight giant cover.

On September 6th, 2006, Prince Wen Ren's wife, the second son of Emperor Wenren, gave birth to Prince Youren.

Japan's imperial palace hall is a mysterious government agency that handles all the affairs of the royal family, big and small. They carefully helped the royal family to repair the facade. However, there is too much confusion and uncertainty in the facts before them. If Kiko gives birth to a daughter, the "war of words" about whether women should inherit the throne will soon start again. Japan's once omnipotent palace hall has now degenerated into a melee to defend power.

The imperial palace hall in Japan is not what it used to be. In the past 60 years, it has shrunk a lot: at the end of World War II, it had more than 6,000 employees; Now, only 1 100 people are left. Power is also small: in the past, as an independent group, it directly participated in state affairs; Now, in addition to dealing with royal affairs, he only acts as the deputy of the Prime Minister's Office and participates in non-decision-making affairs. In the past, it was the richest institution in Japan. Now, it receives a budget of $260 million a year. Most people who work outside the palace are drivers, gardeners, chefs or bureaucrats under the leadership of the director general. The staff working in the palace are sent by the housekeeper and serve as attendants in the court-these traditional jobs have been passed down from generation to generation in the family.

Although the palace hall is small in scale, it still holds the power-controlling the channels for members of the royal family to communicate with the outside world and clinging to the official version of the royal history. A member of the Liberal Democratic Party who opposes women's succession to the throne said: "Even the Prime Minister can't talk directly to the Emperor before the approval of the Palace Office."

It is reported that the palace office never allows the media to ask questions to members of the royal family without following the audited interview outline, and they do not hide their dislike of the media. 1990, a photographer from * * * photographed Princess Jigong combing her hair for Prince Wen Ren. This rare photo recording the warmth of the royal family caused an uproar after it was made public. The Palace Office accused the photographer of misconduct and tried to prevent the photos from being further spread. For many years, the Palace Office refused to disclose any irrelevant information such as cats and dogs kept in the palace.

In addition to dealing with the daily life of the royal family and shaping their public image, the Palace Hall is also responsible for preventing scholars from re-examining the history of the emperor. The Palace Hall manages 896 tombs, but despite the opposition of some scholars, archaeologists are still refused to conduct a comprehensive study and excavation of the tombs. Shinji Yamashita, the former director of the Palace Office, explained why the Palace Office is strictly confidential (of course, employees can only talk about it publicly after retirement): unlike most government agencies, the first task of the Palace Office is to "ensure that nothing happens". "Since World War II, the Palace Hall has set the goal of keeping a low profile," Shinji Yamashita said with a smile. "Palace hall is regarded as a ghost by the outside world, but this is not true. We are normal people-kind, friendly and kind. "

As an individual, it may be so, but as a group, the palace hall is accused of being a heartless busybody. Evidence 1: The Palace Hall persecuted Prince Naruhito's wife, Princess Masako. Masako graduated from Harvard University and Oxford University with great talent. Before 1993 married Naruhito, she was regarded as a star of hope in Japanese diplomatic circles. Beautiful, confident and multilingual, she seems to be a pioneer who will lead the Japanese royal family into a new era of modern activity.

However, she didn't even do her first traditional "job"-carrying on the family line for the Japanese royal family. After eight years of marriage, Masako gave birth to a daughter and a little princess Aiko. So far, Aiko is the only child of the Deren couple.

Everyone cast a critical eye on Masako, and the Palace Hall was one of the important members, which gave Masako unbearable pressure. After Aiko was born, the Palace Office advised Masako not to stop giving birth, as if to force her to give birth to a male heir.

In 2003, Masako fell ill and suffered from depression. He no longer participates in any official activities (he is gradually recovering, but he has not fully resumed his royal duties). In 2004, Crown Prince Naruhito was fed up and publicly complained for his wife. Naruhito said at a news conference that his wife had completely given up on herself and didn't want to try to adapt to the life of the royal family. "Some obstacles hindered the development of Masako's career." Deren said.

Naruhito's rare confession shocked Japan. The TV media repeatedly played Deren's speech for several weeks, and the commentator's analysis of his every subtle movement and tone change-blinking, raising eyebrows and gesturing-became meaningful.

The Palace Office responded that it would pay more attention to the crown prince's displeasure. However, the outbreak of Deren's grievance against his wife cannot fundamentally change things. Naruhito and Masako only won public sympathy for them. Prince Wen Ren thought his brother's remarks were "regrettable". In order to repair the tense relationship between the royal family and the palace hall, Deren finally apologized and regretted that he had "brought trouble to the Emperor and Empress".

The crown prince and his wife always have to face the problem of childbirth. Although Masako is 42 years old, the Palace Office is still adamant about them. Since Masako's miscarriage in 1999, the Palace Office has made strict travel arrangements for Masako, expecting her to endure the pain caused by multiple births. In 2003, Toshi Utsumi, then director of the Palace Office, expressed his intention: "To tell the truth, I hope they have more children." Today, the Japanese public seems to want Masako to make further efforts. During Kiko's stay in hospital, Naruhito and Masako took their little princess Aiko on a trip to Holland. This is the first time the little princess has gone abroad for a holiday. However, some Japanese media and the public accused them of just having fun and neglecting their official duties. For members of the royal family, the palace hall is everywhere. Japanese princes can't have their own interests and pursuits like British Crown Prince Charles, and they can't even arrange their own time. "They can't choose where to go or what to do," said an insider. "They are not allowed to show preference for charity." The insider then added that it is important that members of the royal family will not have their own opinions. "They can't say they like apples. If they do, who knows what orange growers will say? "

The life of members of the Japanese royal family has been designed. They live in the secular world. They have no surnames, no personal property and land, no passports, and only a few members have legal rights. Can they divorce? Can they give up the throne? Can they file a lawsuit? Nobody really knows. Professor Asada Akira of Kyoto University said: "Members of the royal family are not allowed to lead a normal life. They are in a miserable situation and many of the most basic human rights are deprived. "

In Japan, ultra-nationalists are still in power, and they hope to restore the prestige of the emperor. Many Japanese believe that the royal system is a unique expression of Japanese culture and history. Japanese analysts believe that Japan can't live without the Emperor, and the history of Japan begins with the Emperor, who is the root of every Japanese. When Crown Prince Naruhito succeeds to the throne, he may relax the standards and give more freedom to members of the royal family. He hinted that he wanted reform. At the press conference, he mentioned that he would review the official duties of the royal family, "looking for a suitable image for the royal family members in the 2 1 century", and hoped to have more contacts with the Japanese people.

Deren's confrontation with the Palace Hall in 2004 ended in failure, but he also learned a lesson from it. In the future, he may bypass the palace hall and talk directly with the people to win their support. Naruhito once said that he would inherit the throne after his father died. At that time, he may boldly lift the curtain of chrysanthemum and openly discuss Japan's imperial system. Beneath the noble and gorgeous appearance, there are countless taboos in the palace hall. The palace is the steward of the emperor, and its role orientation determines its conservatism. Although conscientious, the royal family may not be satisfied. In the words of Shinji Yamashita, the former director of the Palace Office, the Palace Office is "like a ghost", but in the eyes of western journalists, the Palace Office is an intolerable existence, conservative, arbitrary, rigid and unreasonable.

Ben Hill, an Australian journalist, revealed in his book that Masako stayed indoors almost all day, reading economic books, and playing musical instruments between two and three in the middle of the night. I hardly have the strength to talk to people. I communicate with the royal staff by passing notes through the door.

Masako was once a female diplomat with modern female characteristics. When she married the Crown Prince, people hoped that she would bring a new wind to the conservative Japanese royal family. However, more than ten years later, Masako became a good wife and mother living in a secluded palace. Of course, this can't be entirely attributed to the palace hall, which only performs its duties according to the royal model. In fact, just after the engagement of Crown Prince Naruhito (then Gong Hao) and Crown Princess Masako, a detail has hinted at the future changes in Masako: Masako spoke 28 seconds longer than the Crown Prince, and the royal officials who timed it with a stopwatch immediately reminded her that this was not allowed.

A magazine reporter who has dealt with the Palace Office for several years said: The idea that men are superior to women is deeply rooted in the royal family, and the Palace Office has formulated many rules and regulations for royal women. For example, royal women can't talk longer than men and keep a certain distance from men. Even walking in the palace, there are rules. You can't go the right way, you can only go the wrong way. Just married, it is not allowed to cut her husband's hair in public.