Japan's Prince Hisahito, 2nd in line to throne, reaches adulthood

Prince Hisahito, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito who is second-in-line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, turned 18 on September 6, becoming the first male member of Japan's imperial family to reach adulthood in around 39 years following his father, Report informs referring to Kyodo News.

The only son of Crown Prince Fumihito, 58, and Crown Princess Kiko, 57, Prince Hisahito joins a dwindling number of adult members of the imperial family, with the 1947 Imperial House Law limiting imperial heirs to males who have an emperor on their father's side and requiring female members to leave upon marriage to a commoner.

"I hope to learn more through each and every experience, absorbing various aspects and growing through them," the prince said through the Imperial Household Agency on the occasion.

In the statement dated Wednesday, he thanked the many people who have supported him over the years, his parents and his elder sisters, adding, "I want to cherish my remaining time at high school."

While it is customary to hold a Coming-of-Age Ceremony and a press conference to mark the occasion, Prince Hisahito's ceremony will be held in the spring of 2025 or later after he graduates high school so as not to affect his studies, according to the agency.

The prince is also the first imperial family member to reach adulthood under Japan's revised Civil Code that lowered the age of adulthood to 18 from 20 in April 2022. Princess Aiko, 22, the only child of Emperor Naruhito, 64, and Empress Masako, 60, celebrated her coming of age after turning 20 in 2021.

Aside from the prince and the crown prince, the only other heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne is the emperor's childless uncle Prince Hitachi, 88.

According to the agency, Prince Hisahito, a third-year student at a high school in Tokyo attached to the University of Tsukuba, is "extremely interested" in natural history, including the habitats of insects, and has been engaged in fieldwork, attending lectures by experts and reading related materials.

Pursuing his longstanding interest in dragonflies that developed during his years at elementary school, he coauthored an academic paper last year on a survey of dragonflies on the grounds of his family's Akasaka Estate residence, which was published in the Bulletin of the National Museum of Nature and Science.

The agency said the prince is "studying hard" to enter a university that would allow him to explore his field of interest further.

The prince has also slowly begun to be involved in royal duties while attending school, including accompanying his father to the national culture festival for high schools in Gifu Prefecture, central Japan, for two days from July 31.