Princess Aiko, Japanese Red Cross Society Worker Turns 24

From Jiji

December 1 2025

TOKYO – Japanese Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, turned 24 on Monday. 
   The princess has spent her days busy yet fulfilling, balancing her work at the Japanese Red Cross Society with her official duties as a member of the Imperial Family. She also gained new experiences, including her first official visit abroad.
   This year, the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, she joined her parents on their visits to the southernmost Japan prefecture of Okinawa, where a fierce ground battle took place during the final stage of World War II, Nagasaki Prefecture in southwestern Japan, where the United States dropped an atomic bomb in 1945, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Memorial Hall, renewing her strong commitment to peace.
   As a key figure in the Imperial Family’s international goodwill efforts, Princess Aiko hosted a traditional duck-netting reception for foreign diplomats at the Shinhama Imperial Wild Duck Preserve in Chiba Prefecture, east of Tokyo, in February and attended a banquet held at the Imperial Palace for Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who was visiting Japan as a state guest, in March. Both events were her first of their kind.
   During her visit to Laos in November, she met with President Thongloun Sisoulith and other Laotian dignitaries and attended events including a banquet. She expressed her deep appreciation for the hospitality extended to her in Laos and is hoping that friendly relations between Japan and Laos will continue to develop.