Princess Kako calls for greater understanding of hearing loss

From Kyodo

October 18 2026

TOKYO – Princess Kako on Sunday called for greater understanding of hearing loss at a national welfare convention in Kyoto, expressing hope for a society where everyone can communicate with confidence.

At the ceremony, the second daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito, also known as Crown Prince Akishino, said, “I hope everyone can access a wide range of information, communicate their thoughts to one another with peace of mind and live together.”

Princess Kako’s remarks were conveyed to participants through sign language interpretation provided by a staff member, while the text of her speech was also displayed on a screen at the venue.

She is an older sister of Prince Hisahito, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito and second in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne.

After the ceremony, Princess Kako met with award recipients recognized for helping expand closed-captioned television broadcasts. “I felt that the wider availability of captioned programs was a very significant achievement,” she told them, praising their efforts.

Princess Kako arrived in Kyoto on Saturday. It was her first time to attend the national welfare convention.

Meanwhile, Princess Aiko, the emperor’s daughter, toured a historic district of white-walled storehouses in Tottori Prefecture, which was badly damaged by an earthquake in 2016. She also visited a workshop making traditional dolls and tried painting one.

Speaking with a young woman who had experienced the earthquake, Princess Aiko asked, “The shaking must have been quite strong, wasn’t it?” and “Did you ever have to eat emergency food?”

At the workshop, she picked up a paintbrush and tentatively drew a face on a doll. “I may have made the eyebrows too thick,” she said with a smile, adding, “Oh no, oh no.”