Japanese prince in rare coming-of-age ceremony

Hisahito, the prince of Japan, celebrates his 19th birthday and becomes the first male royal to reach adulthood in 40 years in the country.

Considering the diminishing numbers of the Imperial family, it may be the last one.

Detailed palace rituals to officially recognize Hisahito as an adult on Saturday are a reminder of the gloomy look for the world’s oldest monarchy.

Most of them come only to male successor policy and decreasing numbers.

Hisahito will be the second in the second place according to the throne of chrysanthemum and one day will be the emperor. He is the nephew of Emperor Naruhito.

However, after that, Japan’s imperial family, a 19th -century decision, did not leave a dilemma as to whether they had abandoned a dilemma that eliminated the successor of women.

The first year at the University of Tsukuba near Tokyo is researching Hisahito biology and likes to play Badminton.

It was especially dedicated to the Yusufçuk and wrote an academic article on a research of insects on the grounds of the Akasaka property in Tokyo.

At the first news conference in March, the Prince said he hoped to focus on yusufics and other insects, including ways to maintain insect populations in urban areas.

Hisahito was born on September 6, 2006, and the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Akishino, and his wife Crown Princess Kiko’s only son.

He has two elderly sisters, popular princess Kako and an old Princess Mako, the old Princess Mako, which requires him to leave his royal status.

Hisahito’s aging rituals decreased a year after the age of 18, because he wanted to concentrate on university entrance exams.

The nephew of Emperor Naruhito, a daughter, a daughter, Princess Aiko.

Hisahito’s father, Akishino, the emperor’s younger brother Akishino, was the last man to reach adulthood in the family in 1985.

Hisahito is the smallest of the entire 16 -member adult imperial family.

He and his father are the only two male varicose veins who are younger than Naruhito.

Prince Hitachi, the younger brother of former emperor Akihito, ranks third in the throne, but 89 years old.

The scarcity of male successors is a serious source of concern for the monarchy, which historians say that it lasted 1500 years.

The problem reflects Japan’s rapidly aging and narrowed population.

Japan had traditionally male emperors, but female successor was allowed.

There were eight women emperors, including Gosakuramachi, from 1762 to 1770, but none of them produced an heir during the reign.