Japanese Prince Hisahito, Third in Line to Throne, Turns 12

September 6, 2018

Tokyo- Japanese Prince Hisahito, a grandchild of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, and third in line to the Imperial throne, turned 12 on Thursday.

A sixth-grader at Ochanomizu University Elementary School in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward, the prince is enjoying his time at school, not taking a day off since the current school year started in April, according to the Imperial Household Agency.

In mid-August, Prince Hisahito, the third child of Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko, visited Fossa Magna Museum in the city of Itoigawa in Niigata Prefecture, central Japan, with his mother for his summer holiday science homework on research on volcano, earthquake and disaster response.

The young prince learned the mechanism of volcanic eruptions and how the Japanese archipelago was formed, from mineral and other samples on display at the museum. Prince Hisahito also took part in an experiment to replicate pyroclastic flows. In addition, he went to see a geological layer and a fault near the museum, and collected volcanic ash and saw it through a microscope.

Prince Hisahito visited Tokyo's Shokei-kan museum in late July for his social studies assignment on research at a war-related facility. It exhibits materials related to hardships experienced by sick and wounded servicemen during and after World War II.

In early August, Prince Hisahito made his first visit to Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, as well as the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum in the park in the western Japan city of Hiroshima, which was devastated by the U.S. atomic bombing in August 1945 in the closing days of the war.

At the park, which has a cenotaph for those who died due to the nuclear attack, the prince offered "orizuru" paper cranes he made with his mother. At the museum, he listened to stories from hibakusha atomic bomb survivors about their hardships.

Late last month, Prince Hisahito joined a three-day school trip to the city of Aizuwakamatsu and the Urabandai highland area in Fukushima Prefecture, northeastern Japan. As part of events during the trip, he practiced "zazen" sitting meditation.

He is set to become a junior high school student next April. An official of the agency said it does not know which school Prince Hisahito will attend, while noting that the family of Prince Akishino is talking about the matter.

Following Crown Prince Naruhito's enthronement, scheduled for May 2019, Prince Hisahito will be second in line to the throne after Prince Akishino, the second son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko. Jiji Press