Princess Aiko, the only child of the Emperor and Empress, turned 21 on Thursday. Since turning 20 a year ago, she has performed her duties with sincerity as an adult member of the Imperial family, while also studying at university.
For her first-ever press conference held in March, for example, she spent a long time preparing her speech and practiced and polished it until just before the press conference, according to the Imperial Household Agency. During the press conference, which lasted about 30 minutes, the princess answered questions from the press with a smile, even though she seemed nervous.
Over the year, Princess Aiko took part in New Year's celebration ceremonies and court rituals among other events as an adult member of the Imperial family for the first time, preparing for these events with all her heart and learning about etiquette from the Emperor and Empress in advance.
