Prince Tomohito of Mikasa
Tomohito | |
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Bunkyo, Tokyo | |
Spouse | |
Issue | |
House | Imperial House of Japan |
Father | Takahito, Prince Mikasa |
Mother | Yuriko Takagi |
Prince Tomohito of Mikasa (寛仁親王, Tomohito Shinnō, 5 January 1946 – 6 June 2012) was a member of the
Early life and education
Prince Tomohito was born on 5 January 1946 at Prince Mikasa's family home. He graduated from the Department of Political Studies in the Faculty of Law of Gakushuin University in 1968. From 1968 – 1970, he studied at Magdalen College, University of Oxford, in the United Kingdom.
Marriage and family
The Prince became engaged to Miss Nobuko Asō on 21 May 1980. She is the third daughter of the late Takakichi Asō, chairman of Asō Cement Co., and his wife, Kazuko, the daughter of former Prime Minister, Shigeru Yoshida. She is also the sister of former Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Tarō Asō. The couple married on 7 November 1980. Miss Asō was given the title HIH Princess Tomohito of Mikasa. The Prince and Princess had two daughters:
- Princess Akiko (彬子女王, Akiko Joō, born 20 December 1981 in Tokyo)
- Princess Yōko (瑶子女王, Yōko Joō, born 25 October 1983 at Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Tokyo)
The family lived in a compound within the Akasaka Estate complex, in Moto-Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. In October 2009, his wife separated her residence from him and their children.[2]
Public service
For the 1972 Sapporo Winter Olympics, Prince Tomohito served as a committee member on the organizing committee from 1970 until 1972. He was also on the committee for the 1975 Okinawa World Fair.
Prince Tomohito was president and honorary president of various organizations that concerned themselves with cancer research (the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund), having himself suffered from the disease from 2003, youth education and promotion of international relations. He was also noted for his support of organizations which promoted the welfare of people with physical or mental disabilities through sporting activities, such as skiing, bowling, dancing and rugby. He traveled extensively abroad with the princess on charity, and support missions that concerned matters of illness and welfare. The Prince often gave lectures and contributed articles to national newspapers and magazines, and had also authored seven books. In December 1992, the Prince and Princess visited the United States to support a newly established cancer ward in the
In April 1998, the Prince and Princess visited
In April 2003, Prince Tomohito visited Norway accompanied by his daughter, Princess Akiko to attend the World Cross Country Ski Championships for the Visually Disabled.
He appeared on the radio as a DJ in his younger days.[3]
Health problems and death
The Prince was first diagnosed with
On 6 June 2012, the Prince died from multiple organ failure at the Sasaki Institute Kyoundo Hospital in Tokyo, aged 66.[5] He had been hospitalized for some time, as a result of his multiple cancer diagnoses. Around 660 people attended his funeral, which was held at the Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery.[6]
In June 2013, the Imperial Household Agency stated that they had integrated his family into the household led by his father.[2]
Views on the imperial succession
Amid the
Titles and styles
Styles of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa | |
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Spoken style | Your Imperial Highness |
- 5 January 1946 – 6 June 2012: His Imperial Highness Prince Tomohito of Mikasa
Honours
National honours
- Grand Cordon of the Order of the Chrysanthemum (05/06/1966)
Foreign honours
- Italy : Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (09/03/1982)[10]
Honorary degree
Honorary positions
- President of the Social Welfare Organization Yuai Jyuji Kai
- President of the Arinomama-sha
- President of the Social Welfare Organization Saiseikai Imperial Gift Foundation Inc.
- President of the New Technology Development Foundation
- President of the Princess Takamatsu Cancer Research Fund
- President of the Nippon Billiard Association
- President of the Professional Ski Instructors Association of Japan
- President of the Collegiate Skating And Ice Hockey Federation
- President of the Japan-Turkey Society
- President of the Middle Eastern Culture Center in Japan
- Honorary President of the Japan Rugby Football Union
- Honorary President of the Japan-British Society
- Honorary President of the Norway-Japan Society
Ancestry
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Patrilineal descent
Notes
- ^ a b A Font of Commentary Amid Japan’s Taciturn Royals New York Times, 20 October 2007
- ^ a b "Prince's 2012 passing reduces Imperial household families by one". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 26 April 2016. Retrieved 13 December 2013.
- ^ [1] South China Morning Post, 14 January 2006
- ^ Prince Tomohito to undergo surgery for throat cancer Archived 1 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Japan News Review 14 March 2008
- ^ 三笠宮寛仁さま ご逝去. NHK (in Japanese). 6 June 2012. Archived from the original on 9 June 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2012.
- ^ "Prince Tomohito's funeral draws 660 luminaries". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 19 July 2012. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
- ^ "Koizumi gives up on female royal succession | The Star".
- ^ McCurry, Justin (4 November 2005). "Bring back concubines, urges emperor's cousin". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
- ^ Onishi, Norimitsu (20 October 2007). "A Font of Commentary Amid Japan's Taciturn Royals". The New York Times. Retrieved 5 May 2010.
- ^ Italian Presidency, S.A.I. Tomohito di Mikasa Principe del Giappone
- ^ "Genealogy of the Emperors of Japan" (PDF). Imperial Household Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 22 March 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
External links
- Her Imperial Highness Princess Mikasa and her family at the Imperial Household Agency website