Prince Hisahito Turns 18

Prince Hisahito, the nephew of Emperor Naruhito, came of age on his eighteenth birthday on September 6, 2024. He is the first male member of the imperial family to become an adult since his father Crown Prince Fumihito turned 20 in 1985. Under Japan’s Imperial House Law, women including Naruhito’s daughter, Princess Aiko, cannot become emperor, so Hisahito is second in line to the throne after his father. Unless the law changes, as the only male member of his generation in the family, he is expected to become emperor one day.

One recent legal change in Japan lowered the age of adulthood from 20 to 18 in April 2022. Hisahito’s older sisters Komuro Mako and Princess Kako celebrated coming of age at the age of 20 in 2011 and 2014, respectively, and Hisahito is the first member of the imperial family to become an adult under the revised law.

Male members of the imperial family customarily have a coming-of-age ceremony, which is often on the day they become an adult. However, Hisahito is still in his final year of high school, and the Imperial Household Agency has indicated the ceremony will be held after he has graduated in spring 2025, so as not to interfere with his studies.

With his coming of age, the allowance paid to Prince Hisahito as an imperial family member has tripled from just over ¥3 million to ¥9 million.

Prince Hisahito

Date of birth: September 6, 2006

Imperial crest: Kōyamaki (umbrella pine)

Education: Graduated from Ochanomizu University Junior High School in March 2022; entered Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba, in April 2022

Extracurricular activities: Observation of insects

Created by Nippon.com based on information from the Imperial Household Agency.

According to the IHA, Hisahito is a member of his high school badminton club, and hones his skills in his free time. He takes part in school activities like sports day and the cultural festival. As well as accompanying his parents on official duties and meeting with members of foreign royal families, outside his study time he conducts surveys of insects in their environment.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: Prince Hisahito, at center, and Crown Prince Fumihito, at right, listen to an explanation about bees at the Honeybee Science Research Center at Tamagawa University on April 6, 2024. © Jiji.)