Princess Noriko Akishino celebrated her 55th birthday on the 11th.



Noriko answered the reporter's question in writing on her birthday.

[Q1] About activities for the past year

(Question from the Miyauchi Press Association) The


Rikkoshi no Rei, which had been postponed due to the effects of the new coronavirus, was held in November last year, and all national ceremonies associated with the succession of the throne have ended.



The family's activities continued to be centered on online, and Noriko also attended related events online as the president of the Mother and Child Aiikukai and the Tuberculosis Prevention Society, and received words and video messages.



What are your thoughts on the activities of the past year?



Also, please tell us about your perceptions of various events in Japan and overseas during the past year, such as the 10 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake, the heavy rains in July that caused damage to various places, and the holding of the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics without spectators.



(Mr. Noriko


) The global epidemic of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19) has continued, and I have spent the past year thinking that many people are having difficulty and living with hardships. ..



We are deeply grateful that many people, including healthcare professionals, who have jobs that are essential to support and maintain our lives, play an important role in dealing with the risk of infection. increase.



Against this backdrop, in November of last year, the "Rikkoshi no Rei" was held at the palace.



After being postponed once, it was carried out after taking measures against infection. After the ceremony of Rikkoshi no Rei, we worshiped at the Three Palace Sanctuaries, and at the ceremony of Asami, the Emperor and Empress gave warm words to the shrine. Thank you for your cooperation.



While supporting Miya-sama, who is in a heavier position, I would like to make every effort to cherish each and every task.



On September 6, Their Majesties the Emperor and Empress and Mr. Keimiya moved from the Akasaka Imperial Palace, where they had lived for a long time, to the Imperial Palace.



We sincerely hope that you will have a healthy life at the Gosho.



Many of the public activities over the past year have been held online.



For this reason, Miya-sama, myself, and my daughters sometimes recorded video messages in advance to send words, or connected the Miya residence and the venue online on the day to send messages.



In addition, I sometimes watched competitions and ceremonies online and talked with related parties through the screen.



At the Japan Anti-Tuberculosis Association and the Maternal and Child Health Education Association, where I am the president, I had the opportunity to participate in international events to discuss online discussions on TB control and maternal and child health issues during an infectious disease epidemic.



Last fall, the 51st World Congress on Lung Health was held by the International Association for the Prevention of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, which celebrated its 100th anniversary.



Let's work with experts from around the world who have been working on TB and other respiratory diseases from the participants of the conference to catch up with the delay in TB control due to the spread of the new coronavirus infection (COVID-19). I felt a strong feeling.



In addition, at the "2nd Maternal and Child Health Handbook Webinar" held in May this year, there was a report on activities to support pregnant women who are at higher risk due to the epidemic of infectious diseases by using the Maternal and Child Health Handbook.



Through this international webinar, I think the participants shared the importance of listening to and listening to the voices of pregnant women and their partners and of perinatal mental health.



Since this summer, the number of patients receiving medical treatment at home while waiting for hospitalization has increased significantly.



I am impressed with the devoted work of many people involved in medical care and health, including the treatment of inpatients with severe and moderate illness, home visits to patients undergoing home care, and health observation.



And we are strengthening our desire to prevent infection so that the burden on the people involved can be reduced as much as possible.



I am deeply saddened that infected people and their families are confused and anxious about social difficulties, and suffer from sequelae for a long time.



We are also deeply concerned about elderly people who tend to be isolated, people with disabilities, people who have lost their jobs, and children who have to grow up under restrictions due to less interaction with people.



Under these circumstances, volunteer activities are being promoted in various ways, taking into consideration the infection situation.



For example, at the Tuberculosis Prevention Women's Association, which I am involved in, activities that call for calm behavior, such as receiving necessary medical examinations while appropriately preventing infection based on correct information, and infection with the new coronavirus. We are working on the "Citrus Ribbon Project," which expresses the feelings of cherishing the other person by being close to people and people involved in medical care.



In addition, the Aiiku Group of the Mother and Child Aiikukai conducts activities to prevent local people from being abused by watching over their child-rearing families and individual visits by the elderly while giving consideration to infection prevention.



It was also a year when I realized again that the role of the blood donation movement is extremely important in the epidemic of infectious diseases.



As the number of blood donors decreases due to the spread of infection, volunteers, including students, are actively promoting blood donation activities in order to save the lives of people who need blood transfusions.



Every time I listened to these stories and read the materials that introduced the activities, I could feel the enthusiasm and warm feelings of the people involved in the meaningful activities.



This summer, I watched the video of the Olympic and Paralympic Games Japan National Team unity ceremony held mainly in Tokyo, which was simultaneously distributed with Mr. Miya.



During the opening of the competition, I was able to learn through the press that the athletes who had practiced hard challenged their unlimited potential and the staff and volunteers who support the competition worked while taking measures against infectious diseases. ..



I also remember how the athletes who finished the competition praised each other across countries and regions, expressed their gratitude to those around them, and shared their joy online with their family and friends.



Many natural disasters have occurred in Japan and overseas over the past year.



In Japan, there was damage from a record heavy snowfall last winter, and in the summer there was damage such as flooding of rivers and sediment-related disasters due to heavy rain.



I think about the dead and the victims, and hope for a quick recovery.



Even overseas, forest fires caused by heat waves occurred one after another, and large-scale floods also occurred.



We are considering the impact of climate change on nature and ecosystems as well as people's health and livelihoods.



Ten years have passed since the Great East Japan Earthquake, and five years have passed since the Kumamoto Earthquake. I am thinking of a difficult situation.



I sometimes talk about the memories of the earthquake and touch on activities that I try to make use of in the future.



For example, the other day, I had the opportunity to watch children affected by the disaster in Tohoku and Kumamoto look back on those days and talk about disaster prevention and community development, which reminded me of the importance of preparing for a disaster.



In addition, I heard that the exchanges between the people affected by the disaster and those who were involved in support and evacuation were still ongoing, which made me feel warm.



I sincerely hope that the epidemic of infectious diseases will subside as soon as possible and that the day will come when people can spend their time calmly.

[Q2] About your family

(Question from the Miyauchi Press Association) As the


days of refraining from going out due to the influence of the new coronavirus continue, how do you spend time with your family, including Mr. Akishinomiya, and what kind of story do you have?



Yoshiko got a job in May this year.



How do you see your work and your commitment to public activities?



Please also tell us your thoughts on marriage and the future.



In addition, Yuhito is in the third year of junior high school and is refraining from going on to high school next spring.



Please tell us about your expectations and what you think is important when deciding where to go to school, as well as what you are doing at school and in your daily life.



(Mr. Noriko)


Due to the spread of infectious diseases over the past year, many of the public events that I had planned to attend have been postponed or canceled, or have become online events, so be careful of your family's health. I spent while.



We talked about public activities and sometimes about day-to-day events.



For example, after receiving an explanation from an expert about viruses and vaccines with Miya-sama and her daughters, my eldest son joined us and talked about it.



I think there were many conversations that were worried about people who were seriously affected by the infection and lived a difficult life, and hoped that the infection would settle as soon as possible.



At the "National High School Comprehensive Cultural Festival" that I participated in online with Miya this summer, my eldest daughter and second daughter had attended the event before, and last year my eldest son also saw the opening ceremony online. I could share it with my family, and sometimes I would look back and talk about what I had attended.



The opening ceremonies and announcements of various departments created by high school students together are memorable.



Regarding the Olympics and Paralympics, in addition to the activities of athletes from all over the world, there are various things that support athletes, such as companions for visually impaired people, swimming tappers, and people who manufacture and adjust competition equipment such as artificial legs, artificial hands, and wheelchairs. People also became a hot topic.



I think my second daughter continues to work sincerely on each and every public duty.



For some of these events, I was involved in them before, and I am glad that they have taken over the events and served with all my heart.



Looking at the process of gathering words in video messages and documents, I felt that each event was important.



It seems that he is also seriously working on work other than public duties.



I hope that you will continue to gain experience while fully fulfilling your duties as an imperial family.



Regarding marriage and the future, I would like to listen carefully to my second daughter's opinions and cherish the conversation of my family.



I think my eldest son is living a fulfilling school life by taking classes, participating in school events, and devising what he can do now with his classmates, despite the restrictions imposed by infection control measures.



Last spring, I couldn't go to school for several months due to the spread of infectious diseases, and I had the experience of taking distance lessons while I was at home. It seems that he was very happy with the days when he was able to do it.



In the final year of junior high school, my motivation for learning seemed to have increased further, and when I had an exam, I made a plan for it and actively engaged in studying each subject.



And during this summer vacation, I was enthusiastically advancing the tasks of each subject.



I hope that I will continue to notice various things in my learning and life, deepen my thoughts, and grow.



I would like to discuss with my eldest son about where to go to school and value his wishes.

[Q3] About Mako's marriage

(Question from Miyauchi Press Conference) In


November last year, Mako clarified her feelings about her marriage to Kei Komuro in a document, and Akishinomiya expressed her thoughts on the marriage of the two at a press conference.



Meanwhile, in April of this year, Mr. Komuro published a document explaining the "financial trouble" between his mother and his ex-fiancé, and also indicated his intention to hand over the settlement money to his ex-fiancé.



How do you perceive Mr. Komuro's series of responses?



Please tell us about your future prospects for marriage, your thoughts as a mother, and any discussions between parents and children.



(Mr. Noriko)


Regarding the marriage of the eldest daughter, we are holding dialogues so that we can accept the thoughts and thoughts of our daughter as a parent.



Under these circumstances, I may be able to sympathize with each other and have different opinions, but I would like to communicate with each other what I think is necessary and respect the feelings of my eldest daughter as much as possible.



We will refrain from accepting a series of responses, future prospects, and what we have said.