Princess Noriko Akishino celebrates her 60th birthday

Princess Noriko Akishino celebrated her 60th birthday on the 11th. Answered questions from the Imperial Press Association in writing. ``I'm grateful that this day has come to me, and I hope to be able to tackle new things again,'' he wrote.

He touched on the Kumamoto earthquake in July and the continued heavy rains in various places, mourning the victims, and expressing his sympathies to those affected. Regarding the revised Imperial House Law enacted in July, he stated, ``I accept it as fact.'' He said he had informed his second daughter Princess Kako, 31, and eldest son Hisahito, 20, of the revision, and said, ``I want to watch over my children and hope for their happiness in the future.''

Looking back on the time when they got married in 1990, she said, ``I was absorbed in everything because it was my first time.'' He wrote that it was a ``continuous period of stress'' as he had to attend court events, visit Japan and abroad, and entertain foreign guests, but that the support from Prince Akishino, 60, was ``reassuring.'' He said that ``every single one of his public duties, including his activities as president of the Tuberculosis Prevention Association and the Mother and Child Care Association, was an opportunity for me to learn.''

He revealed that when he visits disaster-stricken areas, he has made it a point to convey his feelings of sympathy to the victims. Regarding the memorial service for the war dead, as someone who was born after the war, he said, ``I hope that I can continue to have the opportunity to learn about that time and deepen my understanding.''

More than 36 years have passed since their marriage, and they have been blessed with three children: their eldest daughter Mako Komuro (34), Princess Yoshiko, and Prince Hisahito. When she first got married, she recalled, the dining table that she and Prince Akishino were seated around became lively as the number of people increased to three, then four, then five. As the three children have grown, they have been spending more time with Prince Akishino, and together they have written, ``We have started to pay more attention to our eating habits and building our physical strength.''