Source: Global Times
The New York Times Article on October 25, original title: The Weight That Japanese Imperial Women Cannot Bear In Japan, the requirements for women within the imperial family are very strict. Nearly 30 years ago, as the wife of Emperor Akihito, Empress Michiko lost the ability to speak after being criticized by the public. Ten years later, Michiko's daughter-in-law, the current Empress Masako, is no longer involved in imperial affairs to cope with depression. Until then, the media had been harping on accusations that she had failed to produce a male heir to the royal family.
Princess Mako of Japan and Kei Komuro completed the marriage registration
"Are you a good mother?"
Earlier this month, Japan's imperial family revealed that Michiko's 30-year-old granddaughter, Princess Mako, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder because of public unrelenting opposition to her chosen husband, Kei Komuro. "She felt her dignity as a human being trampled upon," Princess Mako's psychiatrist said at a news conference, "and she considered herself a worthless person." ”
Whether married into the imperial family or born into the imperial family, Japanese imperial women are not only treated harshly by the media and the public, but also by ruthless standards by court officials who manage their daily lives. In Japan, conservative tendencies in society still require women to play a rigid role. Given that the emperor and his family are symbols of traditional Japan, imperial women are centrally influenced by Japan's broader gender inequality.
Although royal women were not eligible for the throne, they were subjected to harsher reproach than royal men, who were protected in part because they were relatively closer to inheriting the throne.
"In addition to performing their duties as members of the royal family, they must also maintain their beauty and fashion, and their goal after marriage is to have children." Rika Kayama, a professor at Tokyo Rikyo University and a psychiatrist, said, "People ask, are you a good mother? Do you have a good relationship with your mother-in-law? How do you support men in your life? Many tasks must be done flawlessly. I don't think royal males are so scrutinized. ”
The Upper Queen and the Empress were under heavy pressure
Japan is slowly changing. In the recent elections for the leadership of the ruling party, two women ran. Some companies are working together to bring more women to management. But in many ways, Japanese society still treats women as second-class citizens. The law does not allow married couples to use different surnames, which means that most women follow their husbands' surnames. Women are still underrepresented in management, in the Diet, or in Japan's elite universities.
In the Japanese imperial family, women are expected to abide by the values of earlier times. "There is a perception that the (Japanese) imperial family has some degree of permanence, so they are not part of modern society," said Mihoko Suzuki, founding director of the University of Miami's Humanities Center, and traditionalists want to "project this older, more reassuring, and more stable concept of gender roles onto the royal family."
As Japan freed herself from the shackles of war history, Michiko became the first commoner in centuries to marry into the imperial family. She accompanied her husband Akihito all over Japan and traveled abroad, bringing a touch of humanity to the imperial family, which once made the world feel distant. But when she renovated the palace or wore too many different clothes, the media began to complain, and rumors spread that palace officials and her mother-in-law thought she was not obedient enough. In 1963, just four years after her marriage, she underwent an abortion due to an unusual pregnancy and lived in a villa for two months, during which time rumors reported that she had suffered a nervous breakdown. After 30 years, she suffered from great stress and developed aphasia, which she did not recover until a few months later.
Her daughter-in-law Masako, a Harvard graduate, was a burgeoning diplomat when she married then-Crown Prince Naruhito in 1993. Many commentators believe she has the potential to help modernize the imperial family and become a role model for Japan's young professional women. But instead, her every move was analyzed to analyze the potential impact on her fertility. After experiencing a miscarriage, she gave birth to princess Aiko, which disappointed those who wanted a male heir. To protect her womb, court officials restricted her travel, leading her to withdraw from royal official duties. She said she was suffering from "accumulated physical and mental exhaustion."
People feel that they have the right to speak
The recent incident involving Princess Mako shows that even if she is forced to leave the imperial family after marriage, a part of the Japanese public still wants her to live up to the expectations of the imperial family. The public brutally judged her choice to marry Kei Komuro, slamming the man's mother's financial situation and claiming he was unfit to be the princess's spouse.
"It makes me feel very strange that the Japanese think they should have any form of voice on the question of who she marries." Kenneth Ruff, a portland State University historian and expert on Japan's imperial family, said. After the couple announced their engagement in 2017, Princess Mako's father, Prince Akishinomiya Fumihito, initially did not agree, saying he hoped to bless them before the public could accept their union. Some people seem to take the prince's words to heart. Yoko Nishimura, a 55-year-old Tokyo resident, said the prince said "they should marry with the blessing of the people, so even he said we have the right to express our opinions." "I think the Japanese feel that since the imperial family represents them in some way, then they have the right to speak."
Perhaps, the contrast with the British royal family is inevitable. Before marrying Prince Harry, Meghan Markle suffered months of attacks because of her family background. Both Harry and Meghan have spoken openly about the injuries to their mental health. Prince Harry confessed that he had been depressed by the death of his mother, Diana, which had helped open a conversation about mental health in the UK. Perhaps, in Japan, where mental health is still a delicate topic, imperial women can also stimulate more discussion. (By Suzi Ritchie and Hikaru Hida, translated by Wang Huicong)