THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
October 25, 2020 at 18:50 JST
Princess Aiko attended a guidance session for freshmen at Gakushuin University on Oct. 24, the first time she has gone to the campus after the coronavirus pandemic forced students there to take classes online.
Wearing a mask, Aiko, 18, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, expressed her joy and resolve months after she was enrolled in the university in Tokyo's Toshima Ward, where her father also attended, in April.
“It came six months later, but I am delighted to meet with my classmates and teachers,” Aiko said. “I am determined to try many things at school while treasuring the excitement of learning new things.”
University officials said they will continue with online classes for the time being.
But they will consider starting in-person classes and other activities on campus while monitoring the trajectory of new COVID-19 cases in the capital.
Aiko entered Gakushuin University with her major in Japanese literature.
But the entrance ceremony in April was canceled due to the pandemic, and she has been taking online classes at her home in Akasaka Imperial Residence.
Princess Aiko turns 18 after watching rituals of her parents
December 1, 2019
Princess Aiko to enter Gakushuin University in Tokyo in April
February 21, 2020
Grateful Princess Aiko graduates from high school in Tokyo
March 23, 2020
Naruhito turns 60, pledges to perform duties as symbol of Japan
February 23, 2020
Masako carries on tradition of sericulture at Imperial Palace
June 3, 2020
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
Princess Aiko, a freshman at Gakushuin University in Tokyo’s Toshima Ward on Oct. 24 (Pool)
