Photo/Illutration Princess Aiko on Nov. 14 (Provided by the Imperial Household Agency)

Princess Aiko, the daughter of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, released a statement on Dec. 1 to mark turning 20 and reaching adulthood in which she vowed to fulfill her imperial duties faithfully.

“From now on, I would like to engage sincerely with each duty as a member of the adult imperial family and help the imperial couple as much as possible,” she said in the statement.

Aiko is currently a sophomore at Gakushuin University, majoring in Japanese language and literature.

She attended the university’s schools from elementary to senior high school. 

Since she entered the university last year, Aiko has been sitting in on classes remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic, submitting assignments and taking exams.

In her spare time, Aiko gets involved in physical activities such as playing badminton with her parents and staff.

Aiko expressed her sense of gratitude toward people, her parents and grandparents, the Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko, in the statement, by saying, “I realize that the years I have spent were well colored and blessed with lots of learning.

“I would like to live in a state of constant kindness and appreciation, cherish a sense of satisfaction and take it step by step to cultivate myself to grow up to be an adult who can be of help to others,” she said.

Rituals to mark her adulthood will be held on Dec. 1 and 5, keeping her university class schedule in mind.

She is expected to hold a news conference in mid-March, during her university’s spring break.

It has been customary for imperial family members to hold a news conference upon turning 20 and release the contents to the public.

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