By AKIKO TADA/ Staff Writer
September 6, 2023 at 17:56 JST
Prince Hisahito, second in line to the throne, who turned 17 on Sept. 6, is engaged in school activities, interactions with foreign royal families and local official duties, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
Hisahito, the only son of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, is currently a second-year student at the University of Tsukuba’s Senior High School in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward.
In June, as a school event, he visited the biological research lab of the university. He observed research on insects related to agricultural crops and looked through a microscope.
He is actively involved in the school’s badminton club activities. He sometimes practices on his own and offers advice to first-year students.
Hisahito also enjoys learning by asking the teachers questions during breaks and working with his classmates to complete assignments, the agency said.
In July, he visited Kagoshima Prefecture accompanied by his father, marking his first official regional visit. Hisahito saw how Fumihito conducted himself, saying, “There is much to learn,” according to the agency.
During his summer vacation, Hisahito visited the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture. He received explanations from a researcher at rice paddy fields and orchards. This is his second visit to the organization following one he made in 2019 with his mother.
Hisahito continues researching dragonflies and their habitats. He has been passionate about the species since he was an elementary school student.
This year as well, he is cultivating vegetables, which he has been doing since kindergarten. He also is growing non-glutinous rice and glutinous rice in the paddy fields.
Additionally, he is observing the progress of rice plants after crossbreeding experiments.
He will come of age in September next year, but considering his studies, the coming-of-age ceremony will be held in the spring of 2025 after his graduation from high school, the agency said.
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Prince Hisahito visits the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, on Aug. 2. (Provided by the Imperial Household Agency)
