Princess Kako, who turned 29 on Dec. 29, at the Akasaka Estate in Tokyo (Video provided by the Imperial Household Agency)

Photo/Illutration Princess Kako at the Akasaka Estate in Tokyo on Dec. 2 (Provided by the Imperial Household Agency)

Princess Kako, who turned 29 on Dec. 29, expressed hopes that everyone will be able to live in peace and have a wider range of choices in society, the Imperial Household Agency said.

Kako, the second daughter of Crown Prince Fumihito and Crown Princess Kiko, attended a ceremony at Tohoku University in September to commemorate the 110th anniversary of the first entrance of female students to a university in Japan.

Kako said at the ceremony that many forms of social pressure are generated by prejudice, according to a document about her activities and thoughts over the past year released by the Imperial Household Agency ahead of her birthday.

“I feel that (such an atmosphere and pressure) have led to restrictions on individuals’ possibilities and choices,” she was quoted as saying.

Kako said people should be able to more widely demonstrate their strengths and exchange opinions, rather than sharing only similar ideas in a homogeneous group.

In a more open environment, she said, people can “create something that never existed before” as they welcome new perspectives and values and question what they felt to be the norm.

Kako is devoting herself to each of her activities, according to the agency’s document.

She participated in 69 public activities and imperial rituals over the past year, up from 42 the previous year.

In May, Kako traveled to Ishinomaki, a coastal city in Miyagi Prefecture that was devastated by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami.

She visited the Miyagi 3.11 Tsunami Disaster Memorial Museum and other disaster monuments and listened to explanations.

Kako gave thoughts to disaster victims and survivors and felt anew the importance of passing on their stories to the next generations, according to the document.

Kako visited Peru in November on the 150th anniversary of the establishment of Japan’s diplomatic relations with the country.

Before her trip, she read books and received lectures to deepen her understanding of the Latin American country.

The princess is grateful for the welcome she received and the interactions she had with local people during her stay, according to the document.

In September, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited the Japan Traditional Kogei Exhibition, an annual event that displays Japanese traditional art crafts, in Tokyo with Princess Aiko, their daughter.

Kako, who serves as president of the Japan Kogei Association, the event’s organizer, appeared delighted to be able to give them the opportunity to appreciate wonderful works of art, the agency said.

In December, she met with representatives of Okayama Broadcasting Co., which has been producing sign-language broadcasts for 30 years with deaf people, at the residence of Prince Akishino and listened attentively to their efforts.

Kako can communicate in sign language.

Her public duties include attending events for deaf people and their supporters, such as a national sign-language competition for high school students.

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