Yuriko, Princess Mikasa obit

Princess Yuriko, sister-in-law of Emperor Showa, dies at 101

 

She was not on the list.

Princess Yuriko, who had been experiencing deteriorating health since last week, died on Friday due to natural causes. At 101 years old, she had been the oldest member of the imperial family.

Princess Yuriko, who had been hospitalized since early March due to a stroke and pneumonia, had been suffering from a deterioration in the functions of her heart, kidneys and other organs.

Born in 1923 to an elite family, she joined the imperial family at age 18 when she married Prince Mikasa, the younger brother of former Emperor Hirohito — posthumously known as Emperor Showa — and is the great-aunt of current Emperor Naruhito.

“Since her marriage, (Princess Yuriko) had supported Prince Mikasa, and, as a member of the imperial family, had contributed to a wide range of fields such as medical care, welfare, culture, sports and international friendships,” Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said in a statement read out by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi. “In particular, she had been involved in the maternal and child care program for many years and had devoted herself to it.”

The princess had three sons and two daughters, but was predeceased by her husband and sons.

One of the few imperial family members who was alive before and during World War II when the family still ruled over the nation, Princess Yuriko gave birth and raised her eldest daughter during the war.

In the autobiography of her late husband, Princess Yuriko recounted her experience during the war when she was forced into living in an air raid shelter with her then-1-year-old daughter after their house was burned down.

"The young people were saying that the war should be continued while Prince Mikasa kept saying that it was better to end it now,” she recalled, adding that discussions became so heated that she thought they would start shooting each other.

After the war, through the family’s hardships and financial instability, the princess worked hard to make a home and raise her five children as well as support her husband who was working as a researcher of Ancient Near East studies.

Prince Mikasa, in his autobiography, noted that it was his wife “who has helped me in the shadows and in the sun for the past 70 years.”

During her life, she had also served as the president of Boshi-Aiiku-Kai, an association that advocates for the care of mothers and children, for 62 years as well as the president of the Cultural Foundation for Promoting the National Costume of Japan for 32 years. She was also an honorary vice president of the Japanese Red Cross Society.

She accompanied Prince Mikasa on many of his international visits, contributing to the establishment of friendly ties with countries such as Sri Lanka and Turkey.

Members of the imperial family — including her granddaughters, Princess Yoko and Princess Akiko, as well as her daughter-in-law, Princess Hisako — visited her throughout the past week to say their final goodbyes.

Princess Yuriko was the longest-living member of the imperial family since the Meiji Era (1868-1912) and her death marks the first in the family in eight years since that of Prince Mikasa in 2016. With her death, the imperial family is now made up of 16 people.

Princess Mikasa was born as Yuriko Takagi on 4 June 1923 at Takagi's family house in Tokyo, as the second daughter of Viscount Masanari Takagi (1894–1948) and his wife Kuniko Irie (1901–1988).