After a 4-year engagement, Princess Mako, the niece of Emperor Naruhito, is marrying her boyfriend, Kei Komuro.
Because Japan’s imperial law strips women of their royal status after marriage, she will exit the family, reportedly starting life afresh as a civilian in the US.
Following controversy over their engagement, Princess Mako turned down a 152.5 million yen ($1.3 million) dowry that’s traditionally awarded to women in the royal family when they marry, making her the first to do so since WWII.
Shinzo Abe wanted more women to work, and they did--the female labor force reached a milestone of 30 million; the participation rate surged to 71% topping that of the US and Europe.
So...is he leaving behind a more gender-equal Japan? I want you to assess: a thread
The princess’s departure highlighted Japan's royal shortage.
There were 67 members of Japan’s royal family immediately after WWII. As of Oct 26, there will be just 17, and only three heirs to the throne, including 15-year-old Hisahito. (graphic via The Imperial Household Agency)
Social media platforms like Twitter amplify expressions of moral outrage over time because users learn such language gets rewarded with an increased number of “likes” and “shares,” a new Yale University study shows.
Japan is among a handful of modern monarchies that limits succession to men — Saudi Arabia & Morocco among them
In the past two decades, several top political officials have considered changing the rules, to no avail, despite overwhelming public support for female succession.
NHK reporting that Japan 'will not' give virus tests to doctors and nurses who worked on Diamond Princess, with the reasoning that they are knowledgeable enough to prevent the infection.
Me and my colleague: .........
G7 leaders discussed disagreements over China in today's session. US, UK, Canada, France wanted to focus on "greater action/coordination" against China, while EU, Germany & Italy focused on "cooperative nature" of relationship, per a senior US official
Princess Mako’s departure from the royal family as she marries her college boyfriend Kei Komuro underscores how one of the world’s oldest monarchies is running low on royals.
We looked into what this marriage means to Japan and its economy.
@bbgEquality
LATEST: Here's an update on the death of Kobe Bryant.
- Los Angeles County Sheriff confirmed the basketball icon died in a helicopter crash.
- One of his daughters was also on the helicopter: TMZ Sports.
- "One of our greatest heroes:" LA mayor.
“Within the rigid and heavily scripted life of the imperial household, Princess Mako has undoubtedly thought outside of the box and making her own mark. In that respect, she is a thoroughly modern princess who can actually champion Japan to take risks.” /END
...she is embarking on a radical departure from what is expected from women of the imperial family: she is prepared to make financial sacrifices and uproot herself from the comfort, safety, and privileges of her life to pursue her own life."
NEW: Elon Musk just temporarily closed all Twitter’s offices “effective immediately” until Monday Nov 21. All badge access suspended.
Presumably this is while the company figures out who still works there after the “hardcore” ultimatum (h/t
@ZoeSchiffer
)
Princess Mako has come to define the quiet strength of women, which many in Japan and beyond may be able to identify with, says
@GotoEastAsia
"Much has been made about the emotional toil the opposition to her engagement to Komuro has had, but in the end...
Environment Minister Koizumi asked why Japan’ new emissions reduction target set at 46%:
“It's not as though I have a clear vision in sight, but rather a silhouette emerged. What came to mind then was the number 46."
Kishida is tossing 5 trillion yen at a new agency focusing on children’s policies this spring.
As talks around children mount, here’s a quick look into the state of children in Japan and the overlooked problem of child custody. A thread:
BREAKING: The Canadian Olympic Committee and Canadian Paralympic Committee will refuse to send athletes to the Tokyo Olympics if the event is not postponed.The 2020 Games are currently set to begin on July 24. News release:
While
@economics
doesn't expect the marriage to have a big impact on the macro economy, “it could have positive impacts on consumer sentiment & marriage rate, after a sharp drop due to the covid crisis.”
Japan's royal weddings have been linked to an uptick in marriages & births.
An authoritative new study finds there are 183 regional and local conflicts underway in 2023, the highest number in three decades.
Opinion - It’s not just Ukraine and Gaza: war is on the rise everywhere by Max Hastings
The Japanese government decided to update immigration rules in hopes of luring world-class talent, including through slashing the wait for high-earning professionals to obtain permanent residency
To fellow journalists in Japan: Let's think twice before tweeting any photo of empty shelves. Probably tweet only when you think it helps the public to make better decisions. I believe tweeting everything you see is not journalism.
NEW: A Japanese court has ruled that the country’s lack of legal recognition for same-sex marriage violates the constitution, a landmark ruling for a marriage equality case,
@kyodo_official
says
👀Tokyo Metro will announce it's IPO price range today.
It's seeking to raise more than $2 billion, the biggest in the country since SoftBank Corp’s listing in 2018.
Please evacuate now, NHK is currently reporting
Major tsunami warnings have been issued for Japan’s Hokuriku region after the area was hit by a magnitude 7.4 earthquake.
In new memo, Dr Conley says he anticipates Trump will be able to safely return to public engagements Saturday, day 10 of the president’s coronavirus illness.
However, many new female workers landed poorly-paid non-regular jobs including part-time, accounting for 66% of the total 3.3 million women who entered the workforce during Abe’s second term.