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Updated January 2nd, 2022 at 14:21 IST

Japan: Women face brunt of monarchy system, study shows increased mental health issues

Japan's ex-princess Mako's diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder before her marriage has highlighted the pressure that women face in the royal family.

Reported by: Amrit Burman
Japan
Image: Twitter/@ImperialJpnfan | Image:self
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Women in the royal families have often faced extreme pressure to produce a male heir to the throne. Japan's former princess Mako's diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder before her marriage with commoner Kei Komuro has highlighted the extreme pressure that women face in the Japanese royal family. Females are not eligible to ascend the throne as Japan's 1947 Imperial House Law also forbids female members of the imperial family to leave the royal family after marrying a commoner.

Mako's aunt, Empress Masako, has been suffering from a stress-related illness caused by family pressure to produce a male heir, while the emperor's mother, Michiko, also faced a similar situation back in 1989 when her husband took over the throne. Both the empresses belonged to common families before they became members of the Japanese imperial family.

Japan: Women face mental health issues due to the monarchy system

Earlier, the former princess Mako came under public scrutiny after news broke out that her husband was involved in a financial crisis. Mako and Komuro were married on October 26 after staying in a relationship for four years. Their marriage did not include traditional ceremonies due to public unease over the financial dispute. According to a report published in The Mainichi, the former princess had been diagnosed with complex PTSD caused by the psychological abuse the couple received, revealed the Imperial Household Agency. However, the agency in the past has exposed fake news circulating in the public and has not revealed a clear policy on how to handle family pressure issues.

"Even if former princess Mako was told to ignore or not engage with online bashing, one can't help but notice it in their daily life, and it will chip away at one's heart before they know it," said Rika Kayama, a psychiatrist, reported The Mainichi. Notably, Mako's case is the latest example of the trauma women face in the Japanese royal family. Earlier in 2024, the agency revealed that Empress Masako had been diagnosed with an adjustment disorder after giving birth in 2001 to Princess Aiko. The situation of the Imperial family changed after Crown Princess Kiko gave birth in 2006 to Prince Hisahiti.

Nobuta stated that the former princess had studied in Tokyo as well as in Britain. She grew up watching this family pressure on women and must have felt that the only way to live her life was to move away from her family and Japan. "For former princess Mako, escaping was her main goal, and I think she chose Komuro as the man who could help her achieve this goal," she added. The couple moved to New York a few weeks after their marriage, where Mako's husband works as a law clerk at a legal company.

Image: Twitter/@ImperialJpnfan

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Published January 2nd, 2022 at 14:21 IST

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