Japan’s beloved Princess Aiko is often cheered like a pop star.
During a visit to Nagasaki with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, the sound of her name being screamed by well-wishers along the roads overwhelmed the cheers for her parents.
As she turns 24 on Monday, her supporters want to change Japan’s male-only succession law, which prohibits Aiko, the emperor’s only child, from becoming monarch.
Along with frustration that the discussion on succession rules has stalled, there’s a sense of urgency. Japan’s shrinking monarchy is on the brink of extinction. Naruhito’s teenage nephew is the only eligible heir from the younger generation.
Hey, that’s actually pretty interesting, thank you!
There is a pretty damned good movie that climaxes with the Kyujo Incident, called “The Emperor In August”, came out in 2015.
It’s basically the Japanese equivalent of “Downfall”.
Its genuinely an intense and gripping story, nearly unbelievable story, … it’s fucking insane, and its more insane because that movie is quite historically accurate.
A lot of the minute details of what happened actually were recorded in significant detail, so … there’s really a minimal level of ‘artistic intepretation’.
Maximum possible recommend seeing this movie.