Comments

Posts

Are Princess Aiko’s problems at school a private matter?

One of the biggest news stories in Japan for the last couple weeks has been Princess Aiko’s absence from school due to anxiety about the behavior of other students:

She developed the symptoms “after confronting the wild behaviour of a few boys,” said Imperial Household Agency official Issei Nomura.

However, he denied that the boys had bullied her.

“The school is taking countermeasures. No particular child has been bullied. And so it is not a case of bullying,” he said.

The princess had not attended classes since Tuesday, according to an official at the Gakushuin primary school, the alma mater for most Japanese royals.

“Presumably, Her Highness Princess Aiko was reminded of a past event in which she was frightened by two boys running toward her highness,” said Motomasa Higashisono, the school’s executive director.

“The boys did not directly collided with Her Highness Aiko,” he said.

Princess Aiko has since returned to school, so the media can now look back at all of its coverage and ask whether such public attention was necessary in the first place.

In the above embedded video clip from FTV, 72% of parents surveyed believe it was unnecessary for Aiko’s school to hold a press conference announcing what had happened. Making a public spectacle out of Aiko’s situation will only deepen the rift between her and non-royal students and probably make her life more difficult.

The Mainichi now reports that the Imperial Household officials and Gakushuin School officials who talked to held press conferences about Aiko’s problems are now regretting their decision:

School officials said the Crown Prince had initially wanted to settle the matter in a peaceful manner. “So why did it end up being released at a press conference in a sensational way? It’s truly regrettable,” said one school official.

Motomasa Higashisono, a senior director of the Gakushuin School Corporation, is also regretful.

“The school authorities failed to be in close touch with the primary school and the aides to the Crown Prince’s household. I’m deeply ashamed because the matter has had an enormous impact on the children as a result,” he said.

Another source close to the agency said, “More thought should have been given to the matter as it affects the school and other children. Since the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess should have approved of the announcement, it may have been difficult for the grand master of the Crown Prince’s household alone to change the decision to release the matter, but we cannot deny that the announcement lacked discretion.”

Holding a press conference to announce Princess Aiko's problems:

—

Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

20 comments - What do you think? Posted by James - March 15, 2010 at 11:31 am

Categories: Celebrity News Tags:

Craig

Frightened by boys running down the hall? That is one anxious kid.
helical

I think that she wasn’t bullied is rather suspect. Kids will be kids no matter where or when they are growing up, and if they sense that one kid is different or is being treated specially by their parents or other adults, that’s enough reason for the kids to pick on her if they’re so inclined.
Holding a press conference to call attention to her and her situation was just about the worst thing to do if that was the case.

Of course even if there really is bullying, the school will never admit it publicly … otherwise it’ll trigger a full-blown witch hunt and a call to burn these boys at the stake (i.e. make them change schools) by fanatic followers of the Imperial family and general public opinion. Again, this is just speculation, but I think it might have happened to a certain degree judging by the “enormous impact on the children” the press conference has supposedly had.
corlariaus

why does she not have bodyguards at all times? for god’s sake, she’s the emperor’s granddaughter!

leitmotiv

Good idea….some hard ex-military dudes following her at all times. Knuckle-duster to the face of that Tanaka kid who shoves her during the kickball match. Silenced double-tap to the sternum for that Matsumoto kid when he hogs all the finger paints.

afsfasadf

Send Sousuke Sagara in! Princess will become hikikomori at this rate!!

Carlos

For what?? She’s in Elementary school for Christ’s sake.

tokyojesusfist

What difference does that make?

Tbrot

This is unspeakable. In olden times the bullies and their entire families would have been decapitated. At the very least this should be used to enlighten the public on the issue of bullying. It’s no wonder the suicide rate in Japan is so high, everything is swept under the rug and people are expected to grin and bear it.
kimsei

Shouldn’t she be home schooled? If she isn’t strong enough to take the abuse, then she will be dramatize. Come on what the F are they thinking. Ahhh, this is just a bunch of bs.
leitmotiv

If a country insists on maintaining an anachronistic symbolic monarchy at public expense, the public is entitled to extract some entertainment value from it. This story is not solidly entertaining — I hope Japan will look to the EU for ideas about how royal family jackasses can provide professional-level stupid scandals and other news distractions for the masses. Anything, really…..as long as it displaces at least some of the ~70% of Japanese TV broadcasting devoted entirely to food or pets.
corlariaus

before her uncle’s wife gave birth to a baby boy, there was
talke to allow princess Aiko to become the next-next emperess
of Japan…

if she can’t even stand up to bullies, how will she reign
as Japan’s empress?

fortunately, now there’s a baby boy in the royal family and
he will take his rightful place as the next-next emperor of
Japan.
parts

it’s unfortunate that her life is going to be examined so closely, and that every little thing becomes an incident

http://www.hormel.com Vonskippy

“it’s unfortunate that her life is going to be examined so closely, and that every little thing becomes an incident”

Huh? She’s part of the totally useless royal family – in what way should she expect ANY privacy. Their life is nothing but to serve as a figurehead to the Japanese people – she best get used to it.

James Watt

Maybe, but she is a child. She should be able to expect privacy for that reason alone.

As adults, they can choose whether to suck the public teat. As children, they have no choice. They didn’t ask to be born into the public eye.

She’s a child.

/When she reaches 20 years old, go nuts. But for now, she should be left alone.

Mark in Yayoi

I agree; it’s not her fault she was born into this family. Rich by any financial measure, but in terms of mental well-being her existence is no picnic. She should probably be educated abroad, perhaps in a private school for other children of the elite, where few kids even know who she is.

I wonder — are the other kids expected to be deferential to her and call her “Aiko-sama” and use super-polite language around her? Do the *teachers* talk like that? That sounds like it could generate all kinds of problems, and if I were her parent, I’d probably ask that she be treated just like any other child. Hopefully they already do this.

http://www.feitclub.com feitclub

The real issue is whether or not she was actually bullied into staying home from school. That’s newsworthy if only to highlight the fact that Japanese schools have no idea how to discipline anyone.

My theory is that she was treated horribly and complained. When nothing happened, someone in the agency took her story to the press. Either way I feel horrible for her, because she didn’t ask for this.
Dandridge

Maybe a high-profile incident like this might induce Japanese society to crackdown on bullying? At least I hope it gives a strong wake-up call to educators and parents that ijime IS a big problem in Japan and has to be amended.
richardkoshimizu

it may be a leap given what little information there is in the article, but i wonder if the princess has been evaluated for a Sensory Processing Disorder? Her anxiety, including the fear of the boys running down the hall, are classic pediatric symptoms. It isnt something that is entirely understood yet, but i hope for her sake that they are at least exploring the possibility of developmental issues.
corlariaus

maybe it’s time to think serious about abolishing the royal system in Japan?

they served a historical function in Japan, but now they are just parasites living off the present-day Japan.

let all the citizens of Japan vote on this and see what the result is.
lovely

i may get flap for this but…..anything that brings attention to the unruly, undisiplined children and the weak, ineffecutal education boards and the “monster” parents gets a thumbs up from me. as a teacher myself, i am absolutely shocked at the lack of manners, lack of discipline and the lack of respect for other human beings that passes for “culture” here.

Are Princess Aiko’s problems at school a private matter?

Recent Comments

Further Reading

South Korean Government Demands That International Hydrographic Organization Use “East Sea”

Japanese Documentary About Sea Shepherd’s Protest Activities in Taiji (English Subtitles)

Babies Born on March 11th Receive Special Present

Washington Times Freelancer Slams Former Employer, Fails to Ethically Disclose Relationship?

Christopher Johnson Attempts to Silence Criticism of His “Gaijin Gulag” Article (Legal Threats!!!)

Tabloid Reports About Yu Darvish’s Love Life: Kirara Asuka & Miho Koga?

Does K-Pop Group KARA Have Ties to North Korea?

Tokyo Gate Bridge

Sara Errani Admits She Avoided Tennis Tournament in Tokyo: Feared Radiation

Chinese Workers Who Survived March 11th Tsunami Return to Tohoku

Categories

Archives

Subscribe

Japan Blogs

Korea Blogs

Linkroll

Other Asia Blogs