TOKYO: Prince Hisahito (pic), the 18-year-old son of Crown Prince Akishino and Crown Princess Kiko, attended his graduation ceremony on Tuesday (March 18) for the Senior High School at Otsuka, University of Tsukuba, in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo.
“I was able to spend three fulfilling years in classes and extracurricular activities,” Prince Hisahito said in the morning before the ceremony as he answered questions from the press about his life at the school.
“I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my teachers, friends and others who have taken care of me. I believe that I was able to make unforgettable friends,” the prince said with a smile.
According to the Imperial Household Agency, Prince Hisahito stood up when the name “Akishinonomiya Hisahito” was called at the graduation ceremony. The crown prince and princess also attended the event.
Prince Hisahito previously went to Ochanomizu University Junior High School in the same ward and enjoyed a fulfilling high school life in a new environment. Until early last summer, he was a member of the badminton club and competed in external matches.
At the Toin Cultural Festival held last September, the prince sold pizzas baked in a brick oven and enjoyed the sense of accomplishment with his classmates. He played volleyball at a sports event in his third year.
During his high school years, the prince continued to grow vegetables and rice and observe living creatures at his residence, the Akasaka Estate in Tokyo’s Minato Ward. He attended public events in between his studies, including the general opening ceremony of the annual All Japan Senior High School Cultural Festival with his parents.
In April, he will enter the School of Life and Environmental Sciences’ College of Biological Sciences at the University of Tsukuba in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture.
After his Coming of Age Ceremony on Sept. 6 - the prince’s 19th birthday - he will also attend Imperial family events. - The Yomiuri Shimbun via The Japan News/ANN
