Weekly News Digest
産経オンライン英会話 ニュースディスカッション教材
Japanese Princess Toshinomiya Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, turned 18 on December 1.
In April, Princess Aiko entered her third year at Gakushuin Girls' Senior High School (Toshima region of central Tokyo). While she is hard at work on her studies, she is also enjoying her last year in high school by actively participating in sports and culture festivities.
The Princess is said to have shown a keen interest as she watched the series of imperial rituals related to her father's enthronement as the Emperor on TV.
In November during her school's culture festival, Princess Aiko was a member of a group of third year volunteer students who performed. She danced to foreign music and J-POP with a spring in her step. She also participated in sorting garbage, as a member of the clean-up committee.
During this year's series of traditional imperial rituals, which took place from early morning to late night hours over several months, the Princess diligently saw off and welcomed home her parents on their return at the Akasaka Imperial Palace. Through media reports, she also enthusiastically watched the main enthronement ceremony of her father, the Sokuirei Seiden no Gi (Ceremony at the State Hall), and the Imperial Procession Parade, which took place in October and November, respectively.
On August 15, the anniversary of the end of World War II, the Princess offered a silent prayer upon seeing on television her father's first appearance as emperor at an annual memorial service for those who lost their lives at war.
During a summer trip to Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture, with her parents in August, Princess Aiko was seen actively chatting with local elementary and high school students at the station.
When Britain's Princess Anne, who has a long-standing friendship with the Emperor, visited the Akasaka Imperial Palace in October, Princess Aiko was also present, and took the opportunity to interact with a member of a royal family from overseas in English.
天皇、皇后両陛下の長女、敬宮（としのみや）愛子さまは１日、１８歳の誕生日を迎えられた。４月に学習院女子高等科３年生となり、勉学に励む一方、高校生活最後となる運動会や文化祭などの行事で活躍するなど、充実した日々を過ごされている。天皇陛下のご即位に伴う一連の関連儀式も逐次テレビなどで見守り、関心を持たれているという。
１１月上旬に開催された文化祭では、３年生有志のグループでダンス公演にご出場。洋楽やＪ－ＰＯＰなどの音楽に合わせて軽快なダンスを披露したほか、美化委員としてごみの分別作業にも取り組まれた。
一連の即位関連儀式では、早朝から深夜に及ぶ両陛下のご発着を赤坂御所で欠かさず見送り、出迎えられた。１０、１１月に行われた「即位の礼」の中心儀式「即位礼正殿（せいでん）の儀」や「祝賀御列（おんれつ）の儀」では、皇室の伝統や国民の祝福の様子などを伝える報道を熱心にご覧に。８月１５日の終戦の日には、両陛下が初めて臨席された全国戦没者追悼式の様子をテレビで見ながら黙とうされた。
両陛下とともに訪れた静養先の栃木県那須町では８月、駅頭で小学生や高校生に積極的に声をかけられる場面も。陛下と長年親交のある英国のアン王女が１０月、赤坂御所を訪れた際に同席するなど、海外王族と英語で交流する機会も持たれた。