Japanese Prince Says Wife Under Strain

[kskiska]

TOKYO (AP) - Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito said the pressures of royal life, motherhood and media scrutiny over the lack of an heir to the throne has taken its toll on the health of the crown princess.

Naruhito blamed the media for worsening the pressure with unusually direct comments during a birthday news conference. The news conference was Thursday, but the journalists were required to delay their reports until Naruhito's birthday on Monday.

Princess Masako has assumed a low profile since she was hospitalized for herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles, in December. The popular 40-year-old princess said last month that her health had deteriorated because of the intense mental and physical strain of life in the palace.

(snip)

Masako, a Harvard graduate who gave up a career at the Foreign Ministry to marry Naruhito in 1993, has occasionally alluded to the difficulties of adjusting to royal life. She also had a miscarriage before Aiko.

more…
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-3778555,00.html

[kalian]

1. I think that the crown prince wants a new wife....

most likely from his concubine group...or something...

[private_ryan]

2. oooohh poor girl

I feel so bad for her and her husband.

[FG9942]

3. Isn't herpes STD?

[zbird]

4. Herpes zoster is the same virus as chicken pox.

The virus hangs around the body in nerve root cells. Several things can cause the virus to re-activate, this time as zoster (shingles), including illness or stress. Shingles can pop up years later and are very painful.

[fortyfeetunder]

5. Stress victim

Sounds like she had been stressed out. IIRC she was under intense pressure from day one of the marriage to breed specifically a boy. I think her mother in law had similar problems when she married into the royal family. Sad situation.

[PennyLane]

14. Hmmmmmmm

Sounds like it may be the prince then and not her problem!

[lostnfound]

6. Quite a woman, she is. Fluent in 5 or 6 languages..

very smart lady. He had to work hard to persuade her to marry him, from what I'd read.

[MikeG]

7. Yeah, having people wait on your ass hand and foot is really stressful.

[roguevalley]

8. If I remember correctly, they spend their days in ritual presided over by

an incredibly hide bound and conservative staff. It would
be like living with Bush.

[kskiska]

9. The Crown Prince wasn't known to be all that bright

and she didn't seem to be awfully hot on marrying him and living in that hothouse atmosphere. Maybe she's the one who wants out.

[Kinkistyle]

10. The Japanese monarchy is NOTHING like the UK one.

These people are not allowed to party, have fun, dance, yell, scream, laugh heartily etc. They have to follow specific traditions and customs or else they will face national embarrassment and shame. Despite WWII, the japanese people still idolize the empire.

People tend to look at other countries from an American or Western point-of-view. People literally die from working too hard in this country.

[Art_from_Ark]

11. I don't think the Japanese people idolize the empire

Some kooks riding around in black trucks apparently do, but most Japanese know that life was tough for the average subject back then, and one couldn't question the Emperor (that is, his puppeteers) because he was "divine".

[Kinkistyle]

12. Sorry, I meant the Imperial family

Which was once a representative of the Empire. They are just regular people but they are fawned over like gods.

[Art_from_Ark]

13. Fawned over like gods?

Well, local authorities might fawn over them. But when the Emperor and Empress came to my city a few years ago, their motorcade route was posted in the newspaper, yet only a handful of local residents (including me) came out to wave at them.