is the third child of the Prince

Prince Akishino

Fumihito, The Prince Akishino is a member of the Japanese imperial family...

 and Princess Akishino

Princess Akishino

, formerly is the wife of Prince Akishino, the second son of the Emperor Akihito and the Empress Michiko of Japan. The daughter of a university professor, she became the second commoner to marry into the imperial family; her mother-in-law, the Empress, was the first in 1959...

, and their only son. He is third in line to become Emperor of Japan

Emperor of Japan

The Emperor of Japan is, according to the 1947 Constitution of Japan, "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people." He is a ceremonial figurehead under a form of constitutional monarchy and is head of the Japanese Imperial Family with functions as head of state. He is also the highest...

.
Prince Hisahito has two older sisters, Princess Mako of Akishino

Princess Mako of Akishino

, the older daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Akishino , is a member of the Japanese imperial family. She is the first-born granddaughter of the reigning emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.-Biography:...

 (born 23 October 1991) and Princess Kako of Akishino

Princess Kako of Akishino

, the second daughter of Prince Akishino and Princess Akishino , is a member of the Imperial House of Japan.She is the second-born granddaughter of reigning emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.-Biography:...

 (born 29 December 1994).

Name

His personal name Hisahito in this case means "serene and virtuous," according to the Imperial Household Agency

Imperial Household Agency

The is a government agency of Japan in charge of the state matters concerning Japan's imperial family and also keeping the Privy Seal and the State Seal...

. An alternative translation is "virtuous, calm, everlasting." His name was chosen by his father, and the Imperial crest used to mark his belongings is koyamaki (Japanese Umbrella-pine

Sciadopitys

The Koyamaki , or Japanese Umbrella-pine, is a unique conifer endemic to Japan. It is the sole member of the family Sciadopityaceae and genus Sciadopitys, a living fossil with no close relatives, and known in the fossil record for about 230 million years.Its genus name comes from the Greek prefix...

) tree.

Biography

He was born at 8:27 am (Japan Standard Time

Japan Standard Time

Japan Standard Time or JST is the standard timezone of Japan, and is 9 hours ahead of UTC. For example, when it is midnight in UTC, it is 09:00 in Japan Standard Time. There is no daylight saving time, though its introduction has been debated several times. Japan Standard Time is the same as...

) by Caesarean section

Caesarean section

A Caesarean section, is a surgical procedure in which one or more incisions are made through a mother's abdomen and uterus to deliver one or more babies, or, rarely, to remove a dead fetus...

 at Aiiku Hospital in Tokyo following complications in the pregnancy, diagnosed as partial placenta praevia

Placenta praevia

Placenta praevia is an obstetric complication in which the placenta is attached to the uterine wall close to or covering the cervix. It can sometimes occur in the later part of the first trimester, but usually during the second or third. It is a leading cause of antepartum haemorrhage...

, which resulted in the birth taking place two weeks early. He weighed 2.556 kg (5 lb 10 oz) at birth. His mother Princess Kiko has offered to donate the umbilical cord blood

Cord blood

Umbilical cord blood is blood that remains in the placenta and in the attached umbilical cord after childbirth. Cord blood is collected because it contains stem cells which can be used to treat hematopoietic and genetic disorders.-Collection:...

 to the Japanese Cord Blood Bank Network for the general public and not for private use.

Hisahito was the first male child born to the Imperial House of Japan

Imperial House of Japan

The , also referred to as the Imperial Family or the Yamato Dynasty, comprises those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the emperor is the symbol of the state and unity of the people...

 since his father in 1965. In January 2007, the then Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzō Abe

Shinzo Abe

was the 90th Prime Minister of Japan, elected by a special session of the National Diet on 26 September 2006. He was Japan's youngest post–World War II prime minister and the first born after the war. Abe served as prime minister for nearly twelve months, before resigning on 12 September 2007...

, announced that he would drop an earlier proposal to alter the Imperial Household Law

Imperial Household Law

is a statute in Japanese law that governs the line of imperial succession, the membership of the imperial family, and several other matters pertaining to the administration of the Imperial Household.-Passage of the Law:...

 so as to allow females to inherit the throne. The proposal had been made on the basis of the fact that the two sons of Emperor Akihito

Akihito

is the current , the 125th emperor of his line according to Japan's traditional order of succession. He acceded to the throne in 1989.-Name:In Japan, the emperor is never referred to by his given name, but rather is referred to as "His Imperial Majesty the Emperor" which may be shortened to . In...

 had, at the time, no sons of their own. Given Hisahito's birth, it now seems increasingly unlikely that the laws will be changed to allow Hisahito's cousin, Princess Aiko, daughter and only child of the heir-apparent to the throne, Crown Prince Naruhito, to become a reigning Empress and thus end the Japanese succession controversy. Although Imperial chronologies include eight reigning empresses over the course of Japanese history, they are regarded as interim or "caretaker" rulers, who did not pass the throne to their own children. Their successors were most often selected from amongst males of the paternal Imperial bloodline once those males grew old enough to rule, which is why some conservative scholars argue that the women's reigns were merely temporary and that the male-only succession tradition must be maintained.

First birthday

Prince Hisahito celebrated his first birthday amid the glare of cameras at the imperial palace. Newspapers published front-page pictures of the smiling prince standing on a table in pale blue rompers

Romper suit

A romper suit is a one-piece garment worn by children and sometimes women. Somewhat similar to a coverall, it is loose fitting and usually has shorter legs that may be gathered at the end. Puffed pants are particularly associated with rompers...

. The Imperial Household Agency

Imperial Household Agency

The is a government agency of Japan in charge of the state matters concerning Japan's imperial family and also keeping the Privy Seal and the State Seal...

 stated his weight as 9285 grams (20.4 pounds) and his height as 75 centimetres (30 inches).

On his third birthday he weighed 13.6 kilograms and was 94 centimetres tall. He was shown riding a tricycle, and later in traditional dress. The Imperial Household Agency told press that Prince Hisahito enjoys lively activities, like riding a tricycle from his elder sister Princess Kako, playing ball and chasing, and has gradually become able to eat and change clothes by himself.

His parents affectionately call him "Yuyu," "Yu-chan" and "Hisahito-kun," it reported.

Ancestry

External links