# Princess Tsuguko of Takamado

Princess Tsuguko of Takamado (承子女王, Tsuguko Joō, born 8 March 1986) is a member of the Imperial House of Japan and the eldest daughter of Norihito, Prince Takamado, and his wife Hisako, Princess Takamado.

## Biography
### Childhood and education

Princess Tsuguko was born on 8 March 1986 at Aiiku Hospital in Minami-Azabu, Tokyo as the first daughter and child of Norihito, Prince Takamado and his wife Hisako, Princess Takamado (née Tottori). She has two younger sisters: Noriko (born 1988) and Ayako (born 1990), both of them no longer members of the Japanese Imperial Family.
She graduated from the Gakushuin Primary School, Gakushuin Girls' Junior and Senior High School. After that, she entered the Faculty of Intercultural Studies of Gakushuin Women's College, but dropped out in March 2005. She attended the University of Edinburgh in Scotland from 13 April 2004 to 1 July 2008, where she studied criminal psychology and sociology, but dropped out.
In March 2013, Princess Tsuguko graduated from the School of International Liberal Studies at Waseda University with a bachelor's degree. She works at the Japan Committee for UNICEF from April 2013.

### Duties and appearances
#### Duties for the Imperial Family

Princess Tsuguko participates very frequently in the activities of the Imperial family: she came of age on 8 March 2006, when she turned 20. To mark the occasion, she was awarded the 2nd class of the Order of the Precious Crown and attended a press conference in her honour, during which she answered questions from reporters about her future and her past. Since then, she has been able to start taking part in activities on behalf of the Imperial Family. In 2006, Princess Tsuguko represented the Imperial family at the Silver Wedding anniversary celebrations of Grand Duke Henri and Grand Duchess Maria Teresa of Luxembourg.
In August 2011, she attended the "28th Tokyo Disabilities Comprehensive Art Exhibition" held in the main store of the Seibu Department Stores located in Ikebukuro, Toshima, Tokyo, with her mother Hisako. She was also taken in the photo with the laureate.
In February 2012, she and her mother, as well as Takako, former Princess Suga (a sister of Emperor Emeritus Akihito) attended the Japan Grand Prix International Orchid Festival 2012 in Tokyo and met with members of the Oman Embassy in Japan. On 8 April 2012, Princess Tsuguko visited and toured the Arab Charity Bazaar organized by the "Society of the Wives of the Arab Ambassadors in Japan (SWAAJ)" in Tokyo. On the occasion, she was welcomed at the event by the wife of the then-Ambassador of Kuwait to Japan.
In August 2013 she paid an unofficial visit to Sri Lanka at the invitation of the then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa: she arrived at Bandaranaike International Airport in Katunayake on 19 August 2013, and was received by Sri Lankan officials; on 20 August 2013, she met the president for a courtesy call; on the same day, she met the also visiting Princess Sirindhorn of Thailand and together toured the Temple of the Tooth in Kandy and attended the local Kandy Esala Perahera Festival; lately the same day, Princess Tsuguko visited the Malwathu Maha Viharaya Monastery in Kandy; on 22 August 2013, she took a helicopter tour of the Minneriya National Park in North Central Province and of the historical city of Anuradhapura; Princess Tsuguko returned to Japan on 23 August 2013. In September 2013, she attended the final of the Grass Ski World Championships in Shichikashuku, Miyagi Prefecture: she met some Czech athletes present and congratulated them.
On 14 February 2014 Princess Tsuguko attended the Japan Grand Prix International Orchid Festival 2014 at the Tokyo Dome, in Tokyo. On the occasion, she met Wasantha Karannagoda, then-Ambassador of Sri Lanka to Japan.
In March 2015, the Princess and her mother met Crown Prince Frederik and his wife Crown Princess Mary of Denmark during their state visit to Japan and attended some official events with them, such as the opening ceremony of the exhibition "The Spiritual Greenland" at Hillside Forum in Daikanyama. In May 2015, she visited Watari Town, Watari District, Miyagi Prefecture, which had been damaged because of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami, with her mother Hisako. She visited and inspected the 2nd Regional Coast Guard Headquarters of the Japan Coast Guard. After that, she also visited the Marine Rescue Miyagi, the regional organization of Marine Rescue Japan (her mother Hisako officiates as honorary president), laid flowers to the victims and gave a message of sympathy to the members.
In January 2018, she succeeded her mother as "Honorary President of the All Japan Archery Federation" and the following month, in February, she became "Honorary Chairman of the Japan Squash Association". Since then she has taken part in events organized by these organizations.
On 22 March 2018, she attended a ceremonial reception at the Delegation of the European Union to Japan in Minato, Tokyo on the occasion of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Republic of Croatia and Japan. On 22 May 2018, Princess Tsuguko attended a "Panel for Life" event held at Haneda Airport, Tokyo, and gave a speech about her experience with animals. The Princess attended the "60th All Japan Hospital Association conference" on 6 October 2018 at Grand Nikko Tokyo Daiba, Tokyo. She read her opening speech to those present and spoke to them. On 25 November 2018, Tsuguko attended the "47th All Japan Squash Championships Final" in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, and as Honorary Chairman of the Japan Squash Association, she read her opening speech and congratulated the winners at the end of the match.
Princess Tsuguko attended the "Japan Grand Prix International Orchid and Flower Show" at the Tokyo Dome stadium, Tokyo on 15 February 2019. On 28 April 2019, she attended a ceremony to unveil the completion of the "Yume no Shima Park" archery range in a Tokyo district, and being patroness of the "All Japan Archery Federation", she gave a speech and spoke to those present. On 10 August 2019, Princess Tsuguko visited Yatsushiro, Kumamoto Prefecture, to attend the "Archery finals of the Inter-High School General Sports Championships". At the end of the competitions, Tsuguko presented the prizes to the winners and congratulated with them. On 4 and 5 October 2019, Princess Tsuguko visited Kasama, Ibaraki Prefecture to attend the "74th National Sports Festival". She was greeted by the people when she arrived at the town hall and talked to them. On 17 November 2019, Princess Tsuguko attended the "48th All Japan Squash Championships Final" at Tressa Yokohama Mall in Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, as Honorary President of Japan Squash Association. On 21 November 2019, The Princess and her mother attended the opening and reception of the "Nuns Healing Hearts" photo exhibition at Mitsubishi Ichigokan Museum in Tokyo. The exhibit was connected to the 2019 visit of Pope Francis to Japan. On 5 December 2019, Tsuguko visited the National Art Center in Minato, Tokyo for the exhibition "Treasures from Budapest: European and Hungarian Masterpieces from the Museum of Fine Arts, Budapest and the Hungarian National Gallery" together with the Prime Minister of Hungary, Viktor Orbán.
On 27 and 28 February 2021, Princess Tsuguko attended the "Kyoto Congress Youth Forum", in Kyoto. She read her opening speech. On 21 August 2021, Princess Tsuguko virtually attended the awards and closing ceremony of the archery competition of the "Inter-High School Championships" in Fukui Prefecture, as Honorary President of the All Japan Archery Federation. The Princess attended the "1st Global Youth Forum for a Culture of Lawfulness" in Tokyo on 9 and 10 October 2021.
The Princess and her mother attended a dinner concert at the Embassy of Hungary in Shibuya, Tokyo, on the occasion of the anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries, on 7 June 2022. On 2 July 2022, Princess Tsuguko attended the U.S. Independence Day ceremony at the Tokyo American Club, in Tokyo. The Princess listened to the speech of the American ambassador and attended the reception that followed. Princess Tsuguko, as Honorary President, attended the "2022 Inter-High School Archery Competition" in Marugame, Kagawa Prefecture, on 10 August 2022. She presented the prizes to the winners and spoke to them, congratulating them. On 21 September 2022, Princess Tsuguko attended the "Peace Symposium Tokyo 2022" in Tokyo and gave a speech to those in attendance. Later that same day, she attended a reception with Rahm Emanuel, United States ambassador to Japan, at his residence in Tokyo. Princess Tsuguko attended the state funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on 27 September 2022 in Tokyo with her mother, Hisako, Princess Takamado. On 4 October 2022, Princess Tsuguko opened the "Yamanashi Jewelry Exhibition" at the Embassy of Oman in Tokyo, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Oman and Japan. From 8 to 9 October 2022, Princess Tsuguko visited Tochigi Prefecture for the "77th National Sports Festival". On the 9th, she visited the Prefectural Museum and took part in sports-related exhibitions. The Princess attended the "2nd Global Youth Forum for a Culture of Lawfulness" in Kyoto on 3 and 4 December 2022, and gave a keynote address to those present at the opening of the event. On 18 December 2022, she attended the "2022 Empress's Cup All Japan Volleyball Championship Final" at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium in Shibuya, Tokyo. At the end of the match, Princess Tsuguko took pictures with the winners.
On 5 March 2023, Princess Tsuguko attended the celebrations marking the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Croatia and Japan. The event took place at the Embassy of the Republic of Croatia in Shibuya, Tokyo. On 11 April 2023, the Princess and her mother Hisako, Princess Takamado met King Abdullah II and Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan at their accommodation during their state visit in Japan from 7 to 12 April. On 11 May 2023, Princess Tsuguko joined the rest of the Imperial Family with her mother to attend the first Spring Garden Party of the Reiwa era at the Akasaka Imperial Gardens, Tokyo. From 29 May to 3 June 2023, Princess Tsuguko and her mother paid an official visit to Jordan to attend the wedding of Hussein, Crown Prince of Jordan, and Rajwa Al Saif. However, they also took part in other events in the country: on 30 May 2023, Tsuguko visited a Palestinian refugee camp in Amman, the capital of Jordan, together with her mother. The two talked to the refugees, took pictures with them and listened to their life experiences; also the same day, Tsuguko and her mother visited "UNICEF supported Makani centre" in Amman. Tsuguko talked to the children present and took pictures with them; on 31 May 2023 Tsuguko attended the ceremony to announce the creation and establishment of the Jordanian-Japanese Friendship Association at the Four Seasons Hotel in Amman. At the event, she met Prince El Hassan bin Talal of Jordan, his wife Princess Sarvath El Hassan, their daughter Princess Sumaya bint El Hassan and Princess Wijdan Al Hashemi; on the same day, Tsuguko visited "BirdLife International Middle East" at The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, the partner of BirdLife in Jordan; on 1 June 2023, Princess Tsuguko and her mother attended the wedding of Crown Prince Hussein and Princess Rajwa at Zahran Palace. Before the start of the ceremony, both expressed their best wishes to the parents of the groom, King Abdullah II and Queen Rania of Jordan and at the end of the ceremony the Princesses congratulated the bride and groom; the same evening the Princesses attended the wedding banquet hosted at Al Husseiniya Palace; on 2 June 2023, Tsuguko and her mother visited a Japanese complementary school in Jordan, talked to the facility's teachers, and took pictures with those present; on 3 June 2023, Princess Tsuguko and her mother returned to Japan. This was her first official visit abroad, as previous visits to foreign countries by the Princess have been considered private by the Imperial Household Agency. On 10 August 2023, Princess Tsuguko attended the "2023 National High School (Inter-High) Archery Competition" in Obihiro, Hokkaido Prefecture, as patroness of the "All Japan Archery Federation". At the end of the competitions, she presented the prizes to the winners and congratulated them. On 30 September 2023, Princess Tsuguko attended the "FIVB Paris Olympic Qualifier/World Cup Volleyball 2023 Men's Japan vs Finland" match at Yoyogi National Gymnasium, in Tokyo. From 13 to 15 October 2023, the Princess visited Kagoshima Prefecture for the special National Sports Festival. She visited the cities of Hioki, Makurazaki and Amami and took part in many events during her visit, such as a visit to local schools or sports competitions.
On 6 January 2024, Princess Tsuguko attended the "9th All Japan Brass Symphony Competition Finals" at Fuchu-no-mori Art Theater, in Tokyo. She watched the final musical performance and congratulated the children, even if they lost the competition. On 8 January 2024, she attended the "76th All Japan High School Volleyball Championship Women's Final" at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, in Tokyo. She congratulated the winning volleyball team. On 7 February 2024, The Princess attended the "Japan Grand Prix International Orchid and Flower Show 2024 - Festival of Flowers & Greenery" at Tokyo Dome City Prism Hall, in Tokyo. She read a speech at the start of the event and took a tour of the flower show. On 5 April 2024, she and her mother attended the "2024 Cherry Blossom Charity Ball" organised by the International Ladies Benevolent Society (ILBS) at Hotel Okura, in Tokyo. On 17 April 2024, Princess Tsuguko and her mother Princess Hisako visited Meiji Jingu in Shibuya, Tokyo to commemorate the 110th anniversary of Empress Shoken's death. The Princesses prayed at the Shrine. On 7 August 2024, she attended the 57th National High School Archery Championship finals, and awards and closing ceremony at Kakidomari Stadium in Nagasaki, Nagasaki Prefecture, as President of the "All Japan Archery Federation". On the occasion of her visit to the Prefecture, on the same day she visited the Nagasaki Peace Memorial Hall, built in honor of the atomic bomb victims of 1945. Then, she met survivors of the bomb and toured the local museum. On 1 September 2024, Princess Tsuguko attended the finals of the "JAPAN CUP 2024 Japan Cheerleading Championships" at Yoyogi National Stadium First Gymnasium in Shibuya, Tokyo. She watched the finals and then congratulated the teams that participated. From 7 to 8 October 2024, Princess Tsuguko visited Saga Prefecture to attend the 78th National Sports Festival: she watched table tennis competitions in Kiyama, and archery competitions in Kashima, as well as sumo competitions in Yoshinogari and other cultural events. Between 24 November and 27 November 2024, she attended the mourning and funeral events for her grandmother Princess Mikasa who died on 15 November at St. Luke's International Hospital: she was present at the "Seishin Ikyu no Gi" and "Reidai anchi no Gi" events that were held at the Mikasa residence on 24 and 25 November; also, she was present at the "Renso no Gi" funeral at Toshimagaoka Cemetery on 26 November and the day-one grave visit on 27 November.
On 12 January 2025, Princess Tsuguko attended the "10th All Japan Brass Symphony Competition Finals" at the Kawasaki Sports Complex, in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture; for the occasion she was cited as one of the presidents of the competition's committee. On 5 February 2025, she attended the "Japan Grand Prix International Orchid and Flower Show 2025 - Festival of Flowers & Greenery" at the Tokyo Dome City Prism All, in Bunkyo, Tokyo: she read her opening speech and then toured the exhibition. Between 14 and 15 February 2025, Princess Tsuguko visited Kyoto Prefecture to attend the "3rd Global Youth Forum for a Culture of Lawfulness" at the Kyoto International Conference Center in Kyoto City; she delivered a speech at the event thanking those present. On 25 February 2025, she and her mother attended the funeral of Tsuneo Watanabe (director and editor of Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings) at the Imperial Hotel, in Tokyo, and also toured an exhibition about his life at the same building.
The Imperial Family takes part in annual events that Princess Tsuguko also attends, and these events can be, for example, New Year's ceremonies: these are New Year's receptions every 1 January; New Year's greetings every 2 January; the "Imperial New Year's Poetry Reading" (Utakai Hajime) and the "Imperial New Year's Lectures" (Kousho Hajime) ceremonies on different days in January. Other events are the memorial services for her relatives: that for her uncle Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, that for her uncle Yoshihito, Prince Katsura, that for her grandfather Takahito, Prince Mikasa, and that for her father Norihito, Prince Takamado, which are held at their graves respectively every 6 June, every 8 June, every 27 October and every 21 November, the days of their deaths.

#### Role and activities in UNICEF

In addition to activities on behalf of the Imperial Family, Tsuguko works at the Japan Committee for UNICEF from April 2013 and plays an active role in representing it:
On 19 February 2018, Princess Tsuguko traveled to Kumamoto Prefecture to attend a conference on sports and children's rights and acted as a lecturer. Her lecture was attended by 100 participants who asked her questions about the work of UNICEF. Princess Tsuguko, in her UNICEF role, met King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden during their state visit to Japan from 22 to 25 April 2018 at "UNICEF House" in Tokyo where she gave them a tour of the exhibition on the international work of UNICEF and introduced them to the work of the Japanese branch of UNICEF. She, as a UNICEF employee, visited East Timor between 10 and 14 September 2018. She participated in some events related to the association in Gleno. Princess Tsuguko visited a school in Midorioka, Ibaraki Prefecture, on 28 November 2018, to talk to the children of the school about the importance of water and the need not to waste it; she also spoke about the problems that children from the most remote areas of the world have in being able to use it.
From 20 to 21 May 2019 she visited Wakayama Prefecture as a part of a UNICEF visit: on the 20th, she visited Wakayama Prefectural office; and on the 21st, she visited Sunayama Elementary School: she lectured the children in attendance about UNICEF's work across Japan and gave them resistance exercises with weights. The Princess visited Switzerland as a part of a UNICEF tour from 25 to 29 September 2019: she traveled due to workshop for staff of Japanese offices hosted by UNICEF Headquarters in Switzerland. On 1 November 2019, Tsuguko traveled to Chuo University Tama Campus in Hachioji, Tokyo to participate in the conference "The Current Status and Challenges of Immunization in Africa and Asia" organized by the UNICEF and her. Tsuguko spoke to the children present about the importance of vaccines and the consequences of not getting them.
From 11 to 13 May 2022, Princess Tsuguko visited Miyazaki Prefecture as part of a UNICEF tour. She gave a presentation to elementary and middle classes at a local school on the conditions of children around the world, then visited government offices of the Prefecture, and met with members of Miyazaki's UNICEF group. She visited Ehime Prefecture as a UNICEF employee from 8 to 9 September 2022: on the 8th, she visited the Prefectural office in Matsuyama and met with Governor; on the 9th, she went to an elementary school in Matsuyama, where she spent time with the children, which she explained the current situation of children all over the world suffering from war and poverty. On 22 November 2022, the Princess gave a lecture on international development to students at Chuo University, Tokyo. Princess Tsuguko spoke about UNICEF's role in the world, exchanged ideas and answered students' questions and gave the closing remarks of the seminar.
Princess Tsuguko and members of "UNICEF Caravan campaign" visited Saitama Prefecture and it's prefectural office on 23 May 2023, as part of a series of events organised by UNICEF of Saitama Prefecture. On 24 May 2023, she, accompanied by UNICEF, visited the governor of Tochigi Prefecture in Tochigi, Tochigi Prefecture, to talk about the work of UNICEF's Tochigi branch. From 7 to 8 June 2023, Princess Tsuguko visited Kanagawa Prefecture with the UNICEF Caravan campaign: she gave lectures on UNICEF in local schools and later met with the Governor of the Prefecture and the Superintendent of Education. On 19 October 2023, Princess Tsuguko and Japan Committee for UNICEF visited Yamagata Prefecture, where the Princess gave lectures and presented presentations to students from some local schools, and acted as a guide. From 24 to 25 October 2023, she visited Fukushima Prefecture to meet Fukushima's governor and to participate in some UNICEF-related events at Omori Elementary School and Sukagawa Toyo High School. On 8 November 2023, Princess Tsuguko, in her UNICEF role, visited Morioka, Iwate Prefecture, to inspect the Prefectural Office and to give lessons in local schools.
On 11 May 2024, she attended a networking event for UNICEF campus members at Chuo University: she spoke of her experiences with the UNICEF and proposed various methods to reduce poverty. From 27 to 28 May 2024, Princess Tsuguko, as a UNICEF employee, visited Ishikawa Prefecture for UNICEF events: on the 27th, she met with the Governor of the Prefecture to talk about UNICEF and its purpose; on the 28th, she visited two schools in Kanazawa to talk to the children present about the situation of children in developing countries. On 28 June 2024, she attended a virtual conference at Chuo University Tama Campus, about how to apply possible charitable (and/or UNICEF-provided) solutions in African poor countries. Tsuguko provided her explanations and proposed solutions to the problems. From 17 to 18 October 2024, she, as a UNICEF employee, visited Kyoto Prefecture: on the 18th, she held a class for children at Kyotanba Town Mizuho Junior High School in Kyōtamba, where she talked about the importance of children's rights globally and the need to respect them. Between 12 and 13 November 2024, Princess Tsuguko visited Nara Prefecture together with UNICEF: on the 12th, she met with vice governor Takeo Fukutani at the Nara prefecture office and others; on the 13th, she presented a conference regarding UNICEF and children of the world for the students at Masugakita Primary School in Kashihara, and at Shirakashi School.

## Health

In mid-July 2022, Princess Tsuguko tested positive for COVID-19. The Imperial Household Agency reported that she was asymptomatic and would recover at home.

## Honours
### National honours

* Member 2nd Class (Peony) of the Order of the Precious Crown -

### Honorary positions

* Honorary President of the All Japan Archery Federation
* Honorary Chairman of Japan Squash Association

## Ancestry

Ancestors of Princess Tsuguko of Takamado :