Depressed princess fears the spotlight

Japan’s troubled crown princess has spoken for the first time of her ‘‘unease’’ about becoming empress when Emperor Akihito abdicates next year.

Princess Masako, who has made few public appearances since she began being treated for depression 15 years ago, described her trepidation about the succession to the Chrysanthemum Throne of her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito, in May.

‘‘Thinking about the days ahead, I feel uneasy about how much I can be of service,’’ she said in a written statement issued on her 55th birthday. ‘‘But the joy of seeing what their Majesties, the emperor and empress, have done until now nourishes my spirit to help his Imperial Highness, the crown prince, as much as possible, and devote myself to people’s happiness.’’

Her words cover a longrunning family drama that has at times undermined the reputation of the monarchy. When she ceased her official duties in 2003, the Imperial Household Agency announced that she was suffering from shingles. When The Times reported sources who said that she was also being treated for depression, the agency denounced the article as

‘‘Thinking about the days ahead, I feel uneasy about how much I can be of service.’’ Crown Princess Masako

‘‘indecent’’, only to confirm two months later that she was being treated for an ‘‘adjustment disorder’’.

The public reaction was one of sympathy for the princess, who gave up a career as a diplomat to marry Naruhito in 1993. She struggled to conceive a child and, after fertility treatment, suffered a miscarriage. The couple’s only child, Princess Aiko, was born in 2001 but, as a girl, is ineligible to succeed to the throne.

The birth of a boy to the crown prince’s younger brother in 2006 solved the succession problem.

Masako carries out very few official duties but in recent years has made more frequent outings. She has been criticised after being photographed in restaurants. Some in the media have suggested that the problem is not so much depression as a dislike for onerous public duties. – The Times

AP Japan’s Crown Princess Masako, wife of Crown Prince Naruhito, poses with her pet dog, Yuri, for a photo at her residence Togu Palace in Tokyo. Masako celebrated her 55th birthday on Sunday.