When Princess Aiko visited the city of Niigata on her own last September, hundreds of people thronged Niigata Station in the hopes of catching a glimpse of the princess, shouting ¡°Aiko-sama,¡± with the honorific added to her name, as is typical for addressing royal family members.
A local broadcaster described the phenomenon as ¡°Princess Aiko fever,¡± a condition not limited to Niigata. Wherever she goes, people crowd the streets to take a video of the 24-year-old princess, often described as a woman of integrity and warmth who is close to the people.
Princess Aiko¡¯s popularity is triggering expectations that one day she could become the reigning emperor of Japan like her father, Emperor Naruhito. As a symbol of the state and the unity of the people, Japanese emperors do not have political authority, and it is mostly a ceremonial role.
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