Red Cross New Recruit Japanese Princess: "I Won't Even Shy Away from Cleaning Trash Bins"

Princess Aiko Begins Her First Social Life

Aiko (23), the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito, has started her first social life by joining the Japanese Red Cross Society as a new employee.

On the 3rd, local media including Japan's public broadcaster NHK reported that Princess Aiko joined the Red Cross Society as a contracted employee at their office in Minato Ward, Tokyo. On her first day of work on the 1st, dressed in a navy suit, Princess Aiko said, "I can't quite believe that I have taken my first step as a member of society," adding, "I will try to adapt quickly to the workplace and do my best to be helpful to everyone."

Princess Aiko, the only daughter of Emperor Naruhito, posed on her first day at the Japanese Red Cross Society in Minato Ward, Tokyo, on the 1st. Princess Aiko, who graduated from Gakushuin University this year, will work as a youth volunteer coordinator at the Japanese Red Cross Society starting in April.
[Image source=Yonhap News]

Through the Imperial Household Agency, she also said, "Although my abilities are limited, I hope to be of some help to others and to society." It was reported that she showed enthusiasm, saying she would handle various miscellaneous tasks such as cleaning trash bins and answering phone calls.

The Japanese Red Cross Society, which Princess Aiko chose as her first workplace, operates hospitals and medical personnel training facilities nationwide. She is expected to be assigned to the Youth Volunteer Division under the Business Bureau, which is responsible for volunteer training and development. By tradition, the honorary president of the Japanese Red Cross Society is the Empress, so Princess Aiko’s mother, Empress Masako, holds this position.

Princess Aiko said, "As I started volunteer activities, I gradually became interested in welfare activities overall," and added, "I took welfare-related courses at university, and I thought that after graduation, I wanted to work in welfare-related fields to help those who are facing difficulties in various ways." She also said, "I am happy to be able to take on new challenges and gain diverse experiences."

Earlier, the Japanese Imperial Family launched an official Instagram account on the 1st, Princess Aiko’s first day at work, marking their first use of social networking services (SNS). As of 5:30 p.m. that day, the account had over 607,000 followers.

Meanwhile, Princess Aiko, born in 2001, graduated from Gakushuin University’s Department of Japanese Language and Literature, known as the "school for the imperial family" in Japan.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.