Nearly two years after withdrawing from public life due to a stress-related disorder, Crown Princess Masako of Japan has resumed limited official duties, making a day trip to the World Expo in Aichi province.
Accompanied by husband Crown Prince Naruhito, the crown princess travelled in a bullet train to the exposition, located about 160 miles west of Tokyo.
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At the Expo, she was pictured relaxed and smiling as she explored the international showcase alongside her spouse. The royal palace made clear, however, that Masako's recovery is an on-going process.
"This (engagement) does not mean the princess will perform duties actively," said a representative, who revealed a nurse was travelling with the crown princess as well. "Things will depend on the princess' condition."
Masako, who was last seen greeting her in-laws, Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, at a Tokyo airport, has not made an official excursion outside the city since November 2003.
Dropping out of sight after a bout of shingles in December of that year, Masako was diagnosed in July 2004 as suffering from a stress-related "adjustment disorder" caused by "her special status as crown princess, problems relating to her pregnancy and miscarriage, and her busy life".
Royal watchers had long speculated that the 41-year-old mother of one – daughter Aiko was born in 2001 – was wilting under the pressures of not having produced a male heir for the Chrysanthemum throne. |
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