'Wild' boys keep Japanese princess out of school

March 5, 2010

Fri Mar 5, 9:50 AM

TOKYO (AFP) - Japan's imperial palace said Friday a grandchild of the emperor

had skipped school after suffering from anxiety over " the wild behaviour of a

few boys, " but denied she had been bullied.

A palace official said Princess Aiko, granddaughter of Emperor Akihito and

Empress Michiko and daughter of Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako, did

not attend school this week because of " a strong stomach-ache and anxiety. "

She developed the symptoms " after confronting the wild behaviour of a few boys, "

said Imperial Household Agency official Issei Nomura.

However, he denied that the boys had bullied her.

" The school is taking countermeasures. No particular child has been bullied. And

so it is not a case of bullying, " he said.

The princess had not attended classes since Tuesday, according to an official at

the Gakushuin primary school, the alma mater for most Japanese royals.

" Presumably, Her Highness Princess Aiko was reminded of a past event in which

she was frightened by two boys running toward her highness, " said Motomasa

Higashisono, the school's executive director.

" The boys did not directly collided with Her Highness Aiko, " he said.

Aiko's birth in December 2001 after seven years of marriage between Naruhito and

US-educated former diplomat Masako sparked heated debate on a possible change to

the modern imperial family's code, which allows male-only succession.

The crisis was resolved in September 2006 when Princess Kiko, the wife of

Naruhito's younger brother, Akishino, gave birth to the imperial family's first

male heir in four decades.

Crown Princess Masako has struggled to adjust to royal life, having skipped most

public duties over the past five years with the exception of appearing at few

public functions in Japan with her husband.

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