Women in Japan

[Rob_Hugo@PortNW]

This serves two purposes: a recommendation for an interesting book about the Crown Princess of Japan and to bring up the topic of the role of women in Japan.

The book: Princess Masako: Prisoner of the Chrysanthemum Throne -- the Tragic True Story of Japan's Crown Princess. By Ben Hills. 2006.

I have always wondered about the the depression that the Crown Princess of Japan experienced and about the nervous breakdown of her mother-in-law, the Empress of Japan. I wanted to know what it was about life in the Imperial family that must have caused their conditions. While browsing titles at Borders one night, I came across this book. In his research for the book, Australian journalist Hills interviewed about 60 people who had connections with members of the Imperial household. His book is very accessible to even young adults (easy to read and understand, larger print) although it was surprising to find him very opinionated on many topics. For example, he was critical of the Crown Prince's Master's thesis and describes it as "rather lamely"; he described the ladies-in-waiting for the Crown Princess as "bitchy biddies." I think it's the adjectives he uses freely that surprised me at first. He refers to Masako (Crown Princess) as "brave, or foolhardy," in her decision to marry the Crown Prince. Most of the nonfiction books I've read so far have been factual, leaving little room for personal beliefs. But this one is full of attitudes. So, I read it with a grain of salt, especially since his research was based primarily on interviews with people. It had been banned in Japan and the Japanese government demanded an apology from Hills for what they called errors, distortions, judgments, disrespect. Hills stood his ground on the freedom of speech that Australia affords its journalists. A big name Japanese publisher was about to translate his book into Japanese but abandoned its efforts. Basically, the book was censored in Japan. In Japan, as Hills points out, publishers and journalists have a code amongst themselves: never to print anything that would disrespect or embarrass the Imperial family. So Hills' candor at describing how the Imperial family did not allow the Empress to visit her dying mother (she had to sneak out to visit her) or how the Empress's mother-in-law did not like her son marrying a commoner and her rude, poor treatment of her daughter-in-law were not welcomed by the Japanese diplomats. But of course, this is the same government that refuses to acknowledge the existence of Koren comfort women, who denounced Iris Chang's bestselling novel, Rape of Nanking, and whose textbooks paint a distorted picture of Japan's imperialist role. If you want to learn about the role of Japanese women, this will interest you. If you want some insight into the Imperial household, definitely read this. It will startle you and captivate you. The Japanese attitude toward mental illness is interesting. I feel great sadness that Princess Masako, a Harvard educated economics major, an intelligent woman who was climbing the ladder in a successful career as a foreign diplomat, was pressured into marrying the Crown Prince, and as a result of the stress and difficult life in the Imperial household, succumbed to poor health and depression. A very enlightening book which shed some light on my questions and made me curious to research further, although the Japanese will never reveal the true story. Includes a Glossary, Index and References.[Edit by="willoughbyak on May 21, 8:31:26 PM"][/Edit]
[Edit by="willoughbyak on May 22, 6:39:47 AM"][/Edit]

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