To his left was his aging uncle, Prince Hitachi, who sat in a wheelchair. It was striking visual evidence of the imperial family’s looming existential crisis: It has precious few heirs left. Just as Japan’s population is shrinking and aging, so is the royal family’s. [Read “Survival of the Throne,” a five-episode series on Japan’s royal family.] Under rules set by a government committee, only adult male members of the royal family were permitted to witness the rites.

Source: New York Times May 01, 2019 10:03 UTC