THE Japanese Emperor’s youngest son has unleashed an extraordinary spat within the Imperial family by publicly criticising his elder brother, the Crown Prince.

Prince Akishino used a 39th birthday speech as a rare opportunity to speak his mind over events of the preceding year, and did so with unusual frankness. In May, Crown Prince Naruhito created a major stir when he openly criticised the Imperial Household Agency, in effect blaming it for the stress-related illness afflicting his wife and former diplomat, Princess Masako.

It was Prince Naruhito’s candour on that occasion that yesterday drew the fire of his normally lower-profile brother.

“I myself was surprised to no small extent, and I heard the Emperor was also very surprised,” said Prince Akishino, in reference to the May press conference. “I think he should only have spoken after talking to the Emperor about what he planned to say. I think it is regrettable.” Observers, attuned to the subtleties of royal speeches, interpret the remarks as both a rebuke and a glimpse of serious strife at the heart of the world’s oldest monarchy. They believe that for the feud to be joined by Prince Akishino, who was educated at Oxford and is associated with a love of outdoor sports, marks a significant development.

Some believe that the Prince’s comments reveal the extent to which Prince Naruhito and his wife are now isolated from the rest of the family. Toshiya Matsuzaki, a royal reporter for 30 years, told The Times: “Akishino does not have many chances to be frank, so he took this opportunity. What he said proves the lack of communication between the Crown Prince and the Emperor. I understand that all three of the Emperor’s children had good relations with each other until recently, so I think that Akishino wants to recover those close relations of the past, and regrets any breakdown.” The spiralling row, which although conducted in public uses the veiled language of Japanese imperial statements, appears to centre on royal duty. For nearly a year, Princess Masako has been entirely withdrawn from public life, suffering from depression and stress thought to have arisen from the strain of adapting to palace life. Educated at Harvard and Oxford, she has found it hard to accept that, since her 1993 marriage, her royal priority has been to produce an heir to the throne. The imperial law would have to be changed to allow her only daughter, two-year-old Aiko, to one day accede.Prince Akishino’s remarks follow comments by Empress Michiko in her 70th birthday speech in October. Her references to duty were interpreted as a veiled criticism of Princess Masako.

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