Japan’s beloved Princess Aiko is often cheered like a pop star.
During a visit to Nagasaki with Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, the sound of her name being screamed by well-wishers along the roads overwhelmed the cheers for her parents.
As she turns 24 on Monday, her supporters want to change Japan’s male-only succession law, which prohibits Aiko, the emperor’s only child, from becoming monarch.
Along with frustration that the discussion on succession rules has stalled, there’s a sense of urgency. Japan’s shrinking monarchy is on the brink of extinction. Naruhito’s teenage nephew is the only eligible heir from the younger generation.
But France feels like an exception though. I wouldn’t say tourists are flocking to Albania or Austria to see the relics of their monarchies like people do with France.
There’s a real appeal behind having an active monarchy in place, even if it’s just symbolic. Take the UK as an example of this. One of the bigger draws to the country is that you get see all these monarchy related things places that are still occupied and used by a real royal family that has real historical depth and influence.
I can’t speak to Albania, but Austria has a massive amount of tourism and Schönbrunn Palace is the most visited attraction in the country. The Belvedere palaces are up there, too. I think the reason that London, Paris, and Vienna receive so much tourism is related to their being former imperial metropoles rather than anything to do with how current or not the royal family is.
That’s the case for Europe in general though. Most of the major cities on the continent were capitals of empires at some point in history. Obviously, if the UK became a republic today, it’ll still get a lot of tourists because it’s a big country with a lot of interesting things to see and do. However, the preservation of the royal family is still provides a boon for tourism. The royal family there is still a big draw for people to come to the country and visit certain sites. They’re net positive for the economy, which is why they’re still around. It’s a similar situation for Japan.