Emperor Akihito [1933–] and Prince Hitachi [1935–]—The Second Generation Biologists

Abstract

Before proceeding to the other family members who became engaged by science, the circumstances are described that would have tended to promote the affinity of the Imperial family for living organisms, such as the way in which the Imperial Palace and Villas are blessed with nature and the contact with horses and other animals that the family enjoys. The influence of Emperor Showa is also further emphasized. Emperor Akihito, one of the second generation members, was also interested in history and biology in his childhood days, like his father. Around the time of his marriage to Empress Michiko when he was the Crown Prince, he started his research on gobies in earnest. Based on morphological characteristics that he himself specified, he classified gobioid fishes, which had been virtually ignored up to that time, and published many original papers. Later, his work was extended to the molecular phylogeny of gobies based on DNA sequences. He also wrote a good review of the cultivators of science in Japan. Prince Hitachi, the second son of Emperor Showa, who was himself fond of natural history, served as a good assistant to his father in collecting animals and plants, ultimately studying at the Department of Zoology, University of Tokyo, By chance, he moved to the Cancer Institute and published many papers concerning animal tumors. In this way, he has contributed significantly to the field of comparative oncology.