THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
February 9, 2022 at 14:27 JST
The first case of novel coronavirus infection within the imperial family was confirmed after Princess Yoko tested positive and was hospitalized, the Imperial Household Agency said Feb. 8.
No other imperial family member has been identified as a close contact, but her older sister, Princess Akiko, will take a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test as a precaution, the agency said.
Yoko is the second daughter of the late Prince Tomohito, a cousin of Emperor Emeritus Akihito.
According to the agency, Yoko developed a sore throat on Feb. 7 and took a PCR test the following afternoon at the Akasaka Imperial Palace in Tokyo.
The positive result came back in the evening.
She is being treated at the Imperial Household Agency’s hospital on the premises of the Imperial Palace.
Other than a sore throat, she has not developed any symptoms. The source of infection remains unknown, the agency added.
Yoko visited the Imperial palace at the end of January to attend an imperial rite.
Agency officials said it is unlikely that Emperor Naruhito and other imperial family members who attended the event contracted the virus.
Aiko to receive adulthood medal as princess turns 20 on Dec. 1
November 17, 2021
Princess Mako turns 30; meets with emperor and empress
October 23, 2021
Princess marks coming of age with a tiara loaned by aunt
December 5, 2021
Masako turns 58, expresses her hopes for Aiko’s well-being
December 9, 2021
Emperor and his family move to renovated Imperial Palace
September 6, 2021
Mako attends last formal ceremony as an imperial family member
September 23, 2021
Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions. (The page is in Japanese. Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.)
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
Princess Yoko in September 2018 (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
