Crown Princess Masako Recovering, But Still Stress Prone

On Friday, the Japanese Imperial Household held a press conference about the state of Crown Princess Masako’s mental health. She has been suffering from a stress induced illness since late 2003, and her doctors say while she is still recovering, the Princess is still prone to slipping back to her problems.

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According to Grand Master Issei Nomura of the Imperial Household Agency, the doctors say “more time is required before she can further expand the range of her activities.”

“She is much better than when we first examined her five and a half years ago,” the doctors’ assessments say, pointing to Crown Prince Naruhito and their daughter, Princess Aiko, as playing a major role in her recovery. Whenever Masako does feel stressed, “she is able to recover from it relatively quickly.”

However, the Crown Princess’ condition seesaws and she is still not able to carry out many official engagements, let alone official overseas trips.

The doctors suggest she needs to find her “life’s work” in order to get “increased confidence.”

The last engagement Masako did was last month, when she took part in a memorial service for the 1995 Kobe earthquake victims.