Princess Yasuko of Mikasa was born on 26 April 1944 as the first child of Takahito, Prince Mikasa, and Yuriko Takagi. Her younger siblings were: Prince Tomohito (b.1946 – d.2012), Yoshihito, Prince Katsura (b.1948 – d.2014), Princess Masako, now known as Masako Sen (b.1951) and Norihito, Prince Takamado (b.1954 – d.2002).
Princess Yasuko was born at the Numazu Imperial Villa. She attended the Gakushuin Elementary School and then the Gakushuin Women’s Secondary School. She graduated from Gakushuin University with a degree in Japanese Language and Literature.
In 1965, she joined her parents for a visit to the United States and met President Lyndon B. Johnson. This was followed by a visit to Canada.1
The New Canadian reported, “Following a tour of the Centre building, the Royal entourage was introduced at the head table by the Consul General, S. Saiki. Princess Yuriko and daughter, Princess Yasuko, were presented with flowers by two Toronto Senseis, Connie Morishita and Donna Kadoguchi. […] The two princesses, dressed in beautiful kimonos, captured the hearts of the crowd with their warm smiles and conversation.”2
Shortly before this trip, the Princess’s engagement to Tadateru Konoe, a Red Cross worker, was announced. The New York Times reported, “Emperor Hirohito’s 22-year-old niece, Princess Yasuko, will marry a Red Cross Worker on Dec. 18, it was announced today. The Shinto wedding ceremony will be held at a Tokyo hotel, the first imperial wedding to take place outside the Emperor’s palace. Princess Yasuko’s fiancé is Tadateru Konoye, a grandson of the late Premier, Prince Fumimaro Konoye. He was adopted by the widow of Fumikata Konoye, the Prince’s eldest son, who died in the Soviet Union while a prisoner of war. He works in the research section of the Japan Red Cross Society’s external affairs department.”3
On 16 December 1966, the two were married, and as required by the Imperial Household Law, Princess Yasuko gave up her imperial titles and became a commoner. The New York Times reported, “Princess Yasuko, niece of Emperor Hirohito, today forfeited her title to become the wife of a commoner, Tadateru Konoye, grandson of a prewar Premier. Yasuko, 22, and Mr Konoye, 27, were married in a Tokyo hotel. They will leave tomorrow on a two-week honeymoon in Italy, Britain and France. The new Mrs Konoye, a university student, was given a dowry worth $78,120 (about $800,000 today) to enable her to maintain the dignity of a descendant of the royal family. Mr Konoye’s grandfather was Premier three times – in 1937, in 1940 and again in 1941.”4
The Japan Illustrated wrote, “Princess Yasuko, 22-year-old student of Gakushuin University, was attired in traditional court costume handed down from the Heian Period (8th-12th centuries) and her hair arranged in the style of an Imperial Court Lady of those days. The bridegroom, 27 years old and a staff member of the Japan Red Cross Society’s Foreign Affairs department, was dressed in a black upper garment and purple trousers, the costume of court gentlemen of the Heian Period. After performing the ceremonial three-time-three exchange of nuptial cups, the bride and bridegroom read the wedding statement before the altar. With the offering of a branch of the sakaki, the sacred tree to the gods, the wedding ceremony was completed. The newlyweds then signed the document required for registration of their marriage. Thus, Princess Yasuko, a member of the Imperial Family, became the wife of a commoner, although a member of a former aristocratic family. They spent their two-week honeymoon in Europe and now live in a modern apartment in Tokyo.”5
On 18 July 1970, Yasuko gave birth to her first and only child, a son named Tadahiro.
Her husband eventually became the president of the Japanese Red Cross Society. Yasuko is still the honorary vice-president of the Japanese Red Cross Society. She was also president of the alumni association of Gakushuin Women’s University. She was widowed in May 2026. Through her son, she has three grandchildren.
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