JAPAN: Princess Aiko unable to go to school after boys treated her harshly

Mar 5 06:00 AM US/Eastern

(AP) - TOKYO, March 5 (Kyodo)

Princess Aiko, the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, has been reluctant to attend school since Monday after being "treated harshly" by boys in her grade, an official of the Imperial Household Agency said Friday.

The 8-year-old princess has been complaining of strong anxiety and stomachache, said Issei Nomura, the top aide to the crown prince and princess.

Princess Aiko, a granddaughter of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, is a second grader at Gakushuin Primary School in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward.

Nomura, grand master of the crown prince's household, told a regular news conference that the princess attended school Tuesday but left school early. She has since been absent from school.

The school has found that a group of boys had dealt rowdily with several of their school mates, including Princess Aiko, Nomura said, adding that the palace has asked the school to address the matter.

He also said the palace has obtained consent from the school to publicize the princess's situation.

At a separate press conference, Motomasa Higashisono, a senior director of the Gakushuin School Corporation that runs a range of schools from kindergarten to university, said the princess "got scared Tuesday when she went by a boy who dashed out of a classroom."

"It must have reminded her of the rowdy behavior of several boys in the past, who may have thrown things, and made her uneasy," Higashisono said.

The princess entered Gakushuin Primary School in April 2008 after finishing Gakushuin Kindergarten in March that year.

Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama said, "As an individual citizen, I hope she recovers and gets well as quickly as possible."

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