Morihiro Higashikuni

Morihiro Higashikuni (東久邇 盛厚, Higashikuni Morihiro) was born on May 6, 1916, in Tokyo, Japan. He was a member of a cadet line of the Japanese imperial family, the grandson of Emperor Meiji, and the eldest son of Prince Naruhiko Higashikuni and Toshiko, Princess Yasu. His paternal grandfather was Prince Kuniyoshi of Japan, and his maternal grandparents included Emperor Meiji. Morihiro's father later served as Prime Minister of Japan in 1945.

Educationally, he attended the Gakushuin Peers’ School and the Central Military Preparatory School. He graduated from the 49th class of the Imperial Japanese Army Academy in June 1937. In August of that year, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the field artillery of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). By March 1938, he was promoted to lieutenant and assigned to the IJA First Artillery Regiment, stationed in Manchukuo.

During the summer of 1939, Morihiro commanded the First Battery of the 1st Heavy Field Artillery Regiment during the Nomonhan Incident, a conflict between Japan and the Soviet Union. During the Soviet counter-offensive, he withdrew without orders, an action that was subsequently suppressed by Japanese military censors but was notable for its impact on propaganda. Following this incident, he was transferred back to Japan on August 2, 1939. Despite this event, he was promoted to captain of artillery in March 1941. He attended the Army War College from December 1942 to December 1943, after which he was promoted to major and placed on the reserve list.

Morihiro Higashikuni married Shigeko, Princess Teru, on October 10, 1943. She was born on December 9, 1925, and was the eldest daughter of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and Empress Kōjun. The marriage connected several lines of the imperial family, as both were related through descent from Emperor Meiji and Prince Kuni Asahiko. The couple had five children, with the last three born after the Higashikuni family was removed from the Imperial Household register:

- Prince Nobuhiko Higashikuni (March 10, 1945 – March 20, 2019), who married Yoshiko Shimada and had a son, Masahiko.

- Princess Fumiko Higashikuni (born December 23, 1946), who married Kazutoshi Omura and later Takagi Daikichi.

- Hidehiko Higashikuni (born June 30, 1949), adopted by the Mibu family as Motohiro Mibu.

- Naohiko Higashikuni (born 1953), married to Kazuko Sato, with two sons, Teruhiko and Mutsuhiko.

- Yūko Higashikuni (born 1954), married to Naooki Azuma.

Princess Shigeko died of cancer in July 1961. In 1964, Morihiro Higashikuni married Yoshiko Terao, who was born in 1927 and died in 2011. This second marriage produced two children:

- Atsuhiko Higashikuni (born 1966)

- Morihiko Higashikuni (born 1967)

Following World War II, during the Allied occupation of Japan, Morihiro Higashikuni and other branches of the imperial family were stripped of their titles and privileges in October 1947, becoming commoners. Subsequently, he engaged in various business ventures, including serving as the chief of the research division of the Hokkaido Colliery & Steamship Company.

Morihiro Higashikuni died of lung cancer at St. Luke's International Hospital in Tokyo on February 1, 1969.