Princess Nobuko, Princess Tomohito Of Mikasa

Princess Tomohito of Mikasa, born Nobuko Asō on April 9, 1955, in Tokyo, Japan, is a member of the Japanese imperial family through her marriage to Prince Tomohito of Mikasa. She is the third daughter and youngest child of Takakichi Asō (1911–1980), who served as chairman of the Asō Company and was a member of the House of Representatives from 1949 to 1955. Her father’s business interests included cement manufacturing, medical, environmental, and real estate sectors. Her mother was Kazuko Yoshida (1915–1996), the daughter of Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida.

Her paternal lineage includes descent from a branch of the Ichinomiya clan through her paternal grandmother and shares ancestry with Count Nobuaki Makino, a diplomat, as well as with Ōkubo Toshimichi, a prominent samurai and politician associated with the Meiji Restoration. Nobuko studied in England, graduating from Rosslyn House College in 1973. Upon returning to Japan, she worked as an English teacher at Shoto Kindergarten in Shibuya, Tokyo.

During her stay in the UK, Nobuko met her future husband, Prince Tomohito of Mikasa, who was attending Oxford University. Her initial rejection of his marriage proposal in 1973 was due to her young age. Their engagement was announced by the Imperial Household Council on April 18, 1980, with the engagement ceremony following on May 21, 1980. They married on November 7, 1980, and she assumed the title Princess Tomohito of Mikasa. She received a personal emblem, the flower of prunus persica (hanamomo), following customary practice for imperial family members.

As a Catholic, she is notable within the imperial family for her religious background; she is the first to be baptized, although not the first Christian to marry into the imperial family, as Empress Michiko also came from a Catholic family and was raised Christian.

Princess Nobuko and Prince Tomohito had two daughters: Princess Akiko, born December 20, 1981, in Tokyo, and Princess Yōko, born October 25, 1983, at the Japanese Red Cross Medical Center in Tokyo. The family resided within the Akasaka Estate complex in Moto-Akasaka, Minato, Tokyo. In October 2009, amidst her health issues, she separated her residence from her family.

Her husband died on June 6, 2012. Following his death, the Imperial Household Agency announced the reduction of his household as it was merged into that of his father in June 2013. The household integration did not impact Nobuko or her daughters’ lives. In September 2025, after the death of Princess Mikasa, her daughter Princess Akiko assumed leadership of the Mikasa household, becoming the first princess in decades to head a royal household.

Princess Tomohito has participated in various official duties, including overseas visits related to charity and welfare events. She accompanied her husband on missions to countries including Turkey, the United States, Australia, Norway, and the United Kingdom. Notable visits include attending the 100th anniversary celebrations of Japan-Turkey relations in 1990 and visiting Fukushima Prefecture in 2013, her first public appearance after a suspension due to health issues.

She is known for her culinary interests and has published two cookbooks: one in 1992 titled *Home Cooking Through the Seasons* and another in 2013 titled *Memories Are Made of Home Cooked Meals*.

Health-wise, Princess Nobuko experienced a brain ischemia in May 2004, which required medical treatment. She also suffered from asthma and vertebral fractures. In November 2022, she was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer; subsequent surgery revealed the cancer was at stage 0. She underwent radiation therapy in early 2023. On March 4, 2024, she received surgery for primary angle-closure and cataracts.

Since her marriage, she has held the title Her Imperial Highness Princess Tomohito of Mikasa. She has received various honors, including the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown, and decorations from foreign nations such as Norway’s Grand Cross of the Order of St. Olav. She is actively involved in roles such as the president of the Tokyo Jikeikai, honorary president of several cultural and welfare organizations, and ambassador for the International Judo Federation.