Takako Shimazu

Takako Shimazu (島津 貴子, Shimazu Takako), born on 2 March 1939, is a former member of the Imperial House of Japan. She was born as Takako, Princess Suga (清宮貴子内親王, Suga-no-miya Takako Naishinnō), at the Tokyo Imperial Palace. She is the fifth and youngest daughter of Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito) and Empress Kōjun. She has a brother who became Emperor Emeritus of Japan, Akihito, and is the paternal aunt of the current Emperor Naruhito.

During her childhood, Princess Takako was known as Suga-no-miya. She was not raised by her biological parents; instead, she was brought up by a succession of court ladies in a separate palace in the Marunouchi district of Tokyo. Her upbringing within the imperial palace was described as restrictive. She engaged in activities such as flower arranging and the tea ceremony.

Princess Takako attended Gakushuin Peers School and later graduated from Gakushuin University Women's College with a degree in English literature in March 1957. During the Allied occupation of Japan following World War II, she received English language tutoring from Elizabeth Grey Vining, an American tutor.

On 10 March 1960, she married Hisanaga Shimazu, born 29 March 1934 in Tokyo. Hisanaga was the son of the late Count Hisanori Shimazu and was employed at the Japan Export-Import Bank (JEXIM). Their wedding took place in a Tokyo restaurant and was attended by her parents, her brother Emperor Hirohito, Empress Nagako, and Emperor Akihito. The marriage was arranged; however, Princess Takako agreed to it on the condition that if they found themselves incompatible during courtship, they would call it off. She stated, "In my case, a non-arranged marriage was practically impossible. But I didn't want to repeat the kind of marriage all my older sisters had had to go through—'how do you do' in the morning and everything decided by the afternoon."

Following her marriage, she relinquished her imperial title and left the Imperial Family, adopting her husband's surname in accordance with the 1947 Imperial Household Law. The marriage resulted in the couple having one son, Yoshihisa Shimazu, born on 5 April 1962.

In 1963, she narrowly escaped an attempted kidnapping, an incident widely covered in the Japanese media. Her residence and marriage dowry, valued at $500,000, were publicly known at the time, but police were tipped off beforehand by a criminal group.

Hisanaga Shimazu had a career with JEXIM that included postings in Washington, D.C., and Sydney, Australia. During their time abroad, Takako mostly fulfilled the role of a housewife. After retiring from JEXIM in 1987, he joined the board of directors of Sony Corporation, served as an executive director of the Sony Foundation for Science Education from 1994 to 2001, and is currently research director at the Yamashina Institute for Ornithology.

Takako Shimazu has appeared on Japanese television as a commentator on world events and has participated as a radio guest. In 1970, she began working as a consultant at the Seibu Pisa store within the Prince Hotels chain and later served on the board of directors. She is recognized as the first member of the Japanese imperial family to hold a commercial position.

She has received the national honour of the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Precious Crown.