On June 9, 2013, Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary. The celebration comes just a few months after Crown Princess carried out her first official overseas trip in 11 years, as stress-induced illness prevented her from doing so in over a decade.
The Crown Prince in a statement said, “In the past 20 years, we have experienced many things as a couple together and supported each other”. The statement was released in regards to their 20th wedding anniversary, as the couple got married in 1993. While talking about his wife’s health, the Crown Prince said that 49-year-old Crown Princess Masako is getting better and will begin to expand her activities accordingly and will do everything she can in order to recover.
The Crown Princess gave up her career as a diplomat so that she could enter the Imperial family. She has been battling an adjustment disorder, which developed due to stress over a decade ago. The diagnosis of her condition was announced by the Imperial Household Agency, after all her official duties were suspended in December 2003.
The Crown Prince also said in a statement that the past two decades were characterized by both happy and difficult events, like the achievements of Japanese athletes in Olympics and Paralympics and Japanese Nobel Prize laureates, as well as the earthquake in March 2011.
