Empress Masako said Monday she is happy to have completed her duties as part of Emperor Naruhito’s enthronement rituals, and pledged to continue such work and help her husband more for the happiness of the people.

In a palace statement marking her 56th birthday, the empress thanked people who have warmly welcomed the couple after Emperor Naruhito succeeded to the throne on May 1, following the abdication of his father, now Emperor Emeritus Akihito. “The many smiling faces I’ve seen in many places are precious memories for me, and they will be a big moral support to me as I move forward,” the statement said.

A Harvard-educated former diplomat, Empress Masako had been largely absent from public appearances for years and is understood to be recovering from stress-induced mental health issues. She developed adjustment disorder, a condition marked by depression and other symptoms caused by stress, after giving birth to the couple’s only child, Princess Aiko, in 2001, while facing pressure to produce a son in order to continue Japan’s male-only imperial succession.

Source: ANNnewsCH