What’s awful for Princess Masako is that she married Crown Prince Naruhito when she was 30, with a career in the Japanese version of the State Department, but it was expected she would have a son. After 8 years, a daughter was born, but there has been no other child. She’s in her late 40s now, older than me, and experiences “nervous exhaustion” from the stress of her position, according to general news reports.
The heir, other things being equal, will be Hisahito, the son of Naruhito’s younger brother.
Japan is more tradition-bound than most European countries, but even in England, it’s expected that wives will continue the direct Mountbatten-Windsor line by having children.
They should be thrilled to have a daughter! Girls are people too.
The “nervous exhaustion” is likely due to perimenopause. It’s stressful on the body and there are a plethora of symptoms.