Crown Princess Masako, who has long struggled with depression, vowed on her 54th birthday Saturday to continue efforts to fulfill her duties, as she is now set to become empress in May 2019.
"When I think about the future, I feel a sobering sense of awe," she said in a statement, referring to Friday's Cabinet decision finalizing April 30, 2019, as the day Emperor Akihito will relinquish the Chrysanthemum Throne.
Crown Prince Naruhito, Emperor Akihito's eldest son, will ascend the throne the next day.