Princess Ayako, the third daughter of Emperor Akihito's late cousin Prince Takamado and Princess Hisako, is known as a bright and hard-working person with keen interests in sports and welfare activities.
Born on Sept. 15, 1990, Princess Ayako was 12 years old when her father suddenly died of a heart attack at age 47 and grew up seeing her mother perform public duties while trying to overcome the grief of losing her husband.