Takahito, Prince Mikasa (三笠宮崇仁親王 Mikasa-no-miya Takahito Shinnō, 2 December 1915 – 27 October 2016) was a member of the Imperial House of Japan who was fifth in the line of succession to the Japanese throne. He was the fourth and youngest son of Emperor Taishō and Empress Teimei and was their last surviving child. He was the only surviving paternal uncle of Emperor Akihito. His eldest brother was Emperor Shōwa (Hirohito). With the death of his sister-in-law, Kikuko, Princess Takamatsu, on 17 December 2004, he became the oldest living member of the Imperial House of Japan. After serving as a junior cavalry officer in the Japanese Imperial Army during World War II, the prince embarked upon a postwar career as a scholar and part-time lecturer in Middle Eastern studies and Semitic languages.

As a centenarian, Prince Takahito was the oldest living royal, and the oldest living prince in line of succession. Prince Mikasa died at 100 on 27 October 2016.

Early life

Prince Mikasa was promoted to lieutenant (first class) in 1937; to captain in 1939; and to major in 1941.

According to Daniel Barenblatt, Prince Mikasa received, with Prince Tsuneyoshi Takeda, a special screening by Shirō Ishii of a film showing airplanes loading germ bombs for bubonic plague dessemination over the Chinese city of Ningbo in 1940. He also was given a film of Japanese atrocities, possibly linked to the footage used in The Battle of China, and was so moved that he made Emperor Hirohito watch the film.

Prince Mikasa served as a staff officer in the Headquarters of the China Expeditionary Army at Nanjing, China from January 1943 to January 1944. His role was intended to bolster the legitimacy of the Wang Jingwei regime and to coordinate with Japanese Army staff towards a peace initiative, but his efforts were totally undermined by the Operation Ichi-Go campaign launched by the Imperial General Headquarters.

In 1994, a newspaper revealed that after his return to Tokyo, he wrote a stinging indictment of the conduct of the Imperial Japanese Army in China, where the Prince had witnessed Japanese atrocities against Chinese civilians. The Army General Staff suppressed the document, but one copy survived and surfaced in 1994.

Prince Mikasa served as a staff officer in the Army Section of the Imperial General Headquarters in Tokyo until Japan's surrender in August 1945. After the end of the war, the Prince spoke before the Privy Council, urging that Hirohito abdicate to take responsibility for the war.

Marriage

On 22 October 1941, Prince Mikasa married Yuriko Takagi (born 4 June 1923), the second daughter of the late Viscount Masanari Takagi. Prince and Princess Mikasa have five children, of whom two are still living. In addition to their five children, they have nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren as of 2015. The couple's two daughters left the Imperial Family upon marriage. All of their sons predeceased them.

• Yasuko Konoe (formerly Princess Yasuko of Mikasa (甯子内親王 Yasuko Naishinno, born 26 April 1944); married on 16 December 1966 to Mr. Tadateru Konoe, younger brother of former Prime Minister Morihiro Hosokawa and adopted grandson (and heir) of former Prime Minister Fumimaro Konoe, currently President of the Japanese Red Cross Society; has a son, Tadahiro, who has three children.
• Prince Tomohito of Mikasa (寬仁親王 Tomohito Shinnō, 5 January 1946 – 6 June 2012); heir apparent; married on 7 November 1980 to Miss Nobuko Asō (born 9 April 1955), third daughter of the late Mr. Takakichi Asō, chairman of Aso Cement Co., and his wife, Kazuko, the daughter of former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida; had two daughters.
• Yoshihito, Prince Katsura (桂宮宜仁親王 Katsura-no-miya Yoshihito Shinnō, 11 February 1948 – 8 June 2014); created Katsura-no-miya on 1 January 1988.
• Masako Sen (formerly Princess Masako of Mikasa (容子内親王 Masako Naishinnō, born 23 October 1951); married on 14 October 1983 to Mr. Sōshitsu Sen (born 7 June 1956), the elder son of Sōshitsu Sen XV, and currently the sixteenth hereditary grand master (iemoto) of the Urasenke Japanese tea ceremony School; and has two sons, Akifumi and Takafumi, and a daughter, Makiko.
• Norihito, Prince Takamado (高円宮憲仁親王 Takamado-no-miya Norihito Shinnō, 29 December 1954 – 21 November 2002); created Takamado-no-miya on 1 December 1984; married on 6 December 1984 to Miss Hisako Tottori (born 10 July 1953), eldest daughter of Mr. Shigejiro Tottori, former President, Mitsui & Co. in France; and had three daughters.

Post-war career

After the defeat of Japan in World War II, many members of the imperial family, such as Princes Chichibu, Takamatsu and Higashikuni, pressured then Emperor Hirohito to abdicate so that one of the Princes could serve as regent until Crown Prince Akihito came of age. On 27 February 1946, Prince Mikasa even stood up in the privy council and indirectly urged the emperor to step down and accept responsibility for Japan's defeat. U.S. General of the Army Douglas MacArthur insisted that Emperor Hirohito retain the throne. According to Minister of Welfare Ashida's diary, "Everyone seemed to ponder Mikasa's words. Never have I seen His Majesty's face so pale."

After the war, Prince Mikasa enrolled in the Literature Faculty of Tokyo University and pursued advanced studies in archeology, Middle Eastern studies, and Semitic languages. From 1954 until his death in 2016, he directed the Japanese Society for Middle East Studies. He was honorary president of the Japan Society of Orientology. The Prince had held visiting and guest faculty appointments in Middle Eastern studies and archeology at various universities in Japan and abroad, including: Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, Aoyama Gakuin, Tokyo Woman's Christian University, the University of London, the University of Hokkaido and the University of Shizuoka.

Due to his advanced age, towards the end of his life, Prince Mikasa rarely made public appearances, and regularly used a wheelchair. He underwent heart surgery in 2012, and made a full recovery. His routine included exercising for about 30 minutes each day with his wife at their Tokyo residence, and he often went outdoors for a roll in his wheelchair. He continued to read newspapers, and enjoyd watching sumo and music programs on television. On 2 December 2015, he became the first member of the imperial family to become a centenarian. On his 100th birthday, he said, "Nothing will change just because I turn 100 years old. I'd like to spend my days pleasantly and peacefully while praying for the happiness of people around the world and thanking my wife, Yuriko, who has been supporting me for more than 70 years."

The residence of Prince and Princess Mikasa is located within the grounds of the Akasaka Estate in Motoakasaka, Minato, Tokyo.