Princess Yuriko, the oldest member of Japan's imperial family and a cherished symbol of tradition and grace, passed away at the age of 101 on Friday.
As per the Palace officials, the wife of the brother of wartime Emperor Hirohito and the eldest member of the imperial family has passed away following a recent decline in her health.
The Imperial Household Agency at a Tokyo hospital where the Princess took her last breath.
However, the cause of death has not been revealed yet, but the Japanese media said she died of pneumonia.
She was born in 1923 as an aristocrat and at the age of 18, Yuriko tied the knot with Prince Mikasa, the younger brother of Hirohito and the uncle of current Emperor Naruhito.
Princess Yuriko has five children and she also helped Mikasa in her studies of ancient Near Eastern history.
Alongside this, she also fulfilled her royal responsibilities by engaging in charitable work.
She survived her husband and outlived all three of her sons.
After her death, the Japanese imperial family was reduced to 16 people, including four men, as the country faced the challenges of maintaining the royal family while conservatives in the governing party insisted on retaining male-only succession.
