The Japanese Imperial Family, also known as the "Chrysanthemum Dynasty", is the longest-standing dynasty in the world.
It lasted for 2680 years and passed on for 126 generations, and it still exists today.
However, as we all know, the Japanese imperial family does not participate in politics and has no real power, and it is like a mascot.
But the status is very unusual, especially in the hearts of the older generation of Japanese, it is more like a sustenance of faith, a mascot-like existence.
Although the Japanese imperial family has huge assets and property, they are all controlled by the state, and all the expenses of the imperial family are allocated by the state treasury.
It is said that the Japanese government will allocate about 24.284 billion yen (about 1.561 billion RMB) every year as the cost of supporting the Japanese imperial family.
Of course, this is not the sole possession of the emperor, but the budget of the entire imperial family (currently 17 people).
17 people want more than 240 billion?! What is the luxury of life?
As the Japanese people become more and more concerned about the direction of their taxes, the mysterious existence of the "imperial expenses" has been unearthed and questioned again and again.
Recently, a report by the Japanese media about "the Imperial Household Agency's high-cost drug purchases" has caused heated discussions.
According to the Japanese media "Modern Business", starting from 2022, the Imperial Household Agency will purchase a large number of drugs "infliximab" for severe ulcerative colitis and other immunological diseases every year.
Ulcerative colitis is considered a rare disease in Japan, and Shinzo Abe resigned because of this disease. Abe had been treated with infliximab and improved, but then relapsed.
The drug is expensive, ordinary people may not be able to afford it, and doctors will not prescribe it casually.
For two consecutive years, the Imperial Household Agency spent 35 million yen on the purchase of this medicine in large quantities.
If it continues this year, it will be another huge expense.
For this reason, everyone can't help but wonder who is using this drug?
Some people speculate that it is Concubine Kiko of the Akishino Palace family.
According to the news at the beginning of this year, Concubine Ji Zifei has been in poor health since last year, with gastrointestinal discomfort, so serious that she can't eat, and she has been absent from many official activities.
And in the personnel changes announced by the Imperial Household Agency in April this year, a doctor specializing in inflammatory bowel disease was invited to serve as the personal doctor of the Akishino family.
In addition, what is more concerning is that which part of the money to buy medicine belongs to?
Although it is the responsibility of the Imperial Household Agency to manage the health of the Imperial Family, it always feels like the medical expenses of the Imperial Family are like a black box, vague...
To this end, "Modern Business" also gave you a good introduction to the "royal wallet".
It is understood that the accounts of the Imperial Household Agency of Japan are roughly divided into 4 parts: Imperial Household Agency fees, palace fees, Inner Court fees and imperial family fees.
The Imperial Household Agency fee is the cost of operating the Imperial Household Agency.
The Imperial Household Agency is Japan's agency responsible for the affairs of the Emperor, the Imperial Family, and the Imperial Palace. This includes assisting the Emperor in receiving foreign envoys, holding ceremonies, and keeping the Imperial Seal and State Seal.
The budget for FY2024 is about 12 billion yen, of which about 90% is for employees.
It is understood that the current staff of the Imperial Household Agency is about 1,050 people, and the average annual salary per capita is tens of millions!
Court fees, court fees, and royal family fees are collectively referred to as "royal fees".
Court fees, funds for official activities of the royal family.
There are many complex items, including ceremonies, foreign visits by members of the Imperial Family, greeting state guests, and management of Imperial Assets, and the budget varies from year to year, to 9,553,810,000 yen in FY2024.
The Cabinet Fee refers to the personal expenses of the "Imperial Family", that is, the Emperor's family, including clothing, food, housing, transportation, and living expenses, and is set at 324 million yen per year.
At present, there are 5 members of the Imperial Family, including the Emperor and his wife, Princess Aiko, and the Emperor and Empress.
Imperial fees are the personal expenses of members of the imperial family other than the emperor's family, and vary from one palace to another, depending on the number of people and the status of their own livelihood.
For example, the Akishinomiya family of 4 people, because Akishinomiya became the first heir in 2019, the amount has increased, and this year it is 122.5 million yen.
Secondly, the Tokinomiya family (2 people) 45.75 million yen, the Mikasa family (4 people) 58.56 million yen, and the Takaennomiya family (2 people) 36.9 million yen.
If the court fee is the public fund of the imperial family, then the court fee and the imperial family fee are the private part, which is equivalent to the salary paid to the royal family, and is also called "Gote Yuanjin".
These royal relatives are free to buy things for personal use, make financial investments, and so on.
The Imperial Household Agency discloses the amount and purpose of the "Imperial Family Fee" to Japanese citizens, i.e., taxpayers, but the public cannot ask whether it is reasonable or not.
For example, the Imperial Household Agency discloses the reasons for the expenditure of court expenses, but there are only general categories, such as "966 million yen for ceremonial expenses" and "1,867 million yen for the maintenance of the Imperial Palace and other facilities"...
Looking at it this way, the fact that Qiu Shino Palace spent more than 40 billion yuan to repair the house is indeed enough to surprise people.
However, the Japanese media still found the details of individual expenditures from other public sources.
For example, the Imperial Palace's electricity bill.
Since the Imperial Palace covers an area the size of 25 Tokyo Domes, in fiscal 2023, the cost of "electricity use in the Imperial Palace" will be 71,343 yen.
PS: The Imperial Palace is where members of the Imperial Family live and work, but currently only the Emperor's family of three and the Imperial Household Agency live.
The electricity bill of 700 million yen a year (about 35 million RMB) is equivalent to 58 million yen a month!! You must know that the average Japanese household pays about 5,000~10,000 yen a month.
In addition, the electricity bill in Akasaka, where the Akishinomiya Palace is located, in fiscal 2022, was 4.31 million yen (about 200,000 RMB).
This can't help but remind people of Concubine Jizi's "thrifty personality" not long ago, eating radish leaves, bringing food to his son, printing paper is used repeatedly, and the lights are not turned on at home in order to save electricity...
Also, the cost of the royal pasture.
At the beginning of May, the Emperor and his wife and Princess Aiko went to the "Goryo Ranch" in Tochigi Prefecture to recuperate, which also costs a lot of money every year.
Like what:
In 2018, it spent 10.69 million yuan to buy the core animal "breeding ewe" of the pasture;
In 2021, I spent another 7.89 million yen on the "stallion (Cleveland chestnut stallion)".
In 2023, it will cost 6.04 million yen and 5.45 million yen to buy straw and horse feed, respectively...
Then there's the out-of-office fee.
The emperor and his wife traveling together are called "Yukikokei", and they need to be accompanied by a large number of people, and the cost is naturally high.
On September 11, 2023, the Imperial Family paid 840,000 yen in the name of "the Emperor's and Empress's accommodation expenses", which was the cost of the Emperor and his wife attending the "National Maritime Enrichment Construction Conference" in Hokkaido at that time.
If you are visiting overseas, the cost is even greater.
On May 4~7, 2023, Akishino Palace will take Princess Kiko to visit the United Kingdom to attend Charles's coronation ceremony.
AT THAT TIME, THE COUPLE STAYED AT CLARIDGE'S, A FIVE-STAR HOTEL IN LONDON, AND THE COST OF A TWO-NIGHT STAY WAS 20.59 MILLION YEN.
In addition, there are 14.62 million yen for airfare, 2.27 million yen for local buses, and 2.67 million yen for the "luggage handling service" of the Akishinomiya couple.
And Princess Yoshiko's visit to Peru for 10 days in November 2023 will cost 4.54 million yen in hotels.
Depending on where to visit, the number of days you stay, the number of royals traveling, and so on, the amount can vary greatly.
On top of that, there are all sorts of weird fees.
The cost of storing the artworks in the Imperial Palace is 8.54 million yen
Buy news 2,290,000 yen
The royal hot spring fee is 3.04 million
The biological survey fee in the Imperial Palace is 4.95 million yen
The mausoleum management fee is 3,630,000 yen
The production cost of the Imperial DVD is 1.66 million yen
......
Such a large amount of expenses has made many Japanese taxpayers dissatisfied:
"Obviously I'm living a tight life, and I still have to pay taxes to support the royal family?"
"Is there still a need for the royal family to exist?"
"Gold Burning Mascot"
"In the current situation where everyone is said to be equal, why should the royal family with a huge amount of expenses for social animal support?"
"My hard-earned money!"
"Tax Mud Stick (Thief)"
......
However, in the hearts of some people, especially the older generation of Japanese, the status of the Japanese imperial family is still very high, and it is more like a sustenance of faith.
There is or abolition, full of uncertainty.
After all, the heir crisis is the biggest headache for the Japanese imperial family right now.
The Japanese imperial family has been intermarried for hundreds of years, and the emperor's blood relationship is chaotic and the number of people is not prosperous, and the selection of the heir has always been a big problem.
Today, Emperor Naruhito has only one daughter, Princess Aiko, who cannot inherit the throne under existing law.
At present, only three male heirs are eligible to inherit, one is 88 years old, one is 59 years old, and one is 18 years old.
The youngest, Yuhito, is also suspected of having intellectual problems...
END
Recently, Emperor Naruhito also made a rare statement, acknowledging that the Japanese royal family is in a succession crisis.
"The number of male members of the royal family is decreasing, facing severe ageing, and female members of the royal family are leaving the royal family when they get married," he said.
How long do you think the Japanese imperial family will last?
Netizen: Is it time for the female emperor to be arranged?
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