JAPAN: Specialists

Empress Nagako gave patriotic Japanese the jitters by producing four daughters before giving birth in 1933 to a son and heir to the world’s oldest unbroken dynasty. Cute, deadpan Crown Prince Akihito (“The prince of the August Succession and Enlightened Benevolence”) is now five years old, has his own palace, likes to climb trees and ride on the palace lawn in his toy automobile and bicycle. Twenty young sons of peers come to play with him in shifts on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Last week four more noble playmates with special talents were chosen to match Akihito’s varying moods: Yasuo Nishi, 7, accomplished pilot of baby automobiles; Yoshitska Torio, 7, very good at drawing; Takatoshi Kinoshita, 6, a singer and athlete; and Tsuyo Mishima, 7, brilliant toy soldier tactician.