Princess Aiko, the only child of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, turned 23 years old on December 1.

She visited her grandparents Emperor Emeritus Akihito and Empress Emerita Michiko to offer her greetings on her birthday.

In April, Aiko began working at the Japanese Red Cross Society while gaining experience as a member of the imperial family.

Imperial Household Agency officials said she finds her job at the Red Cross's youth and volunteer section rewarding.

They said the princess is tackling her daily tasks diligently while surrounded by consid-erate supervisors and senior colleagues.

During her first solo official duty as an imperial family member in regional Japan, Aiko visited Saga Prefecture in the country's southwest in October and heard about activities there to support disaster victims.

Officials said she reconfirmed the importance for a wide range of stakeholders to coop-erate in preparing for disasters.

In the afternoon on December 1, Aiko, accompanied by Emperor Naruhito, received birthday wishes from agency staff members.

Empress Masako canceled her participation in the event at the last minute.