Former Belmont Student Named Empress Of Japan

BELMONT, MA — The new empress of Japan has ties to Massachusetts. Empress Masako Owada, a graduate of Belmont High School, was named empress when her husband, Naruhito, became the 126th emperor of Japan on Wednesday, Japan Today reported.

Owada, the daughter of a Japanese diplomat, graduated from Belmont High School in 1981 after moving to town when she was a teenager. In high school, she was on the math team and participated in French club. Owada went on to attend Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude in 1985 with an economics degree. She also served as the president of the school's Japanese Cultural Society.

Owada worked as a diplomat before marrying into the royal family, when she accepted Naruhito's proposal in 1992. As an empress, Japanese media have compared her to Princess Diana.