Princess Akiko of Mikasa is a member of the Imperial House of Japan and the elder daughter of Prince Tomohito of Mikasa and Princess Tomohito of Mikasa (Nobuko). She is also the niece of Japan's 92nd prime minister Tarō Asō, great-niece of author and literary critic Ken'ichi Yoshida, and great-granddaughter of Japan's 45th prime minister Shigeru Yoshida.

The Imperial House , also referred to as the Imperial Family and the House of Yamato, is the imperial family of Japan, consisting of those members of the extended family of the reigning Emperor of Japan who undertake official and public duties. Under the present Constitution of Japan, the emperor is "the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people". Other members of the Imperial Family perform ceremonial and social duties, but have no role in the affairs of government. The duties as an emperor are passed down the line to their male children. This Japanese monarchy is the oldest continuous hereditary monarchy in the world.