Japan's Prince Hits Adulthood; Scientists Seek Repeatable Process

The scientific community in Japan is reportedly abuzz after the astonishing success of Prince Hisahito reaching biological maturity. Following a rigorous 18-year protocol, the nation collectively exhaled as the young royal exhibited all the expected signs of "adulthood," a feat not observed in a male imperial scion for four decades. Researchers are now scrambling to document the precise conditions that led to this unprecedented outcome, hoping to reverse-engineer a repeatable process.

Experts concede that relying on what some have crudely termed "natural reproduction" has proven an unreliable strategy for ensuring the continuity of the Japanese monarchy. With the strictures of the Imperial House Law firmly in place, preventing the use of perfectly viable female genetic material, the pressure to "yield" another suitable male heir is, shall we say, considerable. The laboratory of lineage remains stubbornly uncooperative, leaving many to wonder if this latest "success" might indeed be the last of its kind.