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Both in Japan and around the world, there is avid speculation about what she will do in her new position. Can she and her husband really shake up the Establishment? Some observers fear that the imperial household will have its way and turn her into a bland creature whose every gesture is scripted. They point to the change in the way she dresses. Never trendy, she was mildly Mod at Oxford and wore dark, dress-for-success outfits at the ministry. Since her engagement, she has abruptly switched to bright colors and conventional, almost matronly styles.
Clothes may not be the way to understand Owada, but everyone is looking for clues. "There are several key words here -- Harvard, University of Tokyo, diplomat," says investigative journalist Naoki Inose. "The family thought Masako would be marketable." Others have taken her achievements further and declared her to be Japan's version of Hillary Clinton, but that is a big stretch. Masako knows her worth just as securely, but she is too reserved to have either Hillary's very American assumptions or her bumptiousness.
Yoshimi Ishikawa, author of several books on Japan and America, believes a change from the rampant secrecy surrounding imperial life would be a very healthy thing. "Masako Owada has the capacity to be a star. The Japanese like people who study hard -- her educational career gives her charisma." He thinks she has a chance to open up a closed world. "The prince loves her so much that if she wants change, he may help. If Masako Owada can make a good bridge between the family and the people, maybe we can create a new era of Japanese history." Eloquently stated, and a goal worth striving for, but if Masako-san wants to build that bridge, she'll have to be a hell of an engineer.