World

Royal Birth Raises QQs In Japan

December 1, 2001 / 5:46 PM EST / AP

The birth of a daughter Saturday to Japan's royal couple prompted an outpouring of joy but also a little apprehension in a country where only males can assume the throne.

As the nation celebrated the first child born to Crown Princess Masako after eight years of marriage to the heir to the throne, Crown Prince Naruhito, the prime minister faced calls to abandon the controversial law forbidding women from reigning.

The new princess, born at 6½ pounds, won't be named until next week. Both mother and daughter were reported in good condition at the hospital in the Imperial Palace.

"I am delighted about the safe delivery," said 41-year-old Naruhito, next in line for the Chrysanthemum Throne after his father, Emperor Akihito.

Thousands of well-wishers gathered outside the moat-ringed palace, waiting to sign a congratulatory book. Another 10,000 people were expected to join in a lantern festival outside the palace gates Sunday.

The elaborate rituals surrounding a royal birth began Saturday when court messengers placed by the princess's pillow the sword and deep purple robes of silk symbolizing her lofty position.

But after the festivities taper off, focus will likely shift to who will succeed the new father.

The imperial family hasn't had a boy since Naruhito's younger brother, Prince Akishino, was born in 1965.

The lack of potential heirs has caused considerable anxiety in Japan, prompting calls for a revision of the law so that women can also be in line to the throne.

Palace doctor Masayuki Kawaguchi held out hope that Masako, 37, could still produce a son.

"This accomplishment gives confidence and hope to both the crown prince and crown princess for the future," he said.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi called the new princess "a symbol of the imperial family's further prosperity."

While Koizumi has said he would not be against changing the male-heir law, he said Saturday that doing so would require a cautious approach, Kyodo News reported.

The imperial household faced a far more serious succession issue in the late 1920s and early 1930s, when Empress Nagako gave birth to four girls in a row.

Alarmed palace officials urged Emperor Hirohito to take a concubine, as tradition dictated, but he refused. Finally, Nagako gave birth to Akihito.

Japan's last reigning empress was Gosakuramachi, who ascended in 1762. But a law was written after World War II to codify the recent tradition of men-only.

It was part of the legal changes that also redefined the emperor as a ceremonial leader, rather than a divine ruler. Polls now suggest most Japanese support a change.

Japan wouldn't be the first country to change such a law. Sweden scrapped its male-only ascension law in 1980 to clear the way for Crown Princess Victoria. Her brother was born later.

Still, the birth gave some much-needed good news to Japan, eager for a diversion from gloomy economic reports. Many people expressed happiness that the baby ws simply healthy. Masako suffered a miscarriage in 1999.

"It doesn't matter if it's a girl or a boy," said Kyoko Migata, a 21-year-old college student on her way to the palace to join the festivities. "I'm more interested in what they will name the baby."

Naruhito, eldest son of Akihito and Empress Michiko, had courted Masako for years before finally winning her hand in marriage in 1993.

After marrying Naruhito, Masako quit her post as a career diplomat at Japan's Foreign Ministry and has kept a low profile. It was disappointment for many who hoped Masako, who attended Harvard and Oxford and is fluent in five languages, would add new flair to the staid royal household.

Next week, the baby will have a ceremonial bath as scholars in ancient court dress pluck at strings of wooden bows to ward off evil spirits and an imperial staffer reads from an 8th century Japanese history text.

After the bath, Akihito will name the baby and a messenger will deliver the news to the prince and princess.

The origins of the imperial family are clouded in myth, which holds that the royal family is directly descended from the sun goddess. Most historians agree it is at least 1,500 years old.