Princess' 'pregnancy' may cause uproar
From: Agence France-Presse
February 07, 2006 PRINCESS Kiko, the wife of the Japanese emperor's second son Akishino, was pregnant, reports said today, potentially influencing the debate on historic moves to end male-only succession.
Princess Kiko, 39, would have her third child in the autumn, Kyodo News said, quoting the Imperial Household Agency.
An agency spokesman had no immediate comment.
No boy has been born to the imperial family since 1965, leading the government to propose historic changes to the world's oldest monarchy, which according to legend has lasted more than 2600 years.
Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako have one child, four-year-old Princess Aiko. Princess Masako, 42, a US-educated former career woman, makes few public appearances due to stress amid intense pressure to bear a boy.
If Princess Kiko has a boy, it could dramatically change the succession debate as another boy would be in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has pledged to present the revisions to imperial law before parliament by June, but conservatives have stepped up a campaign against maternal succession.
Opinion polls show overwhelming support for letting Princess Aiko sit on the throne, making her Japan's first reigning empress since the 18th century, amid sympathy for Princess Masako.
But conservatives are particularly angry that the proposal would permanently change succession rules by putting the first child of the monarch, either an emperor or empress, first in line to the throne.
A poll published yesterday said about 63 per cent favour letting a woman ascend the throne and putting her children next in line, overwhelming the 21 per cent who oppose ending Japan's unbroken imperial succession through fathers.
But support has dropped from 77 per cent in November and 81 per cent in February last year, said the survey by the Nihon Keizai Shimbun economic daily.
Takeo Hiranuma, a former economy and industry minister who is an outspoken opponent of mother-line succession, has expressed fears that Princess Aiko could marry a Westerner before becoming empress, permanently changing the blood of the imperial line.
Opponents have suggested choosing a future husband for Princess Aiko or restoring royal status to members of the family who lost their titles under US occupation as a cost-cutting measure after World War II.
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