It's a boy!

[tikistitch]

Japan's Princess Kiko gives birth to boy

TOKYO - Japan's Princess Kiko gave birth to a boy early Wednesday, the royal family's first male heir to the throne in more than 40 years, the palace announced.

The birth came about an hour after Kiko, 39, was reported to have undergone a Caesarean section. The boy is the third in line to the throne, after Crown Prince Naruhito and Kiko's husband, Prince Akishino.

So, this means Naruhito's daughter, Aiko, has been bumped down a notch in the succession? That seems kinda lame.

Comments

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

Well, that bites. I was really hoping there'd be another girl.

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I mean, I realize the Japanese hereditary ruler means nothing, but I was hoping for Empress Aiko.

[wintersweet.livejournal.com]

Me too; I thought that could have been good, symbolically.

[setsuna.livejournal.com]

Totally agreed. Now no one will be forced to challenge these stupid traditions!

[seanyoda.livejournal.com]

Actually, no. Because the Japanese royal line of succession is strictly male, Aiko was never in line for the throne.

[twotone]

I think the issue is that Japan has been seriously considering changing the rules, given the birth of Princess Aiko and the lack of a direct male heir to Naruhito. Now that there's a baby boy in the family, they no longer need to seriously consider allowing a female to become an empress.

[tikistitch.livejournal.com]

That's what they were talking about when we were there last year. (I remember all the guys with pointers on TV demonstrating big cardboard displays of the royal family tree.) Wish they'd done it before they found out the sex of the kid, but oh well.