By
The Associated Press
TOKYO - Japan reacted with joy yesterday as the palace announced that Crown Princess Masako appears to be pregnant. If she gives birth to a boy, he would be the first potential heir to the ancient Chrysanthemum Throne born in more than 30 years.
Palace officials made the announcement in a brief news conference. They offered little further information other than to say the 37-year-old princess is "showing signs" that she is pregnant.
Masako, a graduate of Harvard University and a former diplomat in Japan's Foreign Ministry, wed Crown Prince Naruhito in 1993. She suffered a miscarriage in December 1999, weeks after newspaper reports that she was pregnant touched off a media frenzy about the possibility of Japan finally having a new heir to the throne.
Palace officials were criticized then for announcing the pregnancy too early. Reflecting their extreme caution this time, officials said yesterday that a more formal announcement would not be made until there was absolutely no doubt.
But according to reports, Masako could give birth in November or early December. If she has a boy, he would be second in line to the throne after Naruhito, 41, the eldest son of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.
Although Naruhito has a younger brother, no potential heir to the throne has been born since the 1960s - a matter of concern in Japan for many years.
"It is good news. Please take care," Emperor Akihito said, according to Kyodo News agency, which quoted palace officials. Empress Michiko made similar comments, according to Kyodo.
"This is very happy news," said Kazuhiko Koshikawa, a spokesman for Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori. "But the government, along with the public, would like to quietly watch the situation."
Congratulations also came in from overseas, with Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo offering her best wishes.
"The president is excited over reports of a possible pregnancy of Japanese Crown Princess Masako," Arroyo's spokesman, Renato Corona, said in a statement.
Under Japanese law, only males are allowed to assume the throne. That tradition has come under increasing scrutiny because of the paucity of male heirs. Naruhito's brother has three young daughters, and many feel they should be made eligible to assume the throne if need be.
The palace, however, has shown no interest in changing the succession rules, putting Masako and Naruhito under intense pressure to produce an heir.
"I know that there were great expectations among the people, and I too feel that what happened at the end of the year was unfortunate," Masako said after her miscarriage in 1999.
Japan's imperial family, though decidedly circumspect and low-profile, enjoys a high level of respect among the people. Banned from political involvement since the aftermath of World War II, they are regarded as a symbol of the nation. Their main functions include bestowing cultural and social awards upon outstanding citizens and traveling abroad.
According to Japanese legend, Akihito, 67, is Japan's 125th emperor in an unbroken line from Emperor Jimmu, who ascended the throne in about 660 BC. Japan's is the oldest existing hereditary monarchy in the world.
"If it's true, it's great," Ichiro Matsushima, a 52-year-old office-worker in Tokyo, said of the news. "It would be better if it's a boy, so that he could assume the throne."
