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| Japanese Princess Kiko. |
Japan's Princess Kiko gave birth on Wednesday to a baby boy - the first male heir to be born into the ancient imperial family in more than four decades, the Imperial Household Agency said on Wednesday.
The birth of a boy, who will be third in line after his uncle and his father, is likely to dampen debate on letting womeninherit the throne.
An Imperial Household Agency official told reporters Kiko had given birth by a Caesarean operation to the 2,558 gram boy at 8:27 a.m. (2327 GMT).
Kyodo news agency quoted sources as saying both mother and baby were fine.
No imperial boys had been born since Kiko's husband, Prince Akishino, in 1965, raising the possibility of a succession crisis. Crown Prince Naruhito, 46, and Crown Princess Masako, 42 have one child, 4-year-old Princess Aiko.
Japanese emperors are no longer worshipped as gods since Hirohito renounced his divinity after Japan's defeat in World War Two, and have no political authority.
But the monarchy remains rich with symbolism and ritual and the birth of a possible imperial heir hadmesmerizedthe media.
Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had planned to revise the law to give women equal rights to ascend the throne, but Kiko's pregnancy had alreadyput the proposal on hold.
Not all Japanese, however, were likely to be equally gleeful about the birth of a boy, which is expected to scuttle prospects for a reform that would have allowed Aiko to become Japan's first reigning empress since the 18th century.
(Agencies)
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據日本皇室家庭代辦處消息，日本王妃紀子今天產下一名男嬰，這是40多年來日本皇室首次迎來男性繼承人。
這名男嬰的皇位繼承順位僅次于他的叔叔（皇太子）和父親（文仁秋筱宮親王），成為第三皇位繼承人。而他的出生也終于可以讓有關“女性繼承王位”的爭論偃旗息鼓。
日本宮內廳的一位官員說，紀子王妃于當地時間8時27分剖腹產生下一名5斤多重的男嬰。
日本共同社報道說，母子平安。
自1965年紀子的丈夫文仁秋筱宮親王出生后，日本皇室一直未添男丁，因此一時間出現了繼承人危機。46歲的皇太子德仁和42歲的皇太妃雅子只有一個4歲的女兒愛子公主。
自從裕仁天皇在日本二戰戰敗后宣布放棄神格化的地位，日本天皇再也得不到民眾神一般的崇拜，而且政治權威也喪失殆盡。
但是天皇作為一種信仰的象征，仍然享有很高的地位。所以，一個有望成為王位繼承人的男嬰的出生還是受到了媒體的極大關注。
此前，日本首相小泉純一郎計劃修改法律，使女性也能得到王位繼承權，但是自從紀子王妃懷孕后，這個計劃就被擱置了。
但是，并非所有的日本人對這個男嬰的出生感到高興，因為如果法律修改成功，愛子公主便能成為18世紀以來日本歷史上的首位女天皇，但這名男嬰的出生則讓這個愿望破滅了。
(英語點津姍姍編輯)
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