The pressure may be off Japan's Crown Princess to bear a male heir
Since her marriage to Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito in 1993, Princess Masako has endured the scrutiny of a nation awaiting the birth of a son who will be the next Emperor, continuing an unbroken line of succession lasting 26 centuries.
After six years of waiting, a media frenzy erupted with speculation that the Princess was pregnant at last. While being driven to the hospital for an ultrasound, "her car was pursued by a caravan of newspaper reporters, while television cameramen hovered overhead in helicopters". Sadly, the hopes of the public and the Imperial family were dashed as the Princess suffered a miscarriage.
Two years later, a daughter was born to the couple, Princess Aiko. Her birth was publicly celebrated, but threw the royal family into a succession crisis, because by Japanese law only a male can ascend to the throne.
I have to say I was disappointed it was a girl... I hope she gives it another shot, and that next time, it'll be a boy.
Japanese woman on the street, at Princess Aiko's birth
Masako, educated at Harvard and Oxford and fluent in several languages, had a promising career as a diplomat when the Crown Prince asked her to be his wife. She refused, twice, then later shocked her friends by agreeing to join the Imperial family. Now, a dozen years of enormous pressure to produce a male heir and the rigid restrictions of royal protocol have transformed the once vibrant Masako into a shadow of her former self.
[Princess Masako] the American-educated former diplomat has been grappling with a stress-related skin disorder, mental exhaustion and -- by some accounts -- perhaps clinical depression. Headlines and royal watchers portray her as a virtual hostage to her foremost imperial duty: bearing a male heir to the Chrysanthemum Throne, the oldest hereditary monarchy on Earth.
Washington Post
Now Princess Masako is 42 years old, and the chance of having a male child seems less and less likely. In order to continue the institution of the Imperial family, Japanese law may be changing to permit the Crown Prince's daughter to ascend the throne. After a 10 month debate, a government panel has recommended "expanding imperial succession to include females and their descendants". Princess Aiko, who is approaching her 4th birthday, may one day be Empress of Japan.
Although some traditionalists oppose the change, the public overwhelmingly supports a reigning empress: an opinion poll shows 84% are in favor of changing the law to allow a woman to ascend the throne.