Princess Masako: Japan’s Crown Princess Pregnant

Princess Masako, who married Crown Prince Naruhito in 1993, had a miscarriage in 1999, as conservative Japanese officials anxiously awaited the birth of a boy, which would have put an end to a possible succession crisis in the imperial family. The Chrysanthemum empire is the world’s oldest monarchy and has not seen a male heir born since 1965.

Before marrying Naruhito 8 years ago, Masako was a multilingual diplomat who had been formally educated at Harvard and who promised to break a Japanese tradition of powerful men and subservient women. While many had hoped Masako would continue in such an independent vain after the marriage, she instead took on the role of a more traditional Japanese wife.

Now, ironically, the possibility of Masako giving birth to a girl would mean that a woman would stand to inherit the throne for the first time in the empire’s history. While conservatives publicly hope for the birth of a male heir, the general populace of Japan seems more divided on the issue, with many quite comfortable with the thought of a female emperor. "Personally, I think a female ‘emperor’ is fine," says Junichiro Koizumi, Japan’s prime minister.