Princess Kiko is Pregnant for the 3rd time

[Eliza]

I think alot of members will agree that this pregnacy is rather fishy given the circumstances surrounding the IH lack of an heir. That being said, i'm almost positive that the IHA wouldn't risk this 3 pregnacy unless they knew for sure it's a boy and i'm pretty sure it'll be a boy. There's too much at stake.

I think overall it's so sad...the arrival of another baby should a joyous affair and not one marred by whether it's a boy.

Although i respect the tradition of the IH and the customs of the Japanese, i find the IHA disgusting and should all be fired!

 

[monica17]

I certainly agree it is their right to know or not, and more than anything, I am hoping for a healthy child. That said, you guys, I'm afraid I am very cynical about what the press releases as "official" and what is really going on. I personally think recent photos of Akishino look like he is the cat who has swallowed the canary -- I am just sure they know it is a boy.

I did think that, too. It's really a murky matter. And all bec. of the IHA and the conservatives. Having a baby is great, but the circumstances are certainly not.... normal.

 

[monica17]

I think alot of members will agree that this pregnacy is rather fishy given the circumstances surrounding the IH lack of an heir. That being said, i'm almost positive that the IHA wouldn't risk this 3 pregnacy unless they knew for sure it's a boy and i'm pretty sure it'll be a boy. There's too much at stake.

I think overall it's so sad...the arrival of another baby should a joyous affair and not one marred by whether it's a boy.

Although i respect the tradition of the IH and the customs of the Japanese, i find the IHA disgusting and should all be fired!

I agree...... the IHA is certainly powerful and they can do what they want or think what is right. And Japan is certainly rich and advanced, so anything is possible.

Your last thought (all the IHA staff and officials being fired) is... impossible. I wonder how it became so powerful... But I'm not giving up on miracles yet.

 

[Sancia]

Oh, so Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko don't want to know the gender of their new baby. Very proper. It's their child, no matter if a boy or girl, and that's the important thing.

That's the official version of the story, but I wouldn't be surprised if in a month or two, everyone know the sex of the child.

 

[iowabelle]

My bet is that the Imperial Household Agency knows its gender, regardless of the wishes of the baby's parents.

The Japanese royals don't seem to have much control over their living conditions, let alone their destinies.

 

[margotantoinette]

My bet is that the Imperial Household Agency knows its gender, regardless of the wishes of the baby's parents.

The Japanese royals don't seem to have much control over their living conditions, let alone their destinies.

I completely agree. It's a real shame that this day and age there is such pressure to have the "right" kind of child. Poor Masako and Aiko!

 

[Amina]

I really hope Princess Kiko's baby is a boy. I don't want to see the succession law changed just because the Crown Princess cannot produce an heir. This is tradition down the drain. It should be an Emperor on the throne. The succession law should only be changed if there is no choice.

I don't agree with you at all, you have to remember that PM had a 'nervous breakdown' due to all the pressure she was put on to have a boy!!!! The sex of a baby is NEVER a guarantee which is why Japan NEEDS to change its sucession laws.

 

[Maud Alexandra]

Ancient succession-laws

If you go WAY back in japanese history I read somewhere that the throne used to pass through the female line and the man becoming emperor only did so on basis of marrying the heiress to the throne.

 

[CrownPrinceLorenzo]

If you go WAY back in japanese history I read somewhere that the throne used to pass through the female line and the man becoming emperor only did so on basis of marrying the heiress to the throne.

Japan used to be Semi-Salic, all the sovereign have been on the male-line. Females reign if there are no suitable male heirs, but they never really passed on the throne to their descendants because they usually were childless and umarried, or they would abdicate in favor of a new male heir. It wasn't until Meiji's Restoration that they banned females from ruling (They applied Prussian Salic Law)

There was an Empress(Gemmei) that abdicated in favor of her daughter(Gensho). But her daughter later abdicated in favor of her nephew(Shomu). But the sovereign is always a male-line child.

All the sovereign has had Emperor on their father's side. This is what most of the conservatives worry about. They would probably let Aiko reign, but they wouldn't wan't her descendants to rule.

 

[Elinha]

I do not know if already it was spoken by here...
I would like that the baby would be a boy, to vary... but I more am inclined than the baby would be a girl, therefore it is as a lesson for the imperial family, so that they accepted the women in the throne and to change the laws. Therefore so far a son was not born. This is interesting well...Well, goes to wait until the birth.

 

[margotantoinette]

I know some members have already mentioned this theory, but agree with everyone who thinks that the IHA knows something we don't. It seems very uncommon, even when not dealing with royalty and potential heirs to thrones, to announce a pregnancy this early, especially when the mother is as old as Kiko is. While I'm reasonably able to be convinced that Kiko and Akishino don't know the sex of the baby, I would not be surprised at all by future revelations that the IHA knew it was a boy. Otherwise why take the risk of announcing so early, which will in all likelihood stop discussions of changing the succession laws to allow Aiko to become Empress?

 

[msleiman]

I hate to say this but here goes. Do you think that they have planned all of this and have some other baby. They could do a switch and just say that this is the baby boy they have be praying for. I really do not put anything pass them. This whole thing is just crazy. Women should be able to take the throne.

 

[soCal girl]

Is there any new news on Princess Kiko's pregnancy. There hasn't been any postings/news for awhile which means the IHA must be hush-hush right now. Does anyone know when she's due? It must be within a couple months by now.

 

[mandyy]

Is there any new news on Princess Kiko's pregnancy. There hasn't been any postings/news for awhile which means the IHA must be hush-hush right now. Does anyone know when she's due? It must be within a couple months by now.

You can go to Prince Akishino and Princess Kiko's current new thread.
She had an appearance recently and underwent a religious ritual today.
http://www.theroyalforums.com/forums/f68/prince-akishino-princess-kiko-current-events-6616-6.html

 

[dlws92]

How Could the IHA know?

I agree that the IHA accounced the pregnancy early to derail the discussion about allowing women to ascend the throne...but how could they know the gender?

I have a couple of ideas....one could be that the couple had a sperm sorting procedure to increase the odds of having a boy. The only other idea I could come up with is that Princess Kiko had a CVS test done. Its very common in the states when a women is of advanced maternal age to find abnormalities...but I also think it tells you the gender.

Any other ideas?

 

[Elspeth]

The official announcement of the pregnancy was toward the end of Februrary, when they said she was three months' pregnant. Since the story broke couple of weeks earlier, when she'd have been between two and three months pregnant, that would have been far enough along for something like a CVS test to have been done.

 

[Laviollette]

...I have a couple of ideas....one could be that the couple had a sperm sorting procedure to increase the odds of having a boy. The only other idea I could come up with is that Princess Kiko had a CVS test done. Its very common in the states when a women is of advanced maternal age to find abnormalities...but I also think it tells you the gender.

Any other ideas?

They may have had help conceiving but to what extent, we'll never know. Kiko may have just had shots to boost egg production or she and Akishino went through the IVF process. If doctors did some sort of sperm sorting thing to increase the chances of a boy, I wonder why Masako and Naruhito didn't do the same since they clearly had help conceiving Aiko. I'm skeptical of this whole scenario though. I think Kiko received minimal help conceiving and truly does not know the sex of her baby.

 

[Lady Night Stalker]

Personally I think that if this new baby is a boy it might not be such a bad thing. I mean, has anyone ever given any thought to the possibility that Masaki might NOT want her daughter to become the next emperess? Given the emotional strains she was under and from what I have been given to understand it seems like its quite stressful to just be a member of the royal family much less a ruler. Think about it. Perhaps Aiko's parents might actually prefer their daughter to have a shot at a normal life and not one where she is constantly groomed to be an emperess. If she became the heiress than her whole life would be placed under a miscrope. The poor girl would probably have a hell of a time just finding a suitable husband much less true love. If this new baby is a boy maybe it will mean Aiko might have a chance to live a full life.

 

[soCal girl]

Personally I think that if this new baby is a boy it might not be such a bad thing. I mean, has anyone ever given any thought to the possibility that Masaki might NOT want her daughter to become the next emperess? Given the emotional strains she was under and from what I have been given to understand it seems like its quite stressful to just be a member of the royal family much less a ruler. Think about it. Perhaps Aiko's parents might actually prefer their daughter to have a shot at a normal life and not one where she is constantly groomed to be an emperess. If she became the heiress than her whole life would be placed under a miscrope. The poor girl would probably have a hell of a time just finding a suitable husband much less true love. If this new baby is a boy maybe it will mean Aiko might have a chance to live a full life.

This is very true and I have thought about this as well. But this would be the perfect time and situation for the IHA to be forced to recognize that a girl can be Empress and her future descendants can be heirs to the throne even if she marries a commoner. If this baby is a boy, things will most likely stay the same and girls will still be considered in the eyes of the IHA as insignificant. If the succession law changes now it would save a lot of hassle for future generations.

 

[Elspeth]

It isn't just a case of Aiko not being Empress. There's propaganda being put out in Japan which is turning public opinion against the notion of Naruhito being Emperor, and giving up his position to his brother. There's also apparently propaganda being put about that Aiko is retarded and Masako is driving a wedge between her family and the rest of the royals, and that it would be an awfully good idea for her to either divorce or commit suicide. It seems as though the pressure on that family is becoming rather intense.

 

[Elspeth]

I agree that the IHA accounced the pregnancy early to derail the discussion about allowing women to ascend the throne...but how could they know the gender?

I have a couple of ideas....one could be that the couple had a sperm sorting procedure to increase the odds of having a boy. The only other idea I could come up with is that Princess Kiko had a CVS test done. Its very common in the states when a women is of advanced maternal age to find abnormalities...but I also think it tells you the gender.

Any other ideas?

Preimplantation genetic diagnosis would be a very early way of determining which gender you have:

http://www.ivf-infertility.com/ivf/pgd.php

If that's what it takes for the Japanese royal family to have a boy, they really should give serious thought to this reform, but of course they won't.

 

[monica17]

It isn't just a case of Aiko not being Empress. There's propaganda being put out in Japan which is turning public opinion against the notion of Naruhito being Emperor, and giving up his position to his brother. There's also apparently propaganda being put about that Aiko is retarded and Masako is driving a wedge between her family and the rest of the royals, and that it would be an awfully good idea for her to either divorce or commit suicide. It seems as though the pressure on that family is becoming rather intense.

This is just too awful for words. We're talking about people here, human beings. How could anyone think of those things just to force out certain persons out of their heritage? I seem to have read that Masako is getting bad press lately. What's the big deal, it's not as if being Emperor of Japan is really empowering or that position entails a lot of personal wealth? About Masako getting divorced or committing suicide, that's just too much. What I read before is that the divorce scenario is being pushed in the media, and before Naruhito gets to be Emperor because no Emperor in the past has divorced his wife. And Aiko is retarded? Very unlikely. Everything is just so muddled and getting nastier.

 

[Elspeth]

You might find the Pandora's box articles on this page interesting; I think they've been quite well researched:

http://www.etoile.co.uk/Japan/History.html

I might have linked to them before, but they're worth a read.

 

[Emily]

I read the last Pandora's box concerning the situation with Masako. It certainly doesn't sound like Masako and Naruhito's situation is very good...the IHA seems to have it in for both of them. Maybe "Fumihito" and Kiko will have a boy -- that may alleviate the future for Aiko but will it really do much for Masako? She'll still become Empress and have to deal with the onerous IHA for her lifetime.

In addition, that article you reference saying Aiko is retarded -- good law!, I'm sure the kid is brilliant.

 

[soCal girl]

Even if Aiko doesn't become Empress, I doubt the IHA will ever truly disappear from her life. If she marries a commoner then she will have to give up her title but her parents are the future Emperor and Empress. So even though Aiko may not be the next Empress, she'll still be stuck somewhat.

 

[monica17]

You might find the Pandora's box articles on this page interesting; I think they've been quite well researched:

http://www.etoile.co.uk/Japan/History.html

I might have linked to them before, but they're worth a read.

Yes, I have read that one before. The details are very sad; I doubt if all that was made up. Poor Masako!

 

[monica17]

Even if Aiko doesn't become Empress, I doubt the IHA will ever truly disappear from her life. If she marries a commoner then she will have to give up her title but her parents are the future Emperor and Empress. So even though Aiko may not be the next Empress, she'll still be stuck somewhat.

No doubt about that. The IHA will still "dictate" her life until she marries or renounces her royal position...I have read that the Imperial Princesses can choose to opt out of being royal at a certain age. But this hasn't been done. I wonder how the other Imperial Princesses cope. I hope Aiko will have a better time than her predecessors, and that the IHA can have some modern staff and officials as she grows up.

I am glad that Kiko is doing well. But this whole thing is getting nastier for the Crown Prince's family. The Imperial Family should stick together and resolve their issues with each other and the IHA. With such a controlling faction (IHA), this family's best bet for reform is to support each other.

 

[soCal girl]

I am glad that Kiko is doing well. But this whole thing is getting nastier for the Crown Prince's family. The Imperial Family should stick together and resolve their issues with each other and the IHA. With such a controlling faction (IHA), this family's best bet for reform is to support each other.

Prince Akishino seems content with the way things are going right now. IMO he's looking forward to having his son? be the future Emperor. Sometimes I feel like the victim is Princess Kiko. She might have been forced into this crazy ordeal and pregnancy on a woman this old, 13 years from her last can't be easy. But I doubt the IHA relates to womanly issues such as that.

 

[Charlotte1]

Even if Aiko doesn't become Empress, I doubt the IHA will ever truly disappear from her life. If she marries a commoner then she will have to give up her title but her parents are the future Emperor and Empress.

The way the law stand now, once Aiko marries, being female, she no longer is part of the Imperial Family, therefore she becomes a commoner with all the freedoms of a commoner. She receives a birth certificate ( Imperial Family members don't have one) if she works she pays taxes, receives medical insurance and lives in an apartment just like millions of other Japanese. This is what recently happened for her aunt Sayako ( whose parents are the Emperor and Empress) and her greataunts who were the sisters of the current Emperor. There's no evidence to suggest anything different would happen with Aiko. She marries and drifts into obsurity, like Sayako has.

The female princesses don't have a difficult life, they lead a relatively annoymous life and the only time you do see them is at the official New Years ceremony where they're all dressed in their tiaras. The younger princesses ( now in their 20s) don't carry out official functions, just an appearance at a Garden Party occasionally. They are students, one was recently studying at university in the UK. There's no need for them to opt out of being princesses, as it's not exactly a stressful role for them.

The Pandora's box site isn't particularly good as the information comes from English language sources or originate from other Asian countries. Or the vague "sources at the palace suggest" not exactly concrete facts! Japanese language media doesn't have quite the simplistic stories and views about the Imperial Family. Nor is Masako being trashed in Japanese language media, those stories are from English language media.

 

[Elspeth]

The Pandora's Box articles about the current situation are based largely on stories printed in the London Times, a newspaper that, while not as reliable as it was, isn't one of these papers that standardly makes things up out of thin air. The correspondent said he was getting his information from Japanese journalists who feel constrained to not publish it in Japan because the media (somewhat like the British papers in the early part of the 20th century) don't wish to go into print with anything critical about the Imperial family.

Japanese friends of ours are saying pretty much the same things as these English-language sources - not the "Aiko is retarded" stuff, but certainly a great lack of sympathy with Masako, with a "Princess needs to get over it" sort of attitude.