Japanese princess has pregnancy complications

Japan’s Princess Kiko has developed complications with her pregnancy and may have to give birth to her third child by Caesarean section, Kyodo News agency reported.

Kiko, who is due to give birth in late September, has symptoms of placenta previa, a condition in which the placenta drops too low in the uterus, Kyodo quoted palace doctor Ichiro Kanazawa as saying.

The Caesarean may be required to prevent bleeding or pre-term birth, Kanazawa said, adding that Kiko’s delivery may come earlier than originally expected.

Imperial Household Agency officials refused to confirm the report.

Officials at Aiiku Hospital, run by Kiko’s primary gynaecologist, denied she had been treated or admitted to hospital for her reported complications.

Kiko’s doctors said her condition did not require immediate admission to hospital, although some treatment may be needed. They said both Kiko and the unborn child, whose sex has not been disclosed, were in good health.

The pregnancy of the 39-year-old wife of Prince Akishino, who is the second son of Emperor Akihito, has won national attention because the imperial family has failed to produce a male heir to the throne since 1965.

Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife, Masako, have only one child, four-year-old Princess Aiko.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had pushed for legislation that would allow a woman to take the imperial throne as a way to resolve the royal succession crisis.

But Kiko’s pregnancy announcement in February raised hopes for a male heir and took the steam out of Koizumi’s drive. The prime minister later hinted he might shelve the legislation.

A Koizumi-appointed expert panel last year recommended changing a 1947 law to let an emperor’s first child, boy or girl, take the throne. The current law allows only males to reign.

Ruling politicians said future discussions would take into consideration Kiko’s pregnancy.

Princess Kiko already has two daughters, Mako, 14, and Kako, 11.