Accompanied by Prince Naruhito, Princess Masako and their newborn baby leave hospital on December 8. (Imperial Household Agency of Japan) JAPAN REJOICES: First Child for Crown Prince and Princess January 17, 2002 On December 1 a daughter was born to Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako of Japan. It is customary for an imperial baby to be named on the seventh day after birth, and the new princess received the name Aiko and the title of Toshi-no-Miya (Princess Aiko) on December 7. Ai means "love" in Japanese, while toshi means "respect." Both the name and title were taken from a work by the Chinese philosopher Mencius, who wrote: "Those who love people will be loved by others at all times, and those who respect others will be respected at all times." Being the royal couple's first child after eight years of marriage, not only the parents but equally the grandparents--Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko--were overjoyed. The event has been enthusiastically welcomed by the people of Japan, too, the more so because the birth has come after a long period of gloomy news. As December 1 was a Saturday, many people were out shopping when news came of the royal birth. By late afternoon, extra editions of newspapers were being distributed in the Yurakucho shopping district of Tokyo, while in nearby Ginza, people could be seen stopping on the street to read the news being flashed out on an electronic bulletin board. The next day, thousands flocked to the gates of the Imperial Household Agency (site is Japanese only) and of the crown prince's palace to sign the guest register to express their joy. Newest Member of the Imperial Family On January 1 Emperor Akihito and other members of the Imperial family greeted thousands of well-wishers that came to the Imperial Palace in Tokyo. Although the weather was cold, and Princess Masako and Princess Aiko did not attend, the recent birth of the new princess made the atmosphere even more festive than usual. Emperor Akihito delivered a speech to the crowd in which he expressed his confidence in the Japanese people and his hopes for the new year.   Your Name What did you think of this article? It was interesting. It was boring. Send this article to a friend Princess Aiko was seen, however, with the rest of the imperial family at a photo session at Togu Palace (the official residence of the crown prince and crown princess) on December 20. According to an announcement released by the Imperial Household Agency, Princess Aiko weighed 3,738 grams and was 54 centimeters tall at the end of December. Both mother and child are doing very well. Rise in Birthrate Hoped For People are watching to see whether the royal birth will alleviate older women's hesitation about bearing children. The fact that Princess Masako gave birth safely at the age of 37 appears to have given confidence to women of the same generation who continue to hope for a child. Professor Harumi Kimura of Kyoritsu Women's University believes that the doctors attending Princess Masako have sent the message that there is absolutely no need to worry about having a baby at that age: "I have a feeling that many women will want to follow her example." It is not unreasonable to think that if the number of older women having babies goes up, the still-falling Japanese birthrate might turn the corner, or even start to rise. Copyright (c) 2002 Japan Information Network. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.