By Suriani Garip
& June Ong
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Cradling her infant daughter Princess Aiko in her
arms, Crown Princess Masako smiles as she leaves the
Imperial Hospital in Tokyo, Dec 08. One week after the
birth of the princess, the royal couple gave the
public its first glimpse. AFP
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People wave national flags and lanterns to celebrate
the birth of the new princess during a rally in front
of the Imperial Palace in Tokyo Dec 02, one day after
Crown Princess Masako gave birth to a baby girl.
Thousands of people gathered for the rally to share
their joy with the royal family. AFP
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The Japan Imperial family received a new member with the royal
birth of birth of Princess Aiko of Japan on Dec 1 2001 to
Crown Prince Naruhito, 41, and Crown Princess Masako, 38.
The people of Japan jumped
with joy and celebrated the occasion to congratulate the
Imperial family. This is the first birth within the Imperial
family in seven years. All nine children born in the Imperial
Family since the birth of Princess Nori (Sayako), the Crown
Prince's younger sister, 32 years ago, have been girls.
The newly born Princess Aiko
is the third grandchild for the Emperor and Empress.
The Japan Embassy to Brunei
Darussalam yesterday released information regarding the first
child born to Crown Prince and Crown Princess of Japan.
The statement said, "The
whole nation was caught up in a mood of celebration at the
news and 120,000 people flocked to the Imperial Palace (home
of the Emperor and Empress), Togu Palace (home of the Crown
Prince and Crown Princess) and other facilities connected to
the Imperial Family across the country to sign congratulatory
registers."
It was disclosed that Crown
Princess Masako entered Imperial Household Hospital at 11.25pm
on Nov 30 and gave birth at 2.04pm on Dec 1. She was
accompanied by the Crown Princess to the hospital and who
expressed his thoughts through a chamberlain, saying, "I
would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart, all those
who warmly watched over the Crown Princess..."
While praying for our child's
happiness and consulting closely with each other, the two of
us hope to watch over her grow."
The statement further
mentioned the followings: "Upon hearing news of the birth
from the grand chamberlain, the Emperor said, "I am glad
that the birth went smoothly and I would ask people to show
their appreciation for the efforts of all of those
involved."
The Empress, a little
tearfully, showed concern for the Crown Princess, saying,
"Please offer our congratulations to the Crown Prince and
the Crown Princess. Is the Crown Princess well?"
Later that day, a ceremony
was held in which the Emperor bestowed on the baby a sword and
a hakama (pleated skirt).
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