JAPAN CROWN PRINCE, PRINCESS START NEW LIFE WITH FIRST BABY.

TOKYO, Dec 3 Asia Pulse - Much-anticipated news came from the greenery-filled Imperial Palace Saturday, when it was announced that Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako had given birth to a daughter eight and a half years after their marriage in June 1993.

Since tying the knot, the crown prince has said he wants to create a serenity-filled family, while the crown princess has expressed her hope to have a family surrounded by love. Both have cherished their bond as husband and wife.

Forty-one years ago, when the crown prince was born, his parents -- Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko -- discarded traditional Imperial household practices by choosing to raise the child themselves, in an effort to foster their image as family that is close to ordinary citizens. One wonders what sort of changes the crown prince and princess will bring to the future of the imperial household.

It was in October 1986, when a welcoming reception was held in the Togu Palace for visiting Spanish Princess Elena, when the crown prince and the princess first met. The prince was deeply impressed by Masako at that time. But she joined the Ministry of Foreign Affairs the following year to start her career. She also went to the U.K. for two years to study at Oxford University. Over six years had passed since their first encounter before they finally got together for good.

Although it was already common for women to take an active role in society and business when she started her career, Masako was one of only three women who, having passed the extremely difficult Grade-I national civil servant exam, landed a Foreign Ministry post that year.

In an interview with The Nihon Keizai Shimbun at that time, she expressed her hope for the future, saying, "Although Japan has become affluent economically, it should make ...