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TOKYO, Feb 24, 2006 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Princess Kiko, the wife of Emperor Akihito's second son Prince Akishino, is expecting a baby in late September, Japan's Imperial Household Agency said Friday.
The agency said that the princess, 39, is experiencing morning sickness but is in stable condition, the Mainichi Shimbun reported.
The baby will be a fourth grandchild for Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, and the third child for Princess Kiko and her husband, who already have two daughters -- Princess Mako, 14, and Princess Kako, 11.
The agency had announced earlier this month that the princess was showing signs of pregnancy, but had not said when she was expected to give birth.
The agency will form a team of doctors to prepare for the birth of the baby.
Ichiro Kanazawa, chief doctor for the Imperial Household Agency, said that no plans had been made to find out from doctors whether the baby was a boy or a girl.
"Their Imperial Highnesses do not feel that they want to know the sex of the child until birth," he said.
If the child is a boy he will be heir to the throne under Japan's male-only succession law, which lawmakers were considering changing until news of the royal pregnancy emerged.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2006 by United Press International
