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| KOJI SASAHARA / AP |
| Crown Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako following their 1993 wedding |
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| Royal Roots |
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A brief guide to 2,666 years of imperial history |
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Posted Monday, August 28, 2006; 20:00 HKT
660 B.C. Jimmu, a descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu, becomes the first Emperor
1762 Empress Gosakuramachi ascends the throne, the last of eight women to rule Japan
1889 In a new constitution, the Emperor becomes a constitutional monarch, who is "sacred and inviolable"
1945 Emperor Hirohito, pictured right, announces that Japan has lost the war. The next year, he renounces his divinity
1947 The Imperial Household Law stipulates that only males may ascend to the throne
1959 Crown Prince Akihito marries Michiko Shoda, the first commoner to join the royal family. She gives birth to two sons and one daughter
1989 Hirohito dies. Akihito ascends to the throne
1993 Crown Prince Naruhito marries Masako Owada, a Harvard-educated diplomat.
2004 Naruhito announces that Masako has "completely exhausted herself" trying to adapt to royal life and indirectly blames the IHA. A committee formed by Prime Minister Koizumi drafts a law that would change the order of succession from the Crown Prince's first-born male to the Crown Prince's first-born child
2006 News leaks that Princess Kiko, the wife of the Emperor's second son, is pregnant. Koizumi postpones the draft law
2006 Princess Kiko, pictured above, enters Aiiku Hospital on Aug. 16. She is scheduled to give birth on Sept. 6
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