Crown Prince Naruhito said Thursday he hoped all will go well with the pregnancy of his brother's wife, Princess Kiko, avoiding the issue of female succession, at a news conference the day before his 46th birthday.
The Crown Prince would not comment on a government panel proposal to revise the Imperial House Law so females can ascend to the Chrysanthemum Throne.
A revision would mean the Crown Prince's only child, Princess Aiko, who under the current law is not allowed to ascend to the throne because she is female, would be second in line to the throne after her father and could become the first reigning empress since the 18th century.