All of Japan is waiting anxiously to see if Princess Kiko has a boy or a girl on Wednesday when she undergoes a Caesarean section.</PARAGRAPH> <PHOTO> <TABLE WIDTH='250' ALIGN='RIGHT' BORDER='0'> <TR> <TD><IMG ALT='News photo' BORDER='0' SRC='../images/photos2006/nn20060903a5a.jpg' WIDTH='250' HEIGHT='220'/></TD> </TR> <TR> <TD><FONT SIZE='1'><B>Empress Michiko –

and Emperor Akihito (second from left) walk on a beach in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture, with Prince Akishino (third from left) and his family -- Princess Mako, Princess Kiko and Princess Kako (from left to right), in this file photo taken Aug. 4, 2004. KYODO PHOTO

The royal pregnancy is in the spotlight because no boy has been born to the Imperial family in 41 years, jeopardizing the existence of the male-only emperor system.