Masako accompanies Aiko to new school festival

Mother and daughter arriving for a festival at the Gakushuin Kindergarten, where Aiko is due to start in April
Photo: © AFP
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Aiko and her mother enjoying orange picking last autumn. The little girl's father, Naruhito, says she loves watering plants and presents the fruits of her labour to her grandparents, the emperor and empress
Photo: © AFP

MASAKO ACCOMPANIES AIKO TO NEW SCHOOL FESTIVAL

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3 MARCH 2006

Smartly dressed and in matching navy blue outfits, Japan's Crown Princess Masako and her daughter Princess Aiko arrived at the Tokyo kindergarten where the young royal will begin her education from April.

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With the shy but steady smile she adopts when facing the cameras, the 42-year-old royal walked confidently up to the Gakushuin Kindergarten.

In the spotlight more than ever, Masako - who has gradually re-emerged into public life after suffering a stress-related illness - seems to take comfort from her daughter. Aiko is, say her parents, a happy child who loves sumo wrestling and playing in the Palace vegetable garden.

Last month, as he turned 46, her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito, pleaded for empathy with his wife's situation, saying: "I hope people understand that Masako is on the road to recovery and will watch her quietly and warmly."

The news that her sister-in-law Princess Kiko, wife of Naruhito's younger brother Prince Akishino, is expecting her third child, may have profound implications for the royals. Until recently the public supported changing Japanese law to pave the way for Aiko to become the country's first reigning empress since the 18th century. The possibility that the baby could be a boy has caused legislation pertaining to the issue to be delayed.

Doctors have said Kiko and Akishino have opted not to know the sex of the baby, which is expected in the autumn.

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