TOKYO — Emperor Akihito on Friday bestowed names on Japan's littlest princess, a baby who could grow up to become the country's first reigning empress in modern times if the strict male succession law is changed.
The princess will be called Aiko — meaning "a person who loves others." The name was selected from a list of choices offered by classics scholars, who pored over traditional Chinese texts before making their suggestions.
The 7-day-old baby also got a second name, "Toshinomiya," or Princess Toshi — meaning "one who respects others." That more formal appellation will be dropped if and when the princess marries. Crown Princess Masako, who turns 38 on Sunday, gave birth to the baby last weekend after more than eight years of marriage to Crown Prince Naruhito, 41, bringing some cheer to a nation stuck in recession.
The birth has intensified debate over whether to revise Japan's succession law, which says only males can inherit the Chrysanthemum Throne.
The choice of "ko," which means "child" but which scholars say also connotes "a noble woman," for the second Chinese character of the first name stuck to the imperial family's traditional pattern.
But in a sign of change in a centuries-old practice, the baby's parents had the real say in choosing the names, court officials said.
"The crown prince and princess virtually decided on the name," an Imperial Household Agency official said. "The emperor then officially presented the name to the couple."
The characters for the names were selected from a classical Chinese poem which reads: "A person who loves others will be loved by others, and a person who respects others will always be respected by others."
The names, written on traditional Japanese "washi" paper, were presented to Naruhito and later placed by Princess Aiko's pillow in the hospital inside the palace grounds were she was born on Saturday.
Media made much of the fact that the royal parents had a hand in choosing the name, and reform-minded Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi applauded the choice.
"I thought it would be a complicated name," he told reporters. "I think it is good because it is easy to understand."
But some Japanese said "Aiko" lacked the sophistication they preferred for their royalty.
"In a negative way, I think her name is too much like those of common people," said 26-year-old trading house employee Shiro Omichi. "I think a name with a more historically symbolic meaning would be better for a member of the imperial family."
Earlier in the morning, a lady-in-waiting gave the imperial infant a ritual bath in a cedar tub, symbolising purity.
Two male courtiers in ancient robes mimicked shooting traditional Japanese long-bows to ward off evil spirits and a third read verses from an ancient text to bring good fortune.
Masako and Aiko are expected to leave the hospital on Saturday, the first time that photos of the newborn are likely to be available to an admiring public.
Since the little princess was born, media and politicians—although insisting there was no need to rush for an answer—have been pondering the possibility of changing the imperial succession law.
"I think the old men in the (ruling) Liberal Democratic Party still want to wait and see if she can give birth to a boy. So they'll wait and see for a while," said Mitsuko Yamaguchi, executive director of the Fusae Ichikawa Memorial Association, one of Japan's oldest feminist organisations.
"Still, they would rather that a child of the crown prince and princess inherited the throne, even if it's a girl."
No boys have been born into the imperial family since Naruhito's brother, Prince Akishino, 36 years ago.
"If the crown prince and crown princess...do not have a boy in the next few years, this baby girl is almost surely to become the first reigning empress in modern Japan," wrote Ken Ruoff, director of the centre for Japanese studies at Portland State University in the U.S. and author of a new book on Japan's royalty.
Japan has been ruled by eight female monarchs in the past, the last in the 18th century, but historians say most were filling in until a male came of age. And the thought of a modern version is anathema to some conservatives.
The roots of Japan's imperial family lie in ancient myths, reaching back through 125 generations in a purported direct line from the Sun Goddess Amaterasu.
Recent surveys show a majority of the public—71 percent according to one poll—now say they see no reason why a female should not inherit the throne.