Princess Masako in birth ritual

Japan's Crown Princess Masako has taken part in an ancient ritual to ensure the safe birth of her first child.

In a fifteen minute ceremony behind closed doors at her home in Tokyo, Princess Masako had a silk scarf wrapped around her abdomen to protect her unborn child.

After eight years of marriage, confirmation that the princess was expecting a child was greeted with widespread excitement and relief in Japan.

If it is a boy, the child, which is due in November or December, will become the second in line to the throne. The princess suffered a miscarriage in 1999, which was partly blamed on stress brought on by media attention.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service