Japan prepares for royal wedding

The couple are expected to marry in the Spring

Preparations are under way for the wedding of Japan's Princess Sayako and a 39-year-old government worker.

Princess Sayako, 35, is the only daughter and youngest child of Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko.

Her betrothal to Yoshiki Kuroda was reported at the weekend. The official announcement has been delayed out of respect for last month's quake victims.

A top Japanese business leader said on Monday that he hoped the news would help revive Japan's economy.

"This is very bright news," Kyodo news agency quoted the chairman of the Japan Business Federation, Hiroshi Okuda, as saying. "I think there will be some positive impact on the economy, such as an increase in consumption."

Jewellers and big department stores posted gains on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Monday.

Mr Okuda added that he also hoped it would boost marriage rates at a time when the country was suffering from such low childbirth rates.

The Asahi Shimbun said in an editorial that the relatively late marriage of Princess Sayako - better known as Princess Nori - was "a sign of the times", when many Japanese women are remaining single and/or childless well into their 30s.

Princess Sayako's sister-in-law, Princess Masako, who is married to the heir to the throne, is under immense pressure to produce a baby boy who could inherit the title after his father.

Princess Sayako herself will have to leave the Japanese royal family after her marriage, as her fiancee is a commoner.