BBC NEWS | In Pictures | In pictures: Royal birth welcomed

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Wednesday, 6 September 2006, 07:02 GMT 08:02 UK

In pictures: Royal birth welcomed

Passers-by watch reports of the birth on several televisions in a Tokyo showroom

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Japan is celebrating the news that Princess Kiko, wife of the emperor's second son, has given birth to a baby boy.

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko wave during a tour of Hokkaido on the day of the birth

Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko wave during a tour of Hokkaido on the day of the birth

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The baby - the first male to be born into the imperial family for more than four decades - is now third in line to the Japanese throne.

A woman smiles as she reads a special edition of the newspaper announcing the birth

A woman smiles as she reads a special edition of the newspaper announcing the birth

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The pregnancy, which put on hold plans to revise the constitution to allow women to ascend the throne, has attracted enormous attention in Japan.

Dancers celebrate the birth outside a station in Tokyo

Dancers celebrate the birth outside a station in Tokyo

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Print and broadcast media were dominated by the birth, which sparked celebrations in the capital, Tokyo.

Young children at a Tokyo school prepare to fly a carp streamer to celebrate the birth

Young children at a Tokyo school prepare to fly a carp streamer to celebrate the birth

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Children at a school in Tokyo prepared to fly a traditional carp streamer to mark the birth of the baby boy.

Prince Akishino in the car on the way to the hospital

Prince Akishino in the car on the way to the hospital

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Both mother and baby were said to be doing well. The baby will be named by his father, Prince Akishino, in a ceremony next week.

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