Japan's Princess Kiko gave birth on Wednesday to a baby boy - the first male heir to be born into the ancient imperial family in more than four decades, the Imperial Household Agency said on Wednesday.

The birth of a boy, who will be third in line after his uncle and his father, is likely to dampen debate on letting women inherit the throne .

An Imperial Household Agency official told reporters Kiko had given birth by a Caesarean operation to the 2,558 gram boy at 8:27 a.m. (2327 GMT).

Kyodo news agency quoted sources as saying both mother and baby were fine.

No imperial boys had been born since Kiko's husband, Prince Akishino, in 1965, raising the possibility of a succession crisis. Crown Prince Naruhito, 46, and Crown Princess Masako, 42 have one child, 4-year-old Princess Aiko.

Japanese emperors are no longer worshipped as gods since Hirohito renounced his divinity after Japan's defeat in World War Two, and have no political authority.

But the monarchy remains rich with symbolism and ritual and the birth of a possible imperial heir had mesmerized the media.

Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi had planned to revise the law to give women equal rights to ascend the throne, but Kiko's pregnancy had already put the proposal on hold .

Not all Japanese, however, were likely to be equally gleeful about the birth of a boy, which is expected to scuttle prospects for a reform that would have allowed Aiko to become Japan's first reigning empress since the 18th century.

(Agencies)

Vocabulary:

inherit the throne: 继承王位

mesmerize: to enthrall（迷住；迷惑）

put the proposal on hold: 使计划搁置

据日本皇室家庭代办处消息，日本王妃纪子今天产下一名男婴，这是40多年来日本皇室首次迎来男性继承人。

这名男婴的皇位继承顺位仅次于他的叔叔（皇太子）和父亲（文仁秋筱宫亲王），成为第三皇位继承人。而他的出生也终于可以让有关“女性继承王位”的争论偃旗息鼓。

日本宫内厅的一位官员说，纪子王妃于当地时间8时27分剖腹产生下一名男婴。

日本共同社报道说，母子平安。

自1965年纪子的丈夫文仁秋筱宫亲王出生后，日本皇室一直未添男丁，因此一时间出现了继承人危机。46岁的皇太子德仁和42岁的皇太妃雅子只有一个4岁的女儿爱子公主。

自从裕仁天皇在日本二战战败后宣布放弃神格化的地位，日本天皇再也得不到民众神一般的崇拜，而且政治权威也丧失殆尽。

但是天皇作为一种信仰的象征，仍然享有很高的地位。所以，一个有望成为王位继承人的男婴的出生还是受到了媒体的极大关注。

此前，日本首相小泉纯一郎计划修改法律，使女性也能得到王位继承权，但是自从纪子王妃怀孕后，这个计划就被搁置了。

但是，并非所有的日本人对这个男婴的出生感到高兴，因为如果法律修改成功，爱子公主便能成为18世纪以来日本历史上的首位女天皇，但这名男婴的出生则让这个愿望破灭了。