Prince Naruhito and Princess Masako

Naruhito (徳仁), Crown Prince of Japan (Hiro no miya Naruhito Shinnō or Naruhito Kotaishi), (born at Tsugo Palace, Tokyo February 23, 1960) is the elder son of the Emperor Akihito and the Empress Michiko. Titled Prince Hiro (浩宮 Hiro no miya) as a child, he became heir apparent to the Japanese throne upon the death of his grandfather, the Showa Emperor (Hirohito), on January 7, 1989.

He received a bachelor's and master's degree in history from Gakushuin University in 1982 and 1988, respectively.

On May 6, 1993, he married Masako Owada (b. December 9, 1963), a career diplomat in the Japanese Foreign Ministry and the daughter of Hisashi Owada, a former vice foreign minister and former ambassador to the United Nations.

The Crown Prince and Crown Princess have one child, Aiko (her official title is Toshi no miya, or Princess Toshi), born on December 1, 2001. The child's birth, which occurred more than eight years after her parents' marriage, has sparked lively debate in Japan about whether laws of succession should be changed to allow a woman to inherit the Chrysanthemum throne -- this was possible in pre-modern Japan, but outlawed during the 19th century Meiji Restoration.

ja:徳仁 zh:德仁