Japan's Princess Kiko Give Birth to Boy

TOKYO - Japan's Princess Kiko gave birth to a boy early Wednesday, providing the centuries-old Chrysanthemum Throne with its first male heir in more than 40 years, the palace announced.

The birth came about an hour after Kiko, 39, was reported to have undergone a Caesarean section. The boy is the third in line to the throne, after Crown Prince Naruhito and Kiko's husband, Prince Akishino.

The arrival of a royal boy forestalled a looming succession crisis for the royal family. Japan's 1947 succession law allows only males to ascend the throne, and prior to Wednesday's Naruhito and Akishino were the only royals eligible for the crown.

The boy, the first male heir …