A princess under pressure? A dynasty on the brink of extinction? No, not the Windsors; the royals of Japan. The question facing the Japanese imperial family: Is it time to let a female ascend the Chrysanthemum Throne? The press has been having a field day reporting that Crown Princess Masako—wife of Crown Prince Naruhito—is despondent over restraints of imperial life and her inability to bear a male heir. To add to her woes was the Feb. 7 announcement that her sister-in-law Princess Kiko, 39, is pregnant. If it's a boy, he would be the first heir to the throne born since 1965. Masako's daughter Aiko, 4, doesn't count. Two years ago Masako, 42, under relentless pressure to produce a boy, withdrew from public life amid rumors of a nervous disorder. Called a "caged bird" in the media, she rarely appears in public and now is reportedly so distraught she is skipping important tea ceremonies with her mother-in-law, Empress Michiko, and Kiko. Only time will tell whether Kiko is having a boy, but now some politicians are saying it's time to change the law. Not likely, says Judy Wade, a British royals author: "A bit like our lot, they like the status quo."

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An omnipotent figure for most of two millennia, the Japanese emperor was stripped of all power at the time that Japan's new government went into effect following World War II. Today the emperor is a much-beloved figurehead. Emperor Akihito, 72, and his wife, Empress Michiko, 71, spend much of their time hosting parties for foreign dignitaries—among them Vice President Dick Cheney and Morocco's King Mohammed. While Japan's diet—or parliament—makes the laws of the land, the emperor issues symbolic proclamations after they are passed.