In a sign of how times have changed in Japan, the Crown Prince accompanied his wife to the Hospital of the Imperial Household in the Imperial Palace compound late Friday night as she was admitted to give birth to the couple's first baby.

The Crown Prince then went to stay at the nearby residence of the Emperor and Empress so he could rush to the hospital as soon as possible.

The situation surrounding the birth of the baby was quite different from that of the Crown Prince's own birth 41 years ago.

When the Empress, then the Crown Princess, gave birth to the Crown Prince on Feb. 23, 1960, she was unaccompanied by her husband, now Emperor, who bowed to her at the entrance of their residence in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward as he saw her off.

She was then admitted to the former Hospital of the Imperial Household, which was located at a different place inside the palace grounds from the current hospital, at 1:50 a.m. Feb. 23 after going into labor at around 11 p.m. Feb. 22.

The late Fumi Shoda, the mother of the then Crown Princess, among others, awaited the birth in a neighboring room.

The Imperial baby was born at 4:15 p.m. Feb. 23. He weighed 2,540 grams and was 47 cm tall.

The Crown Prince awaited the news of the baby's birth at the couple's residence along with Imperial Household Agency officials. As the officials welcomed the news with cheers, he thanked them with a smile.

He then went to the hospital and saw his son for the first time at around 6 p.m.