Amidst a media frenzy and helicopters circling overhead, Prince Hisahito, the first boy born to the imperial throne is 41 years, was carried out of hospital wrapped in a white blanket and cradled in the arms of his mother, Princess Kiko. His father, Prince Akishino, the Emperor’s second son, walked alongside, smiling proudly.

He may be only nine days old but the new prince, who is third in line to the Chrysanthemum throne, already has a greater weight of expectation than most on his tiny shoulders.

Until now, Prince Akishino and his older brother, Crown Prince Naruhito, had only three daughters between them. Hisahito's birth last week delighted conservatives fiercely eager to maintain an imperial line of male descent which they say dates back more than 2,000 years. Temporarily at least, his arrival has halted discussions on changing the succession law to enable women to ascend one of the world's oldest imperial thrones.

"The baby looked like a healthy, bouncing boy. It was wonderful," Motuyo Okamoto, a 65-year-old resident of Tokyo, told Reuters.

"For people my age, who went through the war, the birth of a boy is a really important thing," added Teruo Ozawa, 76, who had come into Tokyo from neighbouring Saitama to catch a glimpse of the new arrival.

Eyes tightly closed and already boasting a full head of hair despite his tender years, Hisahito and his parents were whisked away by car to the royal palace along streets lined with a crowd estimated at 1,800 waving flags and cheering cries of "banzai" (long life).

"I am very grateful to the people, friends and family who prayed for the baby’s safe delivery," Kiko said in comments later released by the Imperial Household Agency. "I am overjoyed by the birth ... and happy that today we are able to return home."

Hisahito, who was born by Caesarean section, was given his name - meaning "virtuous, calm and everlasting," - in an ancient rite earlier this week. The palace has hired a nurse to take care of him and media reports say that his home has been renovated with a new stove for warming milk, padded carpets and a fence around the staircases for protection.

Masao Nakabayashi, chief doctor, said that he had recommended that Princess Kiko, who turned 40 the day before the birth, rested for at least half a year to recover from the operation. The baby had spent his first days sleeping well, he added.

While the debate on female succession may have stalled for the moment, experts - including the palace chief - have acknowledged that the future of the royal family’s future remains shaky, with recent polls showing that the Japanese public backs the idea of a female monarch despite the new birth.

However, the idea was previously opposed by conservatives, including Shinzo Abe, the likely successor to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, who has said that he will not rush to take the proposal forward.

Mr Abe was today quoted by Kyodo news agency saying it was "desirable" to preserve succession through the male line according to Reuters. "It’s only natural for us to be prudent about whether to change a long tradition of male inheritance," he reportedly said during the recording of a television programme.

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