31.   Until the end of World War II, the emperor of Japan and his imperial family were considered to be descendants of the gods.

32.   When she became the Crown Princess, she was the second commoner ever to marry into the imperial family.

33.   With the delivery of a healthy baby girl Saturday, Crown Princess Masako ended a long drought in births in the Japanese imperial family.

34.   Yet the imperial family has refashioned itself for the times and, in their modesty, won the respect of most Japanese.

35.   Rare treasures of imperial family to be exhibited in U.S.

36.   A government commission is expected to rule later this month that DNA and other forensic tests have conclusively identified the remains as those of the imperial family.

37.   Although scandals sometimes appear in the tabloids, the imperial family is generally treated with delicate reverence by the mainstream Japanese media.

38.   Among those attending the funeral were members of the former Iranian imperial family and Frederic Mitterand, the nephew of the late French President Francois Mitterand.

39.   As is typical of press conferences by members of imperial family, reporters submitted questions to the Imperial Household Agency in advance.

40.   Before the end of World War II, the imperial family was revered as divine and anyone criticizing its members in public faced a heavy jail sentence.