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JAPAN-ROYALS-EMPEROR-AKIHITO-HEALTH
Japan emperor being treated for brain condition: palace
TOKYO, July 2, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Japan’s 84-year-old Emperor Akihito
cancelled his official duties on Monday after being taken ill, the country’s
top government spokesman said.
Akihito “had a sudden feeling of sickness and heavy sweating” in the early
morning and Empress Michiko “immediately brought in the palace doctor,”
Yoshihide Suga told reporters.
The doctor diagnosed the emperor with “symptoms of vertigo and nausea due
to cerebral anemia, which require a complete rest and follow-up checks,” said
Suga, the chief cabinet secretary, speaking at a regular press conference.
Cerebral anemia is a condition resulting from insufficient blood flow to
the brain.
Akihito had been due to meet Monday with Princess Ayako, a daughter of one
of his cousins, to hear about her engagement, a spokesman for the Imperial
Household Agency told AFP.
“We don’t have further details” about the emperor’s health condition, he
added.
It was not clear when Akihito would resume his public duties.
Akihito shocked the country in 2016 when he signalled his desire to step
down after nearly three decades in the job, citing his age and health
problems.
He will be the first emperor to retire — on April 30, 2019 — in more
than two centuries in the world’s oldest imperial family.
Akihito’s eldest son, 58-year-old Crown Prince Naruhito, is set to ascend
the Chrysanthemum Throne a day later.
BSS/AFP/MSY/1020 hrs