Japan’s former Emperor Akihito to be hospitalized for heart tests, NHK reports

Japan’s Emperor Emeritus Akihito will be admitted to hospital for heart tests on Tuesday, public broadcaster NHK reported, citing the Imperial Household Agency.

Akihito, 91, who is retired, is the father of Emperor Naruhito. He abdicated from the Chrysanthemum Throne in 2019, seven years after he had heart bypass surgery.

The former emperor will undergo tests at the University of Tokyo Hospital after signs of myocardial ischemia were found during a regular checkup last month, NHK reported, citing the Imperial Household Agency. The condition reduces blood flow to the heart muscle.

Akihito, who ascended to the throne after his father, Hirohito, died in 1989, became the first Japanese monarch in 200 years to abdicate his post.

He cited health reasons for standing down, having undergone heart surgery and been treated for prostate cancer in the years preceding his abdication.

A man prepared to break with tradition, Akihito was the first Japanese emperor to marry a commoner, speak to his subjects live on television, and be hands-on in raising his children.

The emperor is a ceremonial but revered figure in Japan’s constitutional monarchy. It is the oldest hereditary monarchy in the world, dating back 14 centuries.