Kuchikomi Nov. 18, 2011 - 11:00PM JST ( 21 )

TOKYO —

Even before the March 11 earthquake and tsunami, the media had taken notice of the Emperor Akihito’s frail appearance.

Following the catastrophe in Tohoku, the emperor—who will turn 78 on Dec 23—took to the road, and over the previous eight months, has reportedly traveled over 10,000 kilometers visiting shelters and consoling disaster victims.

Following the emperor’s admission to the University of Tokyo Hospital on Nov 6 for bronchitis accompanied by fever, a journalist covering the Imperial Household Agency confided to Sunday Mainichi (Nov 27), “Initially the IHA informed us that his majesty had become increasingly fatigued, and since his resistance to infection had weakened, the matter may be serious.”

According to the announcement, the emperor was expected to remain in hospital for a week. “His majesty was resting while being looked after by his personal physician, and from time to time using a personal computer to do some writing,” the journalist added.

But subsequent updates from the IHA fueled speculation that the emperor’s condition was more serious.

“There were two reasons for this,” says Sunday Mainichi’s source. “The IHA was issuing vague announcements, like ‘His temperature has risen’ or ‘He is recovering steadily.’ One more thing was that the agency merely issued statements but wouldn’t field any questions from reporters.”

“I was quite surprised to hear that the agency was stonewalling all questions from the reporters,” Shinji Yamashita, a former staff member of the IHA, told the magazine. “It might be that there’s nothing to report, or else it raises the possibility that the matter is so serious they can’t make it public.”

But another explanation has surfaced: on Nov 23, the emperor traditionally takes part in a ceremonial harvest festival called the Niiname-sai, and it’s been suggested that canceling public activities prior to the big event will allow him to have a much-needed rest.

Shukan Asahi (Nov 25) took note of how demanding the emperor’s schedule has been: over the past year, these included reviewing and signing some 900 official documents; 240 audiences, luncheons, teas and dinners; 36 meetings with foreign monarchs or heads of state; and the composing of 420 diplomatic cables. On top of these were visits to the disaster evacuees following March 11.

“If he’d just entered the clinic inside the palace, he wouldn’t be able to take a real rest, so he was admitted to an outside hospital to force him to take a break from his duties,” a palace insider suggests.

Last February, the emperor was found to suffer from coronary stenosis (clogging of the coronary artery due to deposits of cholesterol, etc), which can be treated with blood-thinning medications, or, if necessary, an angioplasty. The condition can be fatal at any age, but is especially dangerous for the elderly.

Shukan Asahi also reports that the demands of the job have been taking a toll on 77-year-old Empress Michiko as well. In addition to suffering from pains in her left shoulder and upper arm that caused her to cancel a planned visit to Hokkaido in September, the following month she was diagnosed with inflammation of the Triceps surae (calf) muscles, and while inside the palace, has begun supporting herself with a red cane.

Meanwhile, both Shukan Bunshun (Nov 24) and Shukan Shincho (Nov 24) this week took pot shots at other members of the royal family. These mainly focused on Princess Masako’s delay in visiting the emperor at the hospital, but Crown Prince Naruhito, who made his first journey to Yamanashi aboard the special imperial train bedecked with crossed flags and the imperial chrysanthemum seal, was also criticized.

A member of the press corps noted he appeared moody and distracted. Instead of emulating the emperor and empress and sitting by the window, smiling and waving to the crowds, the crown prince spent part of his time aboard the train snapping his own photographs with a digital camera. A shot of him with his camera, taken by Takeshi Honda, appears as a two-page spread in Shukan Shincho.