Emperor's stress caused by imperial succession, 'various' other issues

Friday 12th December, 06:33 AM JST

TOKYO —

Emperor Akihito has been worried over the issue of imperial succession and ‘‘various’’ other matters, Imperial Household Agency chief Shingo Haketa said Thursday, commenting on the stress attributed as the cause of the emperor’s digestive system disorder. The emperor, who will turn 75 on Dec 23, had gastric erosion and a residue of bleeding in the stomach and the duodenum deemed to have been caused by physical and psychological stress as well as age, the agency said earlier.

He canceled some official duties last week due to an irregular pulse and a temporary surge in blood pressure.

As an example of his worries, Haketa mentioned that a polyp had been found in Crown Prince Naruhito’s duodenum during a health checkup in March 2007.

‘‘The emperor and empress had strong uncertainties about the crown prince who did not undergo regular checkups for quite a long time,’’ he said.

They hope Crown Princess Masako will receive health checks regularly, he added, in bringing up the health condition of Crown Princess Masako who has been diagnosed as suffering adjustment disorder.

He said the agency’s medical supervisor has distanced himself from direct involvement in her treatment due to the nature of her illness.

‘‘As a result, that has made it unclear who is responsible for conducting regular health checkups (on the crown prince and crown princess), contributing to the worries of the emperor and empress,’’ he said.

Haketa said physicians at the Crown Prince’s Palace should take the responsibility of conducting health checks on the crown prince and crown princess.

He also pointed out that the emperor and empress ‘‘seemed deeply hurt’’ by some arguments over the health of the crown princess. These include one claiming that ‘‘the Imperial Household itself is putting pressure on Crown Princess Masako and is the cause of her illness,’’ he said.

On the emperor’s official duties, he said the issue would be dealt with ‘‘case by case,’’ while trying to lighten his workload as much as possible for about a month, he said.

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Latest 15 of 24 Total Comments Show All

thepro at 10:03 AM JST - 12th December

So the IHA says that the Imperial family rejects the views that the IHA puts too much pressure on them? Uh huh...
neverknow2 at 10:17 AM JST - 12th December

Emperor Akihito has been worried over the issue of imperial succession and ‘‘various’’ other matters

Doesnt the Emperor have lots of magical powers n stuff? If not, why is there still an Emporer?
franz75 at 10:25 AM JST - 12th December

The Imperial Palace will turn in a mental institution.
tclh at 10:44 AM JST - 12th December

What exactly does he do to keep fit every single day? Walking ,tai chi, yoga,laughing, gardening...?He is the emperor, his life must be something that everybody wants ,not everybody tries to escape from.
techall at 11:15 AM JST - 12th December

What a bunch of crap! These people need to get a life and a real job. If he can't handle that stuff what would happen to him if he had to support a family in a recession, worry about his kids being bullied in school, pay for his own gas and get taxed into the poor house?
Samuraiiki at 11:21 AM JST - 12th December

That would be the least of my worries. Am I worried what I will leave for inheritance to my kids? Heck no. Do birds worry about what they will feed on tomorrow? Absolutely not! Ye of little faith.
gogogo at 11:56 AM JST - 12th December

Get a real job, I wish this was my biggest worry in life, no one care who will succeed the Emperor.
hoserfella at 12:03 PM JST - 12th December

This Hakata is quite brazen! Whats next? Will he announce that the Emperor is sick because Hakata is so handsome and dearly deserves a raise?
GW at 12:50 PM JST - 12th December

If the IHA keeps this up they will all be out of jobs in a few decades as there wont be any imperial family left!
Jeff198524 at 12:52 PM JST - 12th December

Japan needs to get rid of it's primitive traditions, starting with the Imperial family. They should all be thrown out on the street like the bums they are.
Potsu at 03:27 PM JST - 12th December

Yawn...nothing to do with the fact that he is quite old.
ptolemy at 04:37 PM JST - 12th December

Living pay check to pay check, worries of his pension, and his retirement were not any of the "stressful" problems he had to worry about. When he feels the real stress of life as his subjects do then I'll muster up some sympathy.
kmwee at 10:15 PM JST - 12th December

There is a Chinese saying " every home has a difficult prayer to recite."
DoctorLady at 09:10 AM JST - 14th December

All loyal subjects of the empire must now urge the LDP to amend the law of succession. To restore the Emperor's health, Japan must allow Princess Aiko to be named Crown Prince Naruhito's successor. This succession issue is also reported to be a major factor in Crown Princess Masako's health issues. Anyone who loves or respects the Emperor and Imperial family must support this. In Japanese style, they are subtly commanding their subjects.
realist at 12:14 AM JST - 17th December

Jeff198524 Sorry to disagree with you, but they are not "bums" -they are nice people, and they are the Imperial Family of Japan. The Monarchy is a grand institution - much better than the inferior American presidential system. It needs to change, of course, and they need to clear out the dinosaura in the Imperial Household who are right wing fascists and who bully the Royal Family. Part of the Emperor`s problems have been caused by the bullying of his wife, because she reads the Bible, and also because of the bulyying of his daughter in law, because she couldnt produce a male heir to satisfy the right wing Fascists.