Tokyo: Japan's Emperor Akihito will undergo a heart bypass operation today as hundreds of people wished the 78-year-old monarch well in his latest health battle.

The emperor went into the operating theatre at the University of Tokyo Hospital at around 9:30 am (0030 GMT), local media said.
 
The operation, being carried out by surgeons from the hospital and the private Juntendo University, is expected to take around five hours.

The procedure, which was advised after tests showed a narrowing of the emperor's arteries, was being carried out "to maintain and to improve his majesty's daily life", a palace spokesman said earlier.

The emperor is likely to be discharged after about two weeks if he recovers well from the operation, Jiji Press reported.

During his operation and recuperation, Akihito's first son, Crown Prince Naruhito, will take over his duties such as attending public ceremonies and meeting state guests.

The monarch arrived at the hospital yesterday morning accompanied by his wife Empress Michiko, while several hundred members of the public visited the Imperial Palace to sign books wishing him well.
  
The surgery comes amid increasing concerns about Akihito's health. A catheter angiogram taken a week ago showed that his arteries had continued to narrow since an examination a year ago, the palace said in a statement.

Doctors advised that action was necessary to stop the trend, it said.
 
In November, Emperor Akihito, who acceded to the throne in 1989 following the death of his father Emperor Hirohito, spent 19 days in hospital with mild pneumonia while he underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 2003.

 

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