THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
May 10, 2025 at 17:43 JST
Emperor Emeritus Akihito, left, leaves the University of Tokyo Hospital in the capital’s Bunkyo Ward on May 10, accompanied by Empress Emerita Michiko. (Jin Nishioka)
Emperor Emeritus Akihito was discharged from a hospital in Tokyo on May 10 after undergoing cardiac tests.
Based on the test results, Akihito, 91, was diagnosed to be suffering from asymptomatic myocardial ischemia, a condition where blood flow from coronary arteries to the heart muscle is reduced but the patient does not have subjective symptoms.
To improve blood flow, Akihito will be administered drugs to reduce the progression of arteriosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.
He was hospitalized May 6.
Accompanied by Empress Emerita Michiko, Akihito left the University of Tokyo Hospital in the Hongo district of the capital shortly after 11:30 a.m. and driven to their residence in the Akasaka district.
A routine checkup on April 15 detected suspected myocardial ischemia.
Akihito underwent coronary artery bypass surgery at the University of Tokyo Hospital in February 2012. This was the first time he had been hospitalized since then.
The Imperial Household Agency said he has no difficulty in his daily life, including speaking and walking, and has no subjective symptoms.
(This article was written by Ayako Nakada and Ryuichi Kitano.)
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
