Japanese Emperor to Undergo Heart Bypass Surgery
Published at
TOSHIFUMI KITAMURA/AFP/Getty Images(TOKYO) — Japanese Emperor Akihito will undergo heart bypass surgery next week, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
The news comes just one day after the 78-year-old was admitted to the hospital for a scheduled checkup. Doctors first became concerned last year, when they discovered one of the emperor’s coronary arteries had narrowed.
This will be his first surgery since 2003, when he was treated for prostate cancer. However, the emperor has been plagued by health problems since. Most recently, he was hospitalized for pneumonia in November.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio