Japanese emperor falls ill due to row with son over heir
The Japanese emperor has been struck down by a stress-related condition apparently brought on by a widening rift within the imperial family
By Julian Ryall in Tokyo 10 December 2008
Japanese Emperor Akihito has been struck down by a stress-related condition caused by rift with son.
Japanese Emperor Akihito has been struck down by a stress-related condition caused by rift with son.
Emperor Akihito is being treated for an irregular pulse, high blood pressure and internal bleeding that are said to be linked to feuds with his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, over his failure to provide a male heir.
The emperor complained of chest pains last week and cancelled a series of official engagements. The palace initially played down suggestions that the emperor, who will turn 75 this month, was seriously ill but more tests were carried out when he failed to respond to treatment.
Doctors said they had discovered bleeding from the walls of his stomach and intestines, blaming the problem on the stress of his duties.
But an apparently unguarded remark by his doctor has triggered speculation that a long-running row over the future of the monarchy is the cause of his illness.
Ichiro Kanazawa, head of the Imperial Household Agency’s medical division, told reporters in a news conference: “Please do not simply think that he feels distress because he is busy performing official duties or as his schedule is tight.
“His Majesty has felt distress over many matters and I believe he has been patiently holding himself back,” he added.
Toshiko Marks, a professor at Shumei University, said the official duties of the emperor and Empress Michiko were unlikely to be the cause as they were scaled back after he underwent surgery for prostate cancer in January 2003.
He said: “It is hard to believe that he has that much stress from greeting official guests and the occasional banquet or opening ceremony.
“We know there has been some sort of falling out between the emperor and his oldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, and it appears it is deeper than we thought.”
The feud between the emperor and his son relates to his decision to marry commoner Masako Owada in 1993.
She has not produced the male heir required to keep the dynasty alive and is now rarely seen in public due to the strain of the tensions it has caused within the family.
She gave birth to Princess Aiko in December 2001 but three years later the pressure had reached a point that the crown princess suffered what the palace has termed an adjustment disorder.
“He is from a different generation to his father,” said Professor Marks. “The emperor is wholly committed to the imperial system and the nation. The prince was partly educated at Oxford and has grown up in a different world. As far as he is concerned, the most important thing is the wellbeing of his wife.”
Despite the prince’s brother having a son and heir, the row has become increasingly public.
Professor Peter Mathais, the prince’s research supervisor when he was at Oxford in the 1980s, said his former pupil remains “serious and responsible.”
“He struck me back in Oxford as being highly responsible and extremely serious in everything that he did,” he said. “He was committed to his family and his role as a representative of Japan.”
The other concern of royal-watchers is that the emperor may be in a worse condition than the palace is admitting.
“It is very possible that the illness is more worrying and that the agency is preparing us all for some more serious news,” said Professor Marks.
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Japanese emperor falls ill due to row with son over heir
The Japanese emperor has been struck down by a stress-related condition apparently brought on by a widening rift within the imperial family
By Julian Ryall in Tokyo
10 December 2008
Japanese Emperor Akihito has been struck down by a stress-related condition caused by rift with son.
Japanese Emperor Akihito has been struck down by a stress-related condition caused by rift with son.
Emperor Akihito is being treated for an irregular pulse, high blood pressure and internal bleeding that are said to be linked to feuds with his son, Crown Prince Naruhito, over his failure to provide a male heir.
The emperor complained of chest pains last week and cancelled a series of official engagements. The palace initially played down suggestions that the emperor, who will turn 75 this month, was seriously ill but more tests were carried out when he failed to respond to treatment.
Doctors said they had discovered bleeding from the walls of his stomach and intestines, blaming the problem on the stress of his duties.
But an apparently unguarded remark by his doctor has triggered speculation that a long-running row over the future of the monarchy is the cause of his illness.
Ichiro Kanazawa, head of the Imperial Household Agency’s medical division, told reporters in a news conference: “Please do not simply think that he feels distress because he is busy performing official duties or as his schedule is tight.
“His Majesty has felt distress over many matters and I believe he has been patiently holding himself back,” he added.
Toshiko Marks, a professor at Shumei University, said the official duties of the emperor and Empress Michiko were unlikely to be the cause as they were scaled back after he underwent surgery for prostate cancer in January 2003.
He said: “It is hard to believe that he has that much stress from greeting official guests and the occasional banquet or opening ceremony.
“We know there has been some sort of falling out between the emperor and his oldest son, Crown Prince Naruhito, and it appears it is deeper than we thought.”
The feud between the emperor and his son relates to his decision to marry commoner Masako Owada in 1993.
She has not produced the male heir required to keep the dynasty alive and is now rarely seen in public due to the strain of the tensions it has caused within the family.
She gave birth to Princess Aiko in December 2001 but three years later the pressure had reached a point that the crown princess suffered what the palace has termed an adjustment disorder.
“He is from a different generation to his father,” said Professor Marks. “The emperor is wholly committed to the imperial system and the nation. The prince was partly educated at Oxford and has grown up in a different world. As far as he is concerned, the most important thing is the wellbeing of his wife.”
Despite the prince’s brother having a son and heir, the row has become increasingly public.
Professor Peter Mathais, the prince’s research supervisor when he was at Oxford in the 1980s, said his former pupil remains “serious and responsible.”
“He struck me back in Oxford as being highly responsible and extremely serious in everything that he did,” he said. “He was committed to his family and his role as a representative of Japan.”
The other concern of royal-watchers is that the emperor may be in a worse condition than the palace is admitting.
“It is very possible that the illness is more worrying and that the agency is preparing us all for some more serious news,” said Professor Marks.
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