Emperor Emeritus diagnosed with heart failure

Jiji Press

12:50 JST, July 27, 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — Japanese Emperor Emeritus has been diagnosed with right heart failure, the Imperial Household Agency said Tuesday.

The heart condition was discovered in an MRI scan taken Sunday at the University of Tokyo Hospital, the agency said.

The 88-year-old former emperor has no subjective symptoms and is recovering after receiving treatment, the agency said.

It said that the father of Emperor gained weight between April and June, and that a blood test taken at the end of June found that he had high levels of B-type natriuretic peptide, or BNP, an indicator of heart failure.

He was found to have a faulty valve between the right atrium and right ventricle of his heart.

Since receiving medication since the end of June, his weight and BNP levels have decreased. He is also taking his daily walks, albeit for shorter periods.

The agency said it has not found any connection between the latest diagnosis and the coronary-artery bypass surgery that the then-Emperor underwent in 2012.

It also said that Empress Emerita underwent incision surgery on her right eye at the University of Tokyo Hospital Sunday, to treat a cataract. She is doing well after the operation, it said.