 Japan's crown prince to undergo surgery | |
Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito, 47, will undergo surgery to remove a benign abnormal growth in his intestines, the palace said Friday.
The news came three weeks after the palace announced his mother Empresss Michiko had suffered intestinal bleeding. His wife, Crown Princess Masako, has also been ill for several years, limiting public appearances due to severe stress.
The palace said Naruhito, who is next in line to the Chrysanthemum Throne, had a polyp in his duodenum, which is part of the small intestines.
"A polyp has been detected in the duodenum of His Highness. It is diagnosed to be benign and not large in size," a spokesman for the Imperial Household Agency said. "It is scheduled to be removed by endoscope at a convenient time."
On March 6, the agency announced the empress, 72, will take a break from official duties for 10 days after she was found to have suffered from bleeding in her intestines a few times.
The agency said her condition might been caused by mental stress.
Emperor Akihito, 73, underwent surgery in early 2003 for prostate cancer. | 
