Japan's Emperor Akihito was hospitalized late Sunday with worsening symptoms of bronchitis, the royal palace said, according to an AFP report.
The emperor, 77, also had a high fever, the report says.
The Associated Press reports that Akihito, who will turn 78 next month, developed a fever Thursday and has refrained from royal duties since.
A spokesman for the imperial household agency told reporters that Akihito "will be hospitalized from tonight because he has had a persistent fever and begun to show more concerning symptoms of bronchitis.”
According to AFP, television footage later showed the emperor arriving by car at the University of Tokyo Hospital accompanied by Empress Michiko.
Akihito’s granddaughter, Aiko, the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, was treated at the same hospital for pneumonia just days ago and was released Saturday, AFP says.
AP reports that the deeply respected Akihito underwent surgery for prostate cancer in 2003 and has been on hormone therapy since then.
Akihito acceded to the throne in 1989 after the death of his father, Emperor Hirohito.
