Emperor Emeritus Akihito was admitted to the University of Tokyo Hospital for examination on May 6 after showing signs of myocardial ischemia.

A regular medical checkup in April and a follow-up examination pointed to the possibility that the 91-year-old former emperor's blood flow from the coronary arteries to the heart muscles is insufficient.

He is expected to be hospitalized for several days to undergo a detailed examination of his heart.

Due to this hospitalization, his planned retreat together with Empress Emerita Michiko at the Hayama Imperial Villa, which was scheduled to begin on May 8, has been postponed.

In February 2012, the Emperor Emeritus underwent cardiac bypass surgery.

In July 2022, a cardiac MRI scan found that he had a right heart failure.

This is the first time that he has been hospitalized since 2012, and the first time since his abdication in 2019.