<p>The 77-year-old emperor "will be hospitalised from tonight because he has had a persistent fever and begun to show more concerning symptoms of bronchitis," said a spokesman for the imperial household agency on Sunday.<br /><br />The emperor will be treated at the University of Tokyo Hospital only days after his granddaughter Aiko -- the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako -- was hospitalised there for pneumonia.<br /><br />Aiko was discharged on Saturday.<br /><br />Akihito, who acceded to the throne in 1989 following the death of his father Emperor Hirohito, underwent surgery to remove prostate cancer in 2003.<br /><br />As the titular head of state in Japan, he plays a largely ceremonial role but is held in deep respect by many Japanese.</p>
<p>The 77-year-old emperor "will be hospitalised from tonight because he has had a persistent fever and begun to show more concerning symptoms of bronchitis," said a spokesman for the imperial household agency on Sunday.<br /><br />The emperor will be treated at the University of Tokyo Hospital only days after his granddaughter Aiko -- the only child of Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako -- was hospitalised there for pneumonia.<br /><br />Aiko was discharged on Saturday.<br /><br />Akihito, who acceded to the throne in 1989 following the death of his father Emperor Hirohito, underwent surgery to remove prostate cancer in 2003.<br /><br />As the titular head of state in Japan, he plays a largely ceremonial role but is held in deep respect by many Japanese.</p>