A team of six surgeons successfully removed Emperor Akihito's cancerous prostate gland at the University of Tokyo Hospital on Saturday and there were no signs that the disease had spread, surgeons said.
The operation lasted 3 hours and 40 minutes and "ended in success," Medical Supervisor of the Imperial Household Ichiro Kanazawa told a news conference Saturday afternoon.
"There were no visible signs of the cancer having spread, but to be certain, we will make an announcement after a pathological check has been conducted," the surgeon said.