Crown Prince Naruhito entered the University of Tokyo Hospital on Tuesday for endoscopic surgery to have a benign duodenal polyp removed, the Imperial Household Agency said.
The 47-year-old Crown Prince, whose wife, Crown Princess Masako, accompanied him to the hospital in Bunkyo Ward, will stay there for about a week after the operation Wednesday and rest at their residence for another week or so after he is discharged, the agency said.
The agency said his polyp is benign but is a rare kind in the duodenum that requires more caution, especially for possible bleeding, than the type that develops in the stomach and large intestine.
The polyp was discovered when the couple underwent a periodic health checkup in March.