Emperor Akihito was discharged from University of Tokyo Hospital on Sunday after completing his rehabilitation from heart bypass surgery, the Imperial Household Agency said.
The Emperor, 78, was put through stair-climbing and equipment-based workouts to rehabilitate his heart after undergoing surgery to ease his angina on Feb. 18.
Dressed in a suit, the Emperor proceeded slowly to the hospital exit accompanied by a relieved Empress Michiko and Takashi Kadowaki, a senior doctor from the Imperial Household Agency. The Emperor smiled as he accepted a bouquet from hospital staff and waved repeatedly to the more than 100 patients and visitors in the lobby as the couple made their way to a car for the ride back to the Imperial Palace.