Hiroaki Nakanishi, chief of the nation's biggest business lobby, has been diagnosed with lymphoma and will undergo treatment, the Japan Business Federation said Wednesday.
The 73-year-old chairman of Hitachi Ltd. has not felt well since early May and was hospitalized for a checkup at a Tokyo hospital. He said in a statement he will aim to return to work at the federation, known as Keidanren, this fall.
"I will focus on treatment so that I can return as soon as possible," he said.
"The duration of hospitalization and the timing of my return will depend on the progress of the treatment," said Nakanishi, who succeeded Sadayuki Sakakibara as chief of the lobby in May last year for a four-year term.
Nakanishi did not attend the lobby's annual meeting on May 30.
