Hirohito’s Condition Still Serious, Stable

Emperor Hirohito, bedridden for the past three weeks, remained in stable but serious condition today. Aides said he would have trouble recovering his physical strength.

The 87-year-old emperor received 0.42 pints of blood Sunday, though he discharged no blood. He has received a total of 13.4 pints since his condition worsened last month.

Hirohito’s fever stood at 99 degrees, unchanged from his temperature Sunday evening, according to Imperial Household Agency spokesman Kenji Maeda.

The emperor’s normal temperature is about 95.9 degrees.

Maeda said there was no further discharge of blood from Sunday evening through this morning. “Nothing has changed” in the emperor’s condition, he told reporters.

In a briefing Sunday evening, Maeda said the emperor’s sickness will make it “difficult for him to regain his physical strength, and his recovery is not easy as he has been in bed such a long time.”

The emperor has been confined to his bed since he vomited a large amount of blood Sept. 19.

Maeda quoted Akira Takagi, the emperor’s chief physician, as saying palace doctors could not say whether the internal bleeding has completely stopped, although no discharge of blood was detected. The emperor last discharged blood four days ago.

The Mainichi newspaper today quoted sources close to palace doctors as saying the emperor was susceptible to hemorrhaging. The paper also reported that the emperor has jaundice.

It was the first time that such signs have been confirmed, the nationally circulated newspaper reported.