Japan emperor to be hospitalised with cold, fever - Kyodo

Japan's Emperor Akihito addresses the nation at the Imperial Palace in Tokyo March 16, 2011.

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japanese Emperor Akihito is due to be hospitalized on Sunday with a cold, fever and symptoms of bronchitis, Kyodo news agency reported, citing the Imperial Household Agency.

Akihito, who will turn 78 next month, will be admitted to the University of Tokyo Hospital as a precaution because the fever worsened the bronchitis symptoms and he appeared fatigued and has lost some resistance to fight his illness, Kyodo said.

It said Crown Prince Naruhito would temporarily take over the emperor's official duties.

Akihito, who ascended to the throne after the death of his father Hirohito in 1989, has spent much of the past two decades working to close the gap between the imperial family and ordinary Japanese people.

Five days after the devastating earthquake and tsunami struck Japan's northeast, Akihito made a rare public televised address and in April traveled to the disaster-struck area with Empress Michiko, 77.

Akihito had surgery for prostate cancer in 2003 and suffered stress-related health issues in late 2008, including irregular pulse and stomach bleeding. The following year, the royal agency said he would cut back on official duties such as speeches and meeting foreign dignitaries.

On Sunday, the emperor cancelled an engagement to attend a national assembly in Tokyo of Inclusion Japan, a civic organization advocating for the rights of people with learning difficulties, because of the fever.

(Reporting by Tomasz Janowski)