Emperor Akihito gets sick over heir

All is not well with the Japanese emperor, His Imperial Majesty Akihito (pictured). According to reports, his ongoing spat with his son Crown Prince Naruhito over his failure to produce a male heir is said to have contributed to an alarming rise in his blood pressure and, far worse, internal bleeding.

The 75-year-old emperor complained of chest pains last week and was impelled to cancel a number of official engagements. What has prompted speculation that this is down to his son is a remark made by Akihito's doctor, Ichiro Kanazawa, who let slip to reporters that the emperor felt "distress over many matters and I believe he has been patiently holding himself back”.

The crown prince, 48, and his father have fought a number of long-running battles, largely over his wife, a "commoner", and her failure to give him a child of the correct sex. As things stand, the couple have an eight-year-old daughter, Princess Aiko, who cannot by law ascend to the throne.

Toshiko Marks, a professor at Shumei University, said the official duties of the Akihito and his wife, Empress Michiko - greeting official guests and the occasional banquet - were unlikely to be the cause of his stress as they were scaled back after he underwent surgery for prostate cancer five years ago. “We know there has been some sort of falling out between the emperor and his oldest son, and it appears it is deeper than we thought," said Marks.