Japan’s Empress Emerita has surgery after breaking thighbone

Empress Emerita Michiko, 89, who has suffered a broken right femur after falling down at the Sento Imperial Residence in Tokyo, successfully underwent surgery at the University of Tokyo Hospital on Tuesday, the Imperial Household Agency said.
The former empress entered the operating room at 5 a.m. for osteosynthesis and returned to her hospital room at around 7:20 a.m., according to her aide.
She is expected to stay hospitalized for about one to two weeks to undergo rehabilitation so that she can walk by herself. Doctors will determine when she will be discharged based on her progress.
The former Empress fell at the residence on Sunday evening and underwent an examination at the hospital on Monday afternoon as she continued to experience severe pain in her right leg, her aide said, adding that she fell on a flat surface and did not hit her head. In the examination, it was found that the upper part of her right femur was fractured.
Emperor Emeritus Akihito received an explanation of the test results together with the Empress Emerita at the hospital on Monday evening. He returned to the residence later.
Empress Emerita Michiko, turning 90 on Oct. 20, was hospitalized for surgery for the first time since 2019, when she was found to have breast cancer.