Princess Nobuko of Japan has undergone a successful surgery to remove breast cancer tissue, according to the Imperial Household Agency.
In the press release, the Imperial Household Agency announced that the Princess underwent surgery on Saturday, 19th November, at Keio University Hospital in Tokyo.
During the procedure, she was diagnosed with stage zero breast cancer, and thankfully no metastasis was found anywhere in her body.
The release concluded by saying that the Princess is recovering well and is expected to be released from the hospital in seven to ten days, depending on how she’s feeling.
Following her release, she is expected to undergo radiotherapy to eliminate the possibility of cancer developing in her remaining breast tissues, the Imperial Household Agency said.
The 67-year-old Princess Nobuko was diagnosed with breast cancer just eight days before her procedure, on 11th November, following a scheduled mammogram and checkup for a lumbar vertebra fracture that she sustained in 2019.
She was said at the time not to have any symptoms, not even lumps; however, she has been undergoing regular mammograms for a while since both her mother and her grandmother were diagnosed with breast cancer.
This is not the Princess’s first health scare either. In May of 2004, she suffered a mini-stroke, and in 2008, she was hospitalised for breathing difficulties and subsequently diagnosed with asthma.
The Princess is the widow of the late Prince Tomohito, a cousin to Emperor Emeritus Akihito. The two met while they were both students at Oxford University in the UK; they married in 1980 and have two daughters, Princesses Akiko and Yoko. Nobuko was born into the Japanese political elite: she is the maternal granddaughter of former Prime Minister Shigeru Yoshida and the younger sister to former Prime Minister Taro Aso. Her father, chairman of Aso Company, was also a member of Parliament in the House from 1949 to 1955.
