Dec 8, 2008, 10:15 GMT
Japan's Emperor Akihito has resumed official duties.
The 74-year-old royal was forced to cancel a string of engagements last week after he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, but is now appearing in public again.
The monarch awarded the International Prize for Biology to American scientist David Tilman at a ceremony held at the Japan Academy in Tokyo today (08.12.08).
The emperor complained of chest pains two weeks before he was diagnosed with an irregular heartbeat, according to a medical supervisor of the Imperial Household Agency.
The emperor's blood pressure rose on Tuesday night (02.12.08) forcing him to stay at his palace residence in Tokyo "to have necessary checks and to rest". He then decided to cancel all engagements for the following two days in order to recover.
Akihito - who had prostate cancer surgery in 2003 - became emperor in 1989 when his father, Hirohito, died.
Japan has the world's oldest hereditary monarchy.
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