TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio will undergo a sinus surgery at a hospital in Tokyo on Saturday, Chief Cabinet Secretary MATSUNO Hirokazu said Friday.

As the endoscopic operation for chronic rhinosinusitis involving a nasal polyp will be conducted under general anesthesia, Matsuno will temporarily serve as the country’s acting prime minister.

Kishida is slated to leave the hospital within Saturday and return to work on Monday.

Kishida is having symptoms such as chronic nasal congestion, Matsuno said at a press conference, adding that the prime minister will need to go for checkups for his nasal condition several times after the surgery.

“While I’ve been on medication for a blocked nose, I decided to undergo an endoscopic surgery so that I’m in perfect physical condition,” Kishida told reporters in the city of Toda, Saitama Prefecture, north of Tokyo, Friday.

Article 9 of the cabinet law stipulates that the duties of prime minister will be temporarily performed by a cabinet minister designated in advance in the event that the prime minister is involved in an accident or unable to do the jobs.

When Kishida reshuffled his cabinet in August last year, it was decided that Matsuno, economic security minister TAKAICHI Sanae, Foreign Minister HAYASHI Yoshimasa, Finance Minister SUZUKI Shunichi and digital minister KONO Taro would serve as acting prime minister in that order if Kishida becomes unable to perform his jobs.

“I’ll work to ensure that the duties of the prime minister, including possible crisis management, continue to be done without a hitch,” Matsuno said.

JIJI Press