TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio underwent endoscopic surgery for chronic rhinosinusitis that was causing a stuffy nose at a Tokyo hospital Saturday.

The surgery ended without any problem, according to informed sources.

Kishida will visit the hospital Sunday to receive postsurgery treatment and will resume his official duties Monday.

During the sinus surgery, which was conducted under general anesthesia, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno served as acting prime minister.

According to the sources, Kishida is doing well after the surgery.

The prime minister told reporters Friday that he decided to undergo the surgery to “take all possible precautions.”

Kishida’s voice became noticeably nasal from around October last year, and he saw an otolaryngologist three times after that.

The cabinet law stipulates that the duties of prime minister will be performed temporarily by a cabinet minister designated in advance in the event that the prime minister is involved in an accident or unable to carry out his duties. When then Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi suffered cerebral infarction and was raced to hospital in April 2000, then Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio Aoki served as acting prime minister.

JIJI Press