Tokyo - As if the economic crisis engulfing Japan were not enough, bad news coming out of Tokyo's imperial palace have many Japanese worrying about things to come.

Doctors found traces of internal bleeding in the stomach and intestinal tract of Emperor Akihito, who turns 75 on December 23, as he was forced to cancel appointments because of irregular pulse and high blood pressure, raising fears over the health of Japan's ceremonial head of state.

The emperor is ill because of worry, many say, the Tenno being concerned over the succession and "various" other things, as Shingo Haketa, head of the arch-conservative Imperial Household Agency, hinted at.

Speculation abounds over a family tragedy in the palace - a growing rift between the ageing emperor and Crown Prince Naruhito and his wife, Crown Princess Masako, who is also ill.

Many Japanese fondly remember the crown prince's open words four years ago, when he said that there had been attempts to deny the personality and career of his wife. The former career diplomat was "exhausted" by her efforts to adapt to life at the palace.

Akihito was said to be shocked. For years, Masako suffered from the pressure to produce an heir to the island's Chrysanthemum Throne.

She gave birth to a daughter, Princess Aiko, 7, but according to Japanese law the throne can only pass to male heirs. The crown princess is hardly ever seen in public these days.

The succession problem found a temporary solution by the birth of a son to Naruhito's younger brother Prince Akishino and his wife.

Still, the devotion of the head of the world's oldest ruling dynasty, who "fulfils his duty as a symbol of the nation to his physical limits is not properly recognized in the royal family," wrote Akira Hashimoto, a former university friend of the emperor, in the Sunday Mainichi magazine, in a thinly veiled criticism of the crown prince.

Akihito, who chose the term Heisei, or "achieving peace" for the era of his reign, is the first Tenno, or celestial emperor, without the traditional divine status, stripped from his predecessor after World War II.

He has no executive powers, but he and his wife, Empress Michiko, are kept busy despite their advanced age travelling the country visiting retirement homes and creches, meet disabled athletes or try to comfort victims of Japan's ever-present earthquakes.

Additionally he has to read and sign about 1,000 government decrees per year, hold audiences and receptions for foreign state guests - adding up to more than 200 dinners and tea ceremonies annually - as well as head hundreds of traditional court ceremonies.

Palace observers say the Tenno, who had to undergo cancer surgery a few years ago, wants to include his son and heir more in these duties, but Naruhito is only interested in discussing family matters, Takashi Mikuriya, a professor at Tokyo University, wrote in the Bungei Shunju political magazine.

A highly unusual public rebuttal by the head of the palace office in February, saying that Naruhito and his family should visit the emperor more often was regarded as an indication of how bad things are within the walled palace compound in central Tokyo.

"Only the emperor knows what it means to be emperor, what weight lies on his shoulders. Therefore there is much what the crown prince can only learn from the Tenno personally," writer Masayasu Hosaka said.

In the past, the crown prince and his wife traditionally visited regularly, but Naruhito and Masako discontinued that tradition. Akihito was concerned over the health of his son and his wife, Haketa said, as Naruhito has not undergone any regular health checks for some time, an exception in the tightly controlled royal life.

Others are more understanding towards Naruhito. The crown prince most likely thought that it was in the interest of the Japanese people if he looked after his wife, Bungei Shunju quoted Tamaki Saito, a prominent psychologist, as saying.

All that abounding media speculation does not aid the emperor's help either. Neither does it help the crown princess, who is "deeply hurt" by remarks that the imperial court was the cause of her illness, a court official said.

The future empress of Japan was taking the traditions and her duties very seriously and was focusing on her medical treatment so that she could fully fulfil her obligations, the palace stated. (dpa)