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Report: Japan’s Former Empress Michiko Discharged after Surgery

Japan's former empress Michiko arrives to mark the 110th anniversary of the death of the wife of former emperor Meiji, former empress dowager Shoken who died on April 9, 1914 at the age of 64, at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on April 9, 2024. (AFP)
Japan's former empress Michiko arrives to mark the 110th anniversary of the death of the wife of former emperor Meiji, former empress dowager Shoken who died on April 9, 1914 at the age of 64, at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on April 9, 2024. (AFP)
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Report: Japan’s Former Empress Michiko Discharged after Surgery

Japan's former empress Michiko arrives to mark the 110th anniversary of the death of the wife of former emperor Meiji, former empress dowager Shoken who died on April 9, 1914 at the age of 64, at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on April 9, 2024. (AFP)
Japan's former empress Michiko arrives to mark the 110th anniversary of the death of the wife of former emperor Meiji, former empress dowager Shoken who died on April 9, 1914 at the age of 64, at Meiji Shrine in Tokyo on April 9, 2024. (AFP)

Japan's 89-year-old former empress Michiko left hospital Sunday after having surgery for a broken thigh, local media reported.

Michiko, the mother of Emperor Naruhito, fell on October 6 at her Tokyo residence and was admitted to hospital the next day after doctors diagnosed a fracture of the right femur.

She left hospital Sunday afternoon, local media said.

Officials at Imperial Household Agency could not be reached for comment, but an official previously told AFP that her treatment had been successful.

Michiko and her husband -- former emperor Akihito, 90 -- are credited with modernizing the tradition-bound monarchy and bringing it closer to the public.

The first commoner to marry an imperial heir in Japan, Michiko gave birth to Naruhito in 1960. Her second son, Prince Akishino, was born in 1965.

In 2019, Akihito, at the age of 85, became Japan's first monarch to abdicate in two centuries.

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Varieties

Japan Witnesses Warmest Autumn on Record

This aerial image shows autumn leaves at their peak as they surround Tsutenkyo Bridge amongst the grounds of Tofukuji Temple, in the city of Kyoto on November 27, 2024. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)
This aerial image shows autumn leaves at their peak as they surround Tsutenkyo Bridge amongst the grounds of Tofukuji Temple, in the city of Kyoto on November 27, 2024. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)
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Japan Witnesses Warmest Autumn on Record

This aerial image shows autumn leaves at their peak as they surround Tsutenkyo Bridge amongst the grounds of Tofukuji Temple, in the city of Kyoto on November 27, 2024. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)
This aerial image shows autumn leaves at their peak as they surround Tsutenkyo Bridge amongst the grounds of Tofukuji Temple, in the city of Kyoto on November 27, 2024. (Photo by JIJI Press / AFP)

Japan has recorded its warmest autumn since records began 126 years ago, the weather agency said, delaying the country's popular displays of seasonal foliage into December.

"This year was 1.97 degrees Celsius higher than usual... making it the hottest autumn since 1898, when statistics began," the Japan Meteorological Agency said Monday on their website.

Between September and November, the temperature was 2.4 degrees Celsius higher than usual in Tokyo, 2.9 more in the central city of Nagoya and 1.2 warmer in northern Sapporo city.

The weather has delayed the country's autumn foliage season -- when tourists flock to see leaves turn vibrant reds and yellows.

In Kyoto, a railway company known for running trains through forests of illuminated maple trees at night has extended its schedule because leaf colors are not changing as quickly as usual.

According to the Japan Meteorological Corporation, the best time to see the autumn leaves in Tokyo is around December 5 and in Osaka on December 9, both later than usual.

Japan recorded its joint-hottest summer on record this year as extreme heatwaves, which scientists say are fueled by climate change, engulfed many parts of the world.

The famous snowcap of Mount Fuji was absent for the longest recorded period this year, not appearing until early November, compared with the average of early October.

Climate scientists forecast that 2024 will almost certainly be the hottest year on record.

Australia has meanwhile sweltered through its warmest spring on record, the country's weather bureau said Sunday, with temperatures 2.08 degrees Celsius above the average.

Australia's previous hottest spring -- running between September and November in the Southern Hemisphere -- was recorded in 2020.