Japan;s Prince Katsura dead at 66

USPA News - Japanese Prince Katsura, the second son of Prince Mikasa and the cousin of Emperor Akihito, died at a hospital in Tokyo on Sunday morning after struggling with ill health for more than two decades, the imperial house announced. He was 66 years old.

Katsura was rushed to University of Tokyo hospital on early Sunday morning but died of heart failure at 10:55 a.m. local time despite efforts to save his life, the Imperial House said in a statement. The second son of Prince Mikasa, Katsura was sixth in the line of succession to the Japanese throne. The Imperial family, which currently has 21 members, declared five days of mourning after Katsura`s death on Sunday. Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko, along with other family members such as Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako, were later seen arriving at Katsura`s house to pay their respects to the prince. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe also mourned Katsura`s death, saying the prince had played an "important role" in the Imperial family`s international relationships. He extended his condolences to the family and noted how the prince had continued to carry out his honorary roles despite his ill health. Katsura, who studied political sciences before finishing his education in Australia, is credited by the Imperial family for making "great efforts" in the 1980s to improve Japan`s relationships with Australia and New Zealand. But in May 1988, the prince underwent surgery after being struck by acute subdural hematoma and was left in a wheelchair. Though despite his worsening health, Katsura continued to carry out his official duties while serving as the president of a number of organizations. In 2008, however, the prince suffered a life-threatening blood infection known as septicemia and he was hospitalized for 6 months, after which he was rarely seen in public. At the time of his death on Sunday, Katsura was still serving as the honorary president of the Japan Australia New Zealand Society, the Agricultural Society of Japan, the Japan Forestry Association, the Japan Art Crafts Association, and the Japanese Urushi Craft-Art Association.