Tokyo: Former Japanese Empress Michiko has left the hospital after undergoing breast cancer surgery.
Michiko was diagnosed with early stages of breast cancer in July. The Imperial Household Agency says she had surgery on Sunday and went home Tuesday.
The 84-year-old empress emeritus bowed to the staff at the University of Tokyo hospital as she left.
The agency says her cancer had not spread, but she will have checkups to determine if further treatment is needed.
Michiko's husband, Akihito, abdicated as emperor on April 30 and their son, Naruhito, became emperor the next day.
Michiko is the first commoner to become empress in modern Japanese history.
