24 February 2019, Egypt, Sharm El-Sheikh: From left : Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker pose for the family photo of the Arab League and European Union leaders during the European Union (EU) and League of Arab States (LAS) summit at the Sharm El Sheikh convention center. Photo: Oliver Weiken/dpa (Photo by Oliver Weiken/picture alliance via Getty Images)
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Saudiรย Kingรย Salman will undergo treatment at Al Salam Palace in Jeddah for aรย lungรย inflammation, theรย stateรย newsรย agencyรย said on Sunday, hours after he underwent medical tests.
Citing the royal court, theรย stateรย newsรย agencyรย said the 88-year-oldรย kingรย would beรย treatedรย with antibiotics until theรย inflammationรย subsides.
Due toรย Kingรย Salman’s health issue,รย Crown Prince Mohammedรย bin Salman, the de factoรย Saudiรย leader, postponed a visit to Japan that had been scheduled to begin on Monday, Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said.
“Saudiรย Arabia informed the Japanese government that due to the health condition ofรย Kingรย Salman ofรย Saudiรย Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammed’s visit to Japan, which had been scheduled to begin on the 20th, had to be postponed,” Hayashi said at aรย newsรย conference in Tokyo.
Earlier on Sunday,รย Kingรย Salman underwent medical tests at the royal clinics at Al Salam Palace due to “high temperature and joint pain”, theรย Saudiรย stateรย newsรย agencyรย said.
Theรย kingรย was last admitted to hospital in April for a routine checkup,รย stateรย TV reported then.
Kingรย Salman, the custodian of Islam’s holiest sites, became ruler of the world’s top oil exporter in 2015 after spending more than 2-1/2 years as the crown prince and deputy premier.
His illness struck just as the crown prince met with U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan in theรย kingdom forรย talks on a strategic agreementรย between Washington and Riyadh.
Saudiรย Arabia’s embassy in Japan did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the crown prince’s cancelled trip. He had been set to meet with Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Prime Minister Fumio Kishida during the trip scheduled from May 20-23.