GENE RANDALL, CNN ANCHOR: In northern Japan, more than 2,000 evacuees have returned home for the first time since Mount Usu erupted last week. But 15,000 people remain in shelters as the volcano continues to belch smoke. There have been no reports of deaths or injuries. Anxiety over the eruptions may have contributed to the fatigue that is blamed for Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi's condition. He was hospitalized Sunday morning, Tokyo time, complaining of fatigue. Our bureau chief in Tokyo, Marina Kamimura has a report.</s>MARINA KAMIMURA, CNN TOKYO BUREAU CHIEF (voice-over): Japan's 62-year-old prime minister asked to be hospitalized, saying he did not feel well. More than 10 hours after Keizo Obuchi was taken to a Tokyo hospital, his top government spokesman said he was there due to exhaustion. Mikio Aoki (ph) said the prime minister was conscious when he saw him earlier, but said little more than that. Mr. Obuchi is known to have heart problems. It wasn't clear whether that had anything to do with his condition. No health problems had been reported since he entered the prime minister's office in July of 1998. Observers say Mr. Obuchi was likely suffering from a schedule that had him overseeing his government's response to the eruption of the Mount Usu volcano in northern Japan, as well as last-minute negotiations with the other two parties in his coalition government. The smallest party in that coalition, the Liberal Party, is set to leave the Obuchi administration Monday, over long-standing differences over policy. Mr. Obuchi had just finished serving his 20th month in office since becoming the country's 54th prime minister and had been gearing his party for general elections that need to be held by the fall. The government says it is waiting for a full report from Mr. Obuchi's doctors before they make their next announcement. Marina Kamimura, CNN, Tokyo. Search CNN.com CNNSI.com CNNmoney.com The Web
Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi Hospitalized Due to Fatigue