The head of the Imperial Household Agency admitted Thursday he is unsure how to address the situation surrounding Crown Princess Masako following unusually candid comments about her condition by her husband, Crown Prince Naruhito.

Grand Steward of the Imperial Household Toshio Yuasa implied the issue is sensitive and complicated, telling a regular news conference that agency officials are not sure "how deeply we can delve into the Imperial couple's private problems," as well as "whether or not we should."

The Crown Prince said Monday in a news conference that his wife "has completely exhausted herself" in trying to adapt to life in the Imperial family since their marriage in June 1993, and that "there were moves to reject her career (as a diplomat) and her personality."

Yuasa said he interprets the prince's comments as meaning "he wants us to understand that the Crown Princess' state of poor health since the end of last year has been building up for a long time."

He said the agency will ask the prince what he had meant by his comments after he returns from his official trip to Europe. "We will then consider what we can do to improve the situation," he added.

The prince left on a 12-day European tour Wednesday. His wife was unable to accompany him due to poor health.