TOKYO, Sept 14: North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il has suffered blackouts since April and was not been well enough to make important government decisions, a Japanese report said on Sunday.

South Korean officials have said Kim suffered a stroke and underwent brain surgery last month, heightening uncertainty about the future of the nuclear-armed country.

Government officials in Seoul have tended to stress that the 66-year-old leader of the impoverished nation is recovering fast and still in control.

But media reports speak of ongoing health problems, raising concerns about the future leadership of the secretive, hardline communist state.

The Mainichi Shimbun newspaper quoted a Chinese official saying Kim has been occasionally losing consciousness since April and not been fully able to instruct on policy affairs.—AFP