Singer Saijo Hideki (48) has been hospitalized following a slight cerebral infarction, caused by a blockage of the blood supply to the brain. He is unable to speak clearly and is said to need two weeks of treatment and rest. He had just started doing PR work for a new single “Sodai Gomi Ja ne” (I’m not trash!). Saijo has released 85 singles over a two-decade career. His best known hit was “Young man,” a cover of the Village People song YMCA.
• Morning Musume member Ogawa Makoto (15) suffered a slipped disc during a Tokyo theater performance featuring the pop group. The show “Edo Musume; Chushingura” is based in the historical Edo period and features the group’s hit songs. Ogawa was dancing to the hit “So da, We’re Alive!” when she damaged her back.
• Takamoku Yoshihiko (40) formerly of the pop group Checkers is reported to have had life-saving surgery for cancer last November. The announcement came as part of the PR for a book about his experience.