Rock singer Imawano Kiyoshiro (55) has been hospitalized for treatment of cancer of the larynx. His busy summer schedule of live performances has all been canceled. The news was announced on his official website, which said he was admitted to hospital long-term on Tuesday. The charismatic singer responded to the news in his usual manner saying he hoped to enjoy this new experience and aspect of his life. The former vocalist of 80s band RC Succession first noticed a problem with his throat in late June, when he was in the studio recording a new album. Though his live dates have been canceled, the album is still set to be released in October. Imawano was scheduled to perform at five different outdoor festivals during the summer. He took up cycling as a serious hobby about six years ago, gave up his smoking habit three years later, and even entered in an international race event in Hawaii last year.
• Ryoji (31), vocalist of popular hip hop group Ketsumeishi, and actress Ishikawa Asami (28) got married yesterday. The marriage announcement, sent by fax to the media, came out of the blue but the couple had been going out for about a year and nine months. Ryoji – real name Otsuka Ryoji – divorced his first wife in August of last year just two months after the release of Ketsumeishi’s hugely successful album “Ketsunopolis 4”, which sold over 2 million copies. According to the fax statement, Ishikawa is currently 3 months pregnant, the newlyweds won’t be giving a press conference and have no plans for wedding ceremony. Ishikawa plans to continue working into the autumn and also resume her career after childbirth.