Popular comedian Kato Cha (63) has been hospitalized and has had to cancel TV appearances. The exact nature of his condition has not been publicized but is thought to be a circulatory problem. He was admitted to a Tokyo hospital on October 30 and has been undergoing tests. He is expected to spend a significant time in the hospital. Several years ago he was diagnosed with hardened arteries and possible angina and has been undergoing treatment. He is scheduled to appear with Nakamoto Koji (65) and Takagi Boo (73) as the Kobucha Band in a dinner show tour next month. Both are fellow former members of The Drifters, Japan’s most famous comedy group of all time. The Drifters reigned Japanese TV from the late 1960s to the mid-80s. As a comedy band, they opened for the Beatles at the Budokan in 1966 and a few years later their show “Hachiji Da Yo! Zen’in Shugo” became a TV phenomenon. With rankings rarely below 40%, the irreverent comic variety show set new standards for live TV crudity. It was the show parents tried to prevent their children from watching but with little success. After the show’s demise in 1985, members Kato and Shimura Ken started their own series and they remain two of TV’s most recognizable faces, especially when in character.