Singer/songwriter Yoshida Takuro (57) left hospital yesterday after surgery to remove a 19mm tumor from his lung. He is expected to fully recover but needs three months of rehabilitation. A summer tour has been postponed to the autumn.
• Enka singer Jinno Mika (37) was involved in a three-car traffic accident in Osaka on Tuesday night. The taxi she and her manager were riding in was sandwiched and she suffered injuries requiring two weeks of treatment.