X Japan guitarist Pata is recovering after being treated in hospital for a “life-threatening” condition.
He was rushed to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at a Tokyo hospital on January 15, the band say, where he was diagnosed with a severe blood clot.
Although he has since been released from the ICU and is said to be in a stable condition, doctors say he’s not well enough to travel and the band have postponed all of their touring commitments and the release of their upcoming album.
Among the dates affected is a March 12 appearance at Wembley Arena in London, which has now been moved to March 4, 2017.
Bassist Heath says: “We truly apologise for the postponement of our Wembley show and new album. In order to present ourselves in the best condition for all our beloved fans, we’ve made a very difficult decision to wait for Pata’s full recovery.
“Upon his return, we promise to do our best to play even better and show you the best version of ourselves on stage. Please stay tuned.”
Frontman Yoshiki also apologised to fans and, referring to the 1998 death of band member Hide, said they couldn’t risk Pata’s health for fear of enduring another tragedy.
He says: “My heart is filled with sadness. No words can describe how sorry I am to disappoint our fans. I know the show must go on, but at this this time I can only pray for Pata’s recovery.
“I cannot tolerate more tragedy than what we’ve been through. I promise X Japan will come back strong, as we’ve done before, together with our fans.”
Singer Toshi adds: “We are truly sorry from the bottom of our hearts, for all the worries and concerns we’ve caused to our fans. X Japan is looking forward to playing with Pata again, and continuing our music journey together.”
The band were also due to issue a new, as-yet-untitled, album on March 11 – but that has been postponed with an updated release date to be announced in due course.
