Pop star Ayumi Hamasaki has suffered an injury to her right hand. According to her agency, she fell down some stairs on Christmas Eve due to anemia. She underwent an emergency operation on Christmas Day, but it said that the injury will take about three weeks to completely heal.

Hamasaki was scheduled to appear on the Music Station Super Live on Friday, but she had to cancel her performance due to the injury. It has not yet been decided whether she will still participate in NHK's Kohaku Uta Gassen on December 31, even though she has been chosen as the opening artist of the contest.

If Hamasaki cancels her appearance at Kohaku, there is the possibility that the performances will start with Akira Fuse or that a replacement will be found. A decision should be reached by the time of the show's rehearsal on December 29.