Japanese pop singer Utada hospitalized

TOKYO, Japan (Utada Fans Website) - Japanese singer-songwriter Hikaru Utada, whose debut album "First Love" set a domestic sales record, has been hospitalized, Kyodo news agency said on Sunday.

The 19-year-old singer, who was born in New York and attends Columbia University, has been working under medical supervision after recovering from an operation to remove a benign tumour from her ovary.

While the operation was a success, Utada had been suffering side-effects from the medication, and her condition deteriorated a few days ago, Kyodo quoted her record company Toshiba EMI Ltd as saying.

It was not clear where she was hospitalized. She will undergo a thorough medical examination, possibly Tuesday, and cancel all her bookings until May 21,
Toshiba EMI could not be reached for immediate comment.

Utada's 1999 debut album has sold over nine million copies, and her releases, including the latest "Hikari," have consistently topped the music charts.

In February, Utada signed a contract with major British record label EMI and plans to release her first album in English.