This press conference transcript and subsequent translation—which are exclusive to Jrock Revolution—are of X JAPAN‘s recent official press conference announcing a delay in their planned world tour. A full record follows.



MC: Since the shocking news of the postponement of X JAPAN‘s World Tour, there have been numerous speculations regarding issues such as YOSHIKI‘s severe illness and the rumored indefinite suspension of X JAPAN‘s activities.  The X JAPAN members will address [those issues] now.



MC: Could we have an opening comment from each of you, please? First from you please, Toshi.



TOSHI: Good day, everybody, and thank you very much for coming here today. Initially we had planned to hold this press conference with all [four of] us, including YOSHIKI, and we apologize for his absence, but unfortunately he is not well enough yet to attend. We will be elaborating on this matter further today. Thank you for your attention.



PATA: This is PATA. As [TOSHI] said, thank you for your attention—is what I’d like to say.



HEATH: This is HEATH. Thank you for your attention.



MC: Now could you please tell us what will happen from now on with the X JAPAN World Tour you announced a little while back?



TOSHI: The way events turned out, the concerts on July 5th at Paris-Nord Villepinte Exhibition Center in Paris, August 2nd World Trade Center Nangang Exhibition Hall in Taipei and September 13th at the Madison Square Garden in New York have all been postponed. We deeply apologize to have worried and inconvenienced our fans.



PATA: [I’d like to say] the same. I had very much looked forward [to those concerts], but this is the situation now. But they are not canceled, only postponed, so please wait a little while longer. I’ll be waiting myself, and I very much look forward [to future concerts].



HEATH: I agree. Unfortunately this happened, but I, too, want to be back on stage as X JAPAN as soon as possible.



MC: Thank you for the clarification. Now, as everybody has concerns [about YOSHIKI], I would like to ask TOSHI to tell us about YOSHIKI‘s state of health.



TOSHI: Both the cervical vertebrae herniation he first suffered from long ago has recurred and his tendinitis has gotten worse. His doctors aren’t allowing him to do anything that would exacerbate his condition, so at the moment he’s convalescing in Los Angeles according to their advice.



Personally, I agree that he shouldn’t be overdoing things, but rather give priority to his rehabilitation and I’ve been telling him that on the phone as well. Fortunately, his condition doesn’t affect his everyday life.



Still, while he can go about his business as usual mostly, drumming as he does puts a tremendous strain on his body—admittedly, it’s not the first time something like this has happened, so because [it’s not the first time], I really want him to be careful and makes sure he’s up to it [when we get back]. We’ve talked about this on the phone and we decided we want to be perfectly prepared when we get back, so all of us, including YOSHIKI, are working hard towards that.



MC: Was YOSHIKI overworking himself during the Tokyo Dome 3 Days lives then?

 

TOSHI: YOSHIKI has been warned by his doctors before the concert that drumming could be dangerous for him and cautioned to wear his neck brace at least if he’d do it anyway, but he refused to wear it because he wanted to look perfect for our fans after all this time.



On top of that, he not only played even more intensely than usually, making even ourselves [the band members] secretly worry about him, he also was the executive producer for the whole event, with all that includes, any number of technical and organizational issues to dealing with our guest musicians and HIDE’s screen appearances, so I believe he was under tremendous physical and emotional pressure from the start of the preparations [of the lives]. That he cut and otherwise injured himself badly during his drum dive during the first night of the lives did not help to improve his condition either. Playing still at that state at the HIDE memorial summit only aggravated the situation and led to rather large damage, it seems.



MC: Then after that the accumulated stress took its toll?



TOSHI: Yes, that is so. As X JAPAN‘s leader, as someone with an very high sense of responsibility, he’s been working extremely hard on everything concerning our reunion, the shooting of the promotion video, and the lives, and all that involved. I really think he was under many times more pressure than the rest of us.



MC: Now fans not only in Japan but but all over the world are very concerned [about YOSHIKI‘s health and the state of X JAPAN].



TOSHI: Yes, we have concert requests from many places worldwide. I’ve been told the official X JAPAN site for Taiwan gets flooded with demands for more information day by day and that in France, Germany, Italy and other European countries—as well as in America—fans are running websites begging us to give concerts there. Really, we have requests for concerts from any number of places. X JAPAN, as the "Japan" in the name says, that’s a band of us Japanese guys, but we’d like to give performances, create music that gives something to the whole world.



MC: So what treatments is YOSHIKI actually undergoing in Los Angeles?



TOSHI: As far as I know, he’s taking whatever treatments from both Eastern and Western medicine that will help him to improve his condition.



MC: Now it feels almost as if people from all over the world are begging for X JAPAN to come back in good condition right here in this hall, but I suppose that might not happen very soon?



TOSHI: Yes, this may take a little time, but we really want to proceed [with the World Tour], so we are using this time as a chance for even better preparation. We will be resuming our "Attack" once we are confident that we are perfectly prepared.



MC: If you could give you fans a final message now? If you would go first, please, PATA.



PATA: I am really deeply sorry [about the current situation]. But this definitely isn’t a cancellation, it’s only a delay, so please wait just a little while longer for us. Please bear with us—is what I’d like to say.



MC: HEATH, please.



HEATH: After this preparation, we really want to perform some gorgeous concerts for our foreign fans so please wait for the day when we’ll finally meet.



MC: TOSHI, please.



TOSHI: Unfortunately the X JAPAN [overseas appearances] had to be postponed, but all of us, including YOSHIKI, very definitely want to [do the World Tour]. Please, really do wait for us to come. Beyond X JAPAN, we are also still active with our solo projects. PATA just finished an all Japan tour [with Ra:IN—Ed.] and there are plans for an overseas tour as well. HEATH currently is recording a solo CD. YOSHIKI as well is working on solo projects. I myself just started a new band, T-EARTH, which will play eco [ecology] hard rock. I hope you will support our solo projects, too. With X JAPAN I hope we will finally be back more powerfully than ever, to give something back to the whole world through our music. We will continue with a variety of activities once our preparations are complete, until then I am asking for your understanding and your support. Our fans worldwide I would like to ask to keep supporting us. Thank you very much.



MC: Thank you very much. If you would now please pose for the attending photographers and cameramen.



Though not a part of the official press conference, TOSHI made another announcement after the photo op.



TOSHI: YOSHIKI has said he would still like to attend JAPAN EXPO in Paris if possible, and if he could go, the rest of us would like to go as well.




Transcript by: Mie

Translated and written by: Rika

Edited by: Maria