On Sunday, July 31, 2016, Her Imperial Majesty Empress Michiko of Japan attended a concert in Tokyo, Japan, with special guest performer South Korean tenor, Mr. Bae Jae-chul.

According to AFP News, Mr. Jae-chul “…lost his vocal cords after he underwent a thyroid cancer surgery in 2005 when he was in Germany but has successfully returned to his singing career in three years after his Japanese fan music producer arranged him to restore his vocal cords through a thyroplasty operation by a Kyoto Univ. prof. emeritus and then vocal training conducted by a Japanese specialist.”