Actor Ken Watanabe postpones return to Broadway due to stomach cancer

TOKYO, Feb. 10 (UPI) -- Actor Ken Watanabe has put his return to Broadway on hold so he can recover from stomach cancer, his representative said.

The Oscar-nominated Japanese star of American movies The Last Samurai, Batman Begins and Inception had a statement posted on his Facebook page early Tuesday announcing his third bout with cancer.

"Ken has undergone laparoscopic surgery after having been diagnosed with stomach cancer in January," the post read. "His surgery was successful but his return to Broadway will be postponed."

Watanabe, 56, made his Broadway debut last year in a revival of the musical The King and I. He was expected to return to March 1, but his recuperation in Japan will push that back.

Watanabe was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 1989, but returned to acting in Japanese films in 1990. The leukemia returned a few years but has been in remission since then.

His Oscar nomination came as supporting actor for The Last Samurai in 2003. He was also nominated for a Tony for his role in The King and I.