TOKYO • Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki was originally planning to hold a concert tour from February to August this year to mark her 22nd year in show business.

Hamasaki, 41, broke into the scene in April 1998 with her debut single Poker Face.

She kicked off her tour in Japan's Saitama prefecture on Feb 20, but it was suspended two days later due to the coronavirus outbreak.

The organisers announced in May that the rest of the 36 concerts have been cancelled due to the pandemic.

Last Saturday, fans who missed Hamasaki's concerts got to see her perform, albeit via an online concert.

There was no audience at the concert, which is titled Ayumi Hamasaki Premium Limited Live A, but fans could pay to watch the live broadcasts on the Abema streaming website.

Hamasaki began the concert with the song Mad World and performed 17 other songs, including Whatever, Last Angel, End Roll, Survivor and Blue Bird. She ended the concert with the song The Show Must Go On.

Hamasaki, who gave birth to a baby boy last November, also performed her new song Ohia Tree at the concert.

She released the surprise single - her first in four years - on July 4. The song is dedicated to her son and tells of being a new parent and her overwhelming love for her child.

Hamasaki did not disclose who the father of her son is, but several media outlets speculated that he is her 21-year-old boyfriend, dancer Shunpei Araki. He was one of the performers at her concert.