Originally, the metal veterans were to play the archipelago in May with opening act Hellyeah, but put it off following the earthquake and subsequent nuclear accident in March.
The shows were rescheduled for the middle of December.
According to a message from the band posted on the site of Japanese promoter Creativeman Productions, the postponement is “due to a serious health issue with a close family member.”
The Blabbermouth.net home page says a member of drummer Charlie Benante’s family is sick.
Blabbermouth also quotes guitarist Scott Ian as saying that the Asia tour, which also included a show in Indonesia, was “not canceled, postponed” in a Twitter response to a fan.
However, the Creativeman website uses the word “canceled” regarding the Japan tour.