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+Hamasaki, who is the best-selling Japanese solo artist of all time, has been deaf in her left ear since 2008.

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+But her right ear has now begun to weaken, the 38-year-old said. She was nauseous and had vertigo just before this year's concert tour.

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+"I was told after various hearing tests that my right ear (which has been working overtime to compensate for the deafness of my left ear) is quickly weakening," she wrote.

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+"I was experiencing crippling dizziness. I was unable to walk in a straight line, and was often vomiting in the restroom while at the rehearsal studio."

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+The prolific singer and performer said she felt lost after the revelation. 

+"I remember wondering how would I as a singer be able to cope with two useless ears. I was in the dark," she said. 

+Hamasaki's ear condition stemmed from a cold that she caught during her 2000 Act I concert tour.

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+She caught a cold and a ear infection, but continued touring after a few days in hospital.

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+Doctors told her to ease her exposure to loud noises, but she did not cancel or postpone any tour dates until much later. She also continued to work at a frenetic pace in the years after.

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+By 2008, she was deaf in her left ear. The queen of J-pop was thought to have tinnitus, a ringing in the ear that can be caused by constant exposure to sound.

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