TOKYO - Acclaimed Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa said Friday he was recovering well from cancer but decided to cancel more engagements to concentrate on treatment.

Ozawa, the 74-year-old musical director at the Vienna State Opera, had moved "one more step" towards a full recovery from oesophageal cancer, his office said in a statement.

But Ozawa had decided to follow doctors' instructions and cancel an opera in Matsumoto, central Japan, in August and a series of concerts with the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra in Europe and Japan.

"I'm really sorry for troubling and worrying everyone," Ozawa said in a statement. "I myself feel great regret but I want to take all possible measures to (recover) by listening to my chief doctor's instructions."

Ozawa, however, was still planning to conduct other concerts scheduled for later this year, his office said.

In January, Ozawa said he had been diagnosed with oesophageal cancer and had cancelled his schedule for at least six months to undergo treatment.

The maestro has suffered ailing health in recent years, most recently undergoing emergency surgery for a hernia last year.

He has had a long international career, spending nearly three decades at the Boston Symphony Orchestra before moving to Vienna in 2002.