Article: Top 10 Japanese Stars Who Fought Against Cancer

Cancer is a deadly disease which worldwide takes the lives of many people. Anyone can have it, while some can fight the disease some cannot. Many Japanese celebrities have been victims of Cancer. We have lost some of these great stars to this, while some were able to fight back against it. The top ten Japanese stars who fought against cancer are.

1. Mao Kobayashi

Mao Kobayashi was a Japanese actress and freelance newscaster. In 2014 she was diagnosed with breast cancer but kept this a secret. In 2016 her husband announced to her condition that her cancer was at stage four and kept spreading to her lungs and bones. She even started a blog about her illness called Kokoro, which in Japan became one of the most popular blogs. In 2017 she died due to cancer.

2. Runa Takamura

Runa Takamura, also known as Luna, was a Japanese dancer and singer. She is of German and Japanese descent. She was a member of the J-pop group Golden half. In 2004 while she was in Hawaii she died due to Cancer. She was only 51 and she only came to know about cancer in the later stages.

3. Kiyoshiro Imawano

Kiyoshi Kurihara, known as Kiyoshiro Imawano, was a Japanese lyricist, musical producer, rock musician, actor and composer. He was called Japan's King of Rock. In 2006 he was diagnosed with throat cancer and was on and off treatment. In 2009 he died of cancer at the age of 58. His funeral was held at Aoyama Sougisho.

4. Chieko Honda

Chieko Honda was a Japanese voice actress and actress. At the time of her death, she was attached to Aoni Production and Tokyo Actor’s Consumer’s Cooperative Society. She was undergoing multiple treatments for cancer. In 2013 she died having multiple forms of cancer. She was 49 when she died.

5. Takajin Yashiki

Takaji Yashiki, known as Takajin, was a Japanese television personality and singer. He was born to Mitsuko Yashiki who is Japanese and a Korean father, Gonzaburou. In the 1970s he began his singing career. In 2012, he announced that he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer and to concentrate on his treatment would take leave. In 2013 he made a short comeback but died in 2014.

6. Sayuri Yamauchi

Sayuri Yamauchi was a Japanese voice actress. She was the voice of Maude Flanders and Itchy of The Simpsons Japanese dub. He has formerly affiliated with Aigumi and Kyu Production at the time of her death. In 2012 she died of cancer, being in her later stages of cancer and was only 55.

7. Ken Watanabe

Ken Watanabe is a Japanese actor. He has a huge fan base among the English audience for playing tragic hero characters. He starred in the HOB Max series Tokyo Vice in 2022. In 1989 he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia, which was at the initial stage so he recovered. In 1994 cancer returned but he was able to recover. In 2006 during a press conference, he was better and still undergoing treatment. In 2016 he was diagnosed with stomach cancer and due to having the early diagnosis, the cancer was successfully removed.

8. Izumi Sakai

Sachiko Kamachi, known as Izumi Sakai, was a Japanese songwriter, and singer. In 2001 she had to temporarily stop working due to her uterus-related illnesses. In 2006 she got diagnosed with cervical cancer and immediately underwent treatment for it. She discovered that she was at Stage 4 cancer and it had spread to her lungs. In 2007 she was undergoing treatment but couldn’t fully recover. In 2007 while she was undergoing chemotherapy she died after falling from the stairs of Keio University Hospital while taking an evening walk.

9. Akihiko Mori

Akihiko Mori was a Japanese music composer for video games and a member of Mint Co. Ltd where he used to work with other composers. He worked for Copya System Ltd. In 1988 he, unfortunately, died due to stomach cancer which was just a few days before his birthday.

10. Nobuhiko Obayashi

Nobuhiko Obayashi was a Japanese screenwriter, editor and director of television advertisements and films. In 2020 at the age of 82, he died from lung cancer. On 13 April at a temple, his funeral was held by his family. Fans still miss the type of movies which he used to make.