Popular freelance TV presenter Mao Kobayashi is battling breast cancer, her husband, kabuki star Ichikawa Ebizo, said at a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
Rumors had been swirling about Kobayashi's health since Ebizo wrote on his blog on May 2 that she was ill. Kobayashi, 33, has not been seen in public for about a year. She and Ebizo, 38, were married in 2010 and have a daughter, Reika, 4 and a son, Kangen, 3.
Ebizo began the news conference, saying he'd get right to the point and that his wife was receiving medical treatment for a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer that was first diagnosed 20 months ago after several tests, Fuji TV reported. He said they had not planned to go public but after the tabloid Sports Hochi reported the story on Thursday, Ebizo wrote on his blog that he would hold a press conference later in the day.
Ebizo said Kobayashi had undergone chemotherapy and that she has good days and bad days. The couple are now discussing surgery options with doctors.
Ebizo spoke about the emotional pain his wife is suffering because she cannot be with their children who do not understand what cancer is and why their mother is in a hospital. But he said the entire family is determined to help Kobayashi fight the disease, Fuji reported.
Ebizo asked the media to give the family privacy and not follow them around when they go out.
Meanwhile, the National Cancer Center in Tokyo said breast cancer is on the rise among young mothers, accounting for about 20% of all cancers in women, NHK reported.
© Japan Today
26 Comments
Login to comment
Marilita Fabie-Fujisawa
I don't know them nor interested about them being in show business. But still I couldn't help but shed a tear when I heard and saw the father on tv last night. I felt so sorry for him and his young growing family and most especially for his wife who is longing to get well and be with her children. My prayers go out for them that our dear lord will spare them from this ordeal,
MarkG
Cancer sucks! At 33 I wish her and others successful treatment and recoveries. Young moms need go be mothers to their kids. Children need their parents for guidance and preparation to become good citizens. Again, cancer sucks!
Matt
Stage 3 is a tough place to be, I hope Mao-chan will beat this thing. I'm sure she is getting the best care. All the best.
Star-viking
Hope she and her family get through this.
papigiulio
First that female wrestler and now Ebiso's wife. It's about time they find some cure for this horrible disease. Hope they beat this.
Yukiii
I hope she can overcome her ill asap. She must need family help and her family needs our help as well.
Even if she is still young, it's difficult to understand why she has got such an ill for her and especially young children.
To young ladies, everyone should go for yearly check-up regularly.
Meiyouwenti
I hope his wife will overcome her breast cancer and get well soon. Don't think me callous, but do we really need to know what's happened to a kabuki actor's wife?
Peter Payne
My wife is a big fan of both Mao and Ebizo. I hope for some good news!
Citizen2012
Shouldn't this be something you want to keep within the privacy of your family ? This staged TV interview for announcing your wife has a cancer is surreal for me....
rocketpanda
Did you even read the whole article? He made it public because a bottom feeding tabloid paper got hold of the story beforehand, so rather than keep speculative he went straight to the point and made it public. If anyone is to blame it's the tabloids. I guess a public statement would of sufficed but this is Japan, anything a celeb has to announce, it is usually on TV.
forzaducati
The Kobayashi sisters seem so unassuming and, how do you put it, just such a pleasant appearance and not only for the eye. Anyway, Mao became a household name on tv here way before she married the kabuki actor. The family wanted to keep this quiet, but the mass media are more relentless than flies, got wind of their troubles and before anything got published, they decided to go public themselves. And, by the way, her disease was discovered during a regular check up or ningendoku.
Danny Bloom
There is a movement now worldwide among people who have developed cancer in their breasts, lungs, stomach, brain, pancreas, liver,throat etc to stop using the term "battling cancer". That term is outmoded and insulting to cancer patients. We don't say someone is battling diabetes, or battling other diseases. Only cancer news stories use the battling term. Its wrong. Ask any cancer patient. They have a disease. They are not in a war. My sister had breast cancer twenty years ago. She got treated and the cancer went into remission. She never battled cancer. She had cancer. She recovered from her time as a cancer patient. We should show more respect Mrs. K By not using battling term in headline or article.
serendipitous
Let's hope Mrs. Kobayashi can somehow beat the odds and recover from this insidious disease that claims so many of us.
DaDude
Where are you getting this information that she is Stage 3?
genjuro
She should consider using hemp oil, with low THC and high CBD content. More effective and far safer than any of these chemo and radiation treatments without the side effects.
Black Sabbath
Where was your dear lord when the cancer started Kobayashi's breast?
kiss1969
Fight Mao! Fight!!
ebisen
genjuro, of course you have no concrete proof for what you said? Giving false hopes to hundreds of women out there, does it make you feel better?
Rik314
Poor Kobayashi. First she has to deal with Ebizo and his scandals so after marriage and now that everyone seems to have forgiven or forgotten this comes along.
Japan T
My grandmother died of this over twenty years ago. Many advances have been made in treating this since then. Much time, money and effort are spent researching ways to beat it. Cancers are a tough nut to crack.
Daniel Neagari
Sadly the only impression i could get from Ebiso's media conference was that his wife is most likely going to die and they are simply trying to extend and enjoy as much as possible the time they are left.
I didn't like his spoiled kid act a few years ago, but I think he is a very nice guy and a good (not yet great) Kabuki actor.
The sadness that their children must be suffering makes me sad... and also my new found respect (I already respected her a little) to Maya Kobayashi.
genjuro
Anyone can say that, even I. Your claim that chemo and radiation are the "most effective" treatments is just that: an opinion.
How do I give false hope when it's up to them to believe me or not? If they believe anything they read on the Net whose fault is it? Stop being too emotional.
Incidentally, hemp or cannabis oil has cured quite a number of folks; look it up. How do you explain that, then? Those people who got actually got cured with medical proof from their doctors must just be giving "false hope," then. Hmm.