<figure id="attachment_354654" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-354654" style="width: 3511px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="4d90cd75"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/708eddcc863f761031e58481eff1329c.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-354654" class="wp-caption-text">In June &#8217;12, Takajin walks slowly near his home in Tokyo. Accompanying him is Mr. A.</figcaption></figure>
<p><span style="font-size: 1rem;"> What did &#8220;FRIDAY&#8221; report 10, 20, and 30 years ago? In &#8220;Playback Friday,&#8221; we take a look back at the topics that made headlines back then. This time, we will look back at the article &#8220;Regretful! The two-year battle with illness that only this magazine knows about&#8221; from the January 24, 2002 issue.</span></p>
<p> On January 3, 2002, singer and TV personality Yashikita Kazin (64 years old), who enjoyed charismatic popularity mainly in the Kansai region, passed away due to heart failure. He choked on his food while eating at his apartment in Tokyo and was rushed to the hospital, where he breathed his last. This magazine had taken pictures of him in January &#8217;12, when he was found to have esophageal cancer, and he had dropped out of all regular programs and continued to fight the disease.</p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> They were like good friends and lovers apart in age.</span></h3>
<p> Takajin&#8217;s condition, which was reported to be early stage cancer, was actually stage III. After he left the program, he entered inpatient treatment at a Tokyo hospital. The person who accompanied him and took care of him at that time was Ms. A, 32 years younger than him. <span class="strongInContent">She originally ran a nail salon in Italy, but when she returned to Japan, she met Takajin at a party she attended, and they began dating,&#8221;</span> the article reported at the time. Takajin began to recover after about six months and was discharged from the hospital around summer. The two began living together in Tokyo. The article described the situation as follows.</p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> Around this time, this magazine saw him in Tokyo while he was fighting his illness.&#8221; In late June 2012, Takajin went to a supermarket to buy groceries. He was standing next to Mr. A, who was snuggled up next to him.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> &#8221;Over here.&#8221;</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> He was right behind Takajin, who was walking in front of him in the store, saying, &#8220;This way,</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> &#8220;Got it?</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> while Mr. A pushed his cart along behind him. The two appeared to be like good friends who were far apart in age.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> However, when I saw them on another day on their way home, Takajin was leaning back in his wheelchair, his once toxic aura completely gone. &#8230;&#8230;</span></p>

<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Once he was back on the road, ......"></div>
<p>Takajin returned to regular TV in March 2001. He returned to the show having lost nearly 15 kg. However, in May, it was discovered that the cancer had spread to the lymph nodes surrounding his esophagus, and he once again had to leave the program to recuperate. In the months that followed, Takajin and Ms. A spent quiet time together as a couple in Osaka and Hawaii. The aforementioned acquaintance described the situation in the article as follows.</p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> &#8220;Except for a monthly visit to the hospital for anticancer drug treatment, they spent their time alone together. Even so, Mr. A was satisfied with their life together and seemed to be full of happiness. It was probably around this time that they entered the family register. I believe that Mr. Takajin realized that he did not have long to live and entered the family register in order to leave his legacy to Ms. A. In the end, he was able to be with the love of his life, so he must have been happy.</span></p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p> However, it seems that the people around Takajin were not always at peace with his passing. A few months after his death, many media outlets reported friction between Takajin A and other surviving family members over his property and various rights, and numerous reports appeared about his past. In addition, Takajin&#8217;s eldest daughter filed a lawsuit against him for defamation of character and invasion of privacy over the book &#8220;Martyrdom&#8221; (Gentosha), in which author Naoki Momota covered the memos Takajin left behind and testimony from Ms. A. The court case was won by the eldest daughter. The eldest daughter&#8217;s side won the case in court.</p>
<p> We can only hope that Takajin himself was happy until his last moment.</p>

<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Takajin&#39;s struggle against illness as seen by this magazine"></div>
<div></div>
<div>
<figure id="attachment_354656" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-354656" style="width: 4684px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="03b50882"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/45923912e24a5230ff891b31240fe3d5.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-354656" class="wp-caption-text">After a walk, we headed for the supermarket. After this, Takajin was probably tired and took a rest on the terrace outside the store for about 10 minutes</figcaption></figure>
</div>
<div>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
</div>
<div></div>
<div>
<figure id="attachment_354657" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-354657" style="width: 3942px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="6383f557"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/660fb139637920bfcb4b2b932fde1e59.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-354657" class="wp-caption-text"> In May &#8217;12, Takajin underwent surgery for esophageal cancer. She was being carried by her male companion in a wheelchair.</figcaption></figure>
</div>
<div>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
</div>
<div></div>
<div>
<figure id="attachment_354658" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-354658" style="width: 4448px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="76d6f33d"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/01/3cb42236513035295b757406d2900906.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-354658" class="wp-caption-text"> In May 2001, Takajin and Ms. A were waiting for the bullet train to Osaka in the waiting room at Shinagawa Station.</figcaption></figure>
</div>


 Shu Nishihara (1st~3rd), Takero Shigeto (4th)

 In this issue of "Playback," we look back at what this magazine was reporting 10, 20, and 30 years ago. In this issue, we look back at the two-year struggle with illness of Yashikita Kajin, who passed away in January '14. His 32-year-old younger sister, A-san, was always by his side.

Playback &#8217;14] Takashi Yashikita passed away! The two-year battle against illness as seen by this magazine, &#8220;The woman who stood by him to the end&#8221;.

Playback ’14] Takashi Yashikita passed away! The two-year battle against illness as seen by this magazine, “The woman who stood by him to the end”.

Access Ranking