Aoi Fujino Declares Intense Return After Overcoming Battle with Cancer

“I’m not completely cured, but I’m going to make a comeback. It’s really a waste to just spend every day resting and being scared of an uncertain future, right?”

The gravure idol who announced she had cancer and has been battling it since the end of the year before last has declared her return.

Aoi Fujino (25) — from Ishikawa Prefecture. Armed with her I-cup “Kaga Hyakuman Stone Bust,” her debut image video, released shortly after her debut, recorded top sales that year. In 2021, she was awarded the Grand Prix in the ‘Gravure of the Year,’ which determines the gravure idol who contributed the most to shops.

 

I thought I could never return

“Last summer, my condition wasn’t improving at all, and I thought, ‘Maybe I won’t be able to return to work.’ My motivation for a comeback dropped a little. But now, I’m okay. There are many people waiting for me. I’m truly grateful that people from the industry who have supported me since my debut took the time to come and visit me.

Actually, before I found out about my illness, I launched my long-awaited fan club on November 1, 2022, but shortly after that, my health declined. I couldn’t do anything for the members who had just joined, and my battle with the illness began. I really felt sorry and frustrated.

I thought, ‘Everyone will probably leave the fan club.’ But even during my battle, my fans continued to support me. The fan club members gathered support messages for me and sent me a signed card. I was really happy about that. So, I absolutely didn’t want things to end like this. Wanting to make a comeback was the biggest reason for me.” 

The illness that attacked her was a “parapharyngeal space tumor.” It is extremely rare for a tumor to form in a location where important nerves and blood vessels are concentrated, deep within the face and at the center of the head, and even if one does form, 90% of them are benign. Since late November 2022, Fujino had been suffering from headaches and numbness and paralysis in her right cheek.

However, due to the rarity of the disease, it was difficult to make a diagnosis, and it was not until January 27, 2023, that a biopsy revealed it to be a malignant tumor called “rhabdomyosarcoma” within the parapharyngeal space tumor. In the three weeks since the biopsy, the tumor had grown at an astonishing rate. Part of the tumor had grown to the size of a ping-pong ball, protruding through the wound created by the biopsy into her throat, making breathing difficult. Given its location, it was impossible to perform surgery with the tumor at that size. With no time to spare, chemotherapy began on the 31st.

The chemotherapy treatment is over, but…

In December 2023, she completed an intense chemotherapy regimen consisting of 14 rounds. Due to the side effects of the chemotherapy, she lost her hair and sometimes felt so unwell that she nearly gave up on her return. She also experienced emotional instability and felt as though she was not herself.

Currently, her pain and other symptoms have subsided, and she is in a situation where she is being monitored through regular check-ups. However, the results of a PET scan conducted in January to determine if any cancer cells remained were inconclusive. The results did not change when she was tested again in July. She is by no means “cured.” There is still a possibility that cancer cells remain. However, she remains very positive.

“I think I’m okay. I’m so energetic now that it’s like, ‘Did anything happen last year?’ (laughs). There’s a possibility that cancer could come back, and even if it gets worse again, I believe that if I’m going to get cancer, I’ll get it when it happens. So I think it’s better to do what I can now while I’m healthy.

I would be grateful if I could do each of the jobs I received before entering my battle with the illness, even if they take a slightly different shape than I had imagined at that time. When I heard about my second photo book, which I had once given up on, I was very happy, and I felt like a switch had flipped. I’m happy just to be able to take photos, and I’m also glad that the photo book didn’t end with just the first one.

I’ve already been able to meet with fan club members at a members-only event, but I also want to meet those who have supported me in various situations, and I’m looking forward to going to different places for shoots and enjoying many encounters.

I want to convey to everyone that I’m coming back energetically. I want to say thank you for waiting for me and that I’m back.”

In the paid version of “FRIDAY GOLD,” Fujino talks in more detail about her intense battle with illness. Additionally, her first swimsuit shot after her return is also published.