“A Long-Term Break Is Inevitable…” Mikiō Date of the “Sand” Duo: Unhealthy Habits and a “Workaholic” Disposition That Led to a Stroke

He appears on more than 10 regular TV shows

It has been revealed that Mikiō Date (51) of the popular comedy duo “SANDWICHMAN” has suffered a stroke and will be suspending his activities for the time being.

His agency posted the following statement regarding his condition on its official website:

“Thanks to the prompt response of the medical staff, fortunately, the situation did not become serious, and he is currently receiving treatment in the hospital. Therefore, he will focus on his treatment and take a break for the time being,”

.

Date is a highly sought-after entertainer with more than 10 regular TV and radio shows, including TBS’s “Banana Sand” and TV Asahi’s “Kaere Monday Mikketai!!.”While television stations are in a flurry over his sudden leave, they plan to air pre-recorded episodes for the time being, after which his co-host, Takeshi Tomizawa (52), is expected to continue the show alone.

On August 28, Tomizawa wrote on his blog:

“I realize some of you may be shocked to hear the diagnosis, but because it was detected early, he’s in good mental and physical health—he walks around the hospital, asks for extra food when he’s not getting enough, and we exchange emails frequently,”

explaining his current situation. Nevertheless, based on a variety of reports, it seems Date’s “long-term absence” is unavoidable.

The “SANDWICHMAN Live Tour 2026,” scheduled for October through December, was canceled early on. A comedy industry insider familiar with the situation told this website,

“This is SANDWICHMAN’s life’s work; no matter how busy they were with TV appearances, they never missed a year. In their hometown of Sendai, thanks to the two of them’s dedication to post-earthquake reconstruction, the shows are a huge success every year. The fact that they’re canceling it makes me think it must be something really serious,”

they said.

Even when he was busy, for the sake of his juniors

Date had long spoken self-deprecatingly about his health. On a medical program aired in ’17,

he was diagnosed as “someone who could die at any moment,”

and in 2021, he underwent endoscopic surgery for stage 1 bladder cancer.

On the March episode of *SANDWICHMAN’s Let Us Do Radio* (Izumi), he revealed that he gets nosebleeds every morning, and his wife even asked him,

“Don’t you look a little pale?”

“Did you get sunburned?”

“Don’t you look pale?””Did you get sunburned?”

and he even admitted,

.

His comedy partner, Tomizawa, kept urging him to get checked out at the hospital, but Date is, by his own admission and that of others, a “workaholic.” In particular, he’s said to have a nature that makes it impossible for him to turn down requests from fellow comedians.

“In a word, I think he’s a workaholic. He loves comedy work and can’t seem to relax unless he’s constantly involved in it… Even when his schedule is packed, if a junior comedian asks for a favor, he’ll force himself to make time for it. People around him often thought, ‘He should just take a break…’” (the aforementioned comedy industry source)

On August 29, Tomizawa read a message from Date on Nippon Broadcasting System’s “SANDWICHMAN: The Radio Show Saturday.”

“I’ve really caused a lot of trouble for so many people. Recently, I’ve received encouraging emails from various senior figures in the industry—from Koji Yoshikawa, Kyoka Suzuki, and Sho Aikawa on the one hand, to TKO, Un-jash, and Kazushige Nagashima on the other…”

He threw in a little joke, putting fans at ease, but…

“It’s considered unlikely he’ll be able to return before the end of the year, at the very least. His mind and body are fine, but he needs rehabilitation to reach the level required to perform manzai on stage. In any case, I hope he’ll focus solely on recovering slowly for now,” said a sports newspaper reporter covering the entertainment industry.

It’s expected that messages from Date will continue to be read regularly on Tomizawa’s radio show. This may also reflect Tomizawa’s kindness in honoring Date’s wish to “stay involved in comedy” even from his hospital bed.

We look forward to the day when we can once again see SANDWICHMAN’s comedy routines.