Once Solo, But Now Happily In A Relationship, Comedian Yū Hatanaka Battles Early-Stage Kidney Cancer

Japanese personality Yū Hatanaka, who once stirred up the Japanese entertainment world with his alleged relationship with a female actress, revealed that he had kidney removal surgery.

On March 14, Yahoo Japan reported that Yū Hatanaka (36) returned to working on his late-night show after kidney removal surgery.

Actor and comedian Yū Hatanaka appeared on the TBS radio late-night broadcast “Hey! This is Oswald!” on March 13 and confessed about his surgery.

He had previously appeared on the same broadcast and revealed that he had to undergo a nephrectomy after being hospitalized for kidney cancer.

Hatanaka had shared, “My surgery is on February 29. I have cancer in my kidney.” He continued, “I was surprised that I had to remove my kidney. While some kidney cancers can be treated without removing the entire organ, in my case, the cancer was located deep within, and removing the kidney became necessary to prevent it from coming back.”

On February 29, Hatanaka shared a photo of himself lying in bed wearing a mask. He wrote, “I’m sorry for making everyone worry. I had surgery this morning, and it finished well in the afternoon,” reporting his surgery progress to his worried fans.

On the broadcast, Hatanaka emphasized that “there is no problem with my daily life,” reassuring his viewers. He also added that he felt grateful for having discovered his cancer early.

He humorously confessed that he quit smoking after contracting pneumonia in 2023 and that he started eating vegetables and living a healthier life due to his kidney cancer.

Yū Hatanaka generated online buzz when he appeared on the same broadcast in November 2023 and revealed that he was dating actress Sakura Inoue (24), who is 12 years younger his age. He shocked the public by showing that Inoue was his first girlfriend, and they had been dating for two years.