TOKYO: The death of a former newsreader who won acclaim for blogging about her breast cancer fight hit the headlines on Saturday in Japan, with the media and officials praising her courage.
Mao Kobayashi died on Thursday aged 34, her husband and popular kabuki actor, Ebizo Ichikawa, said Friday at a nationally televised news conference attended by about 400 reporters.
Kobayashi shocked the country in September with her blog titled "Kokoro" - or heart -- after concealing her illness from the public for about two years.
Her blog racked up millions of registered readers on one of Japan’s biggest blog platforms as she chronicled her painful battle, posting pictures of her with tubes on the face and a wig for hair loss because of anti-cancer treatment.
She was later named in the 2016 edition of the BBC’s 100 Women list of inspirational and influential female figures.
