●Fighting an unknown primary cancer
The prize was established to honor the legacy of Juzo Itami, who demonstrated his talent in many fields, including designer, illustrator, actor, essayist, TV man, and magazine editor-in-chief. Mr. Yamada received the award for his highly acclaimed YouTube channel “Yamada Goro Otona no Bunka Koshitsu,” which delves into the field of fine arts. In October 2024, Mr. Yamada announced that he had been diagnosed with stage 4B cancer of unknown primary cancer, and he has been reporting on the progress of his treatment on his YouTube channel, revealing in a video report in August 2025 that after completing his first anti-cancer drug treatment, he returned to anti-cancer drug treatment after considering various treatment methods. In the video report in August 2025, he revealed that he had returned to anticancer treatment after considering various treatments after completing his first treatment.
●A Cheerful Appearance at the Presentation Ceremony
At the presentation ceremony, he said, “Today, I wore a formal daytime dress/morning gown to show my respect. I haven’t worn it since my daughter’s wedding. I lost a lot of weight due to cancer, so my pants were too tight. So I had to repack them.” Yamada confessed the changes in her body shape due to her battle with cancer. She has lost some weight and her trademark kewpie hair has been trimmed due to the side effects of anti-cancer drugs, but nothing has changed in her lighthearted talk, “I guess I was so happy after receiving the award that I started eating more and my stomach came out again and it’s a little too tight.” Goro’s “Goro-san” banter was a hit with the audience. He has lost about 10 kg at one point, but has regained about 5 kg.
Fukado’s career path