Japanese actor Ayumu Saito, known for his roles in theater, TV, and film, as well as his work with director Takashi Miike, has passed away.
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Saito died last Wednesday after battling urothelial carcinoma, a type of bladder cancer, per Oricon News. He was 60.
According to the outlet, the Hokkaido Theatre Foundation, where he served as chairman, announced his passing on its website.
“Saito Ayumu, chairman of the Hokkaido Theatre Foundation, who had been undergoing medical treatment for some time, passed away in the early hours of June 11th,” the statement, originally written in Japanese, reads.
“We regret to inform you that we will be declining attendance at the wake and funeral, condolence money, flowers, offerings, condolence telegrams, and other donations,” the statement added. Though the funeral was private, the announcement promised a public memorial at a future date.
Ayumu Saito’s Prolific Film Career
Saito has appeared in numerous internationally acclaimed movies and TV shows. Per IMDb, in 2003, he appeared in Ju-On: The Grudge 2. He also starred in films by notable Japanese directors, such as Takashi Miike’s 13 Assassins (2010), Hara-Kiri (2011), and Ace Attorney (2012), the latter of which is the movie adaptation of the Capcom video game series. Saito also appeared in Takeshi Kitano’s crime drama Beyond Outrage.
He also voiced Wabisuke Jinnouchi, the main character in Mamoru Hosoda’s 2009 film Summer Wars, a fan favorite with animation fans.
However, Saito primarily worked in his home region of Hokkaido as a director, scriptwriter, and actor, featuring in many productions of works by renowned playwrights like Shakespeare and Chekov.
Saito worked until his passing, with a documentary about his battle with cancer airing on Japanese channel TV Asahi this February.