One of the most famous and popular faces of Japanese journalism has passed away. Chikushi Tetsuya died today of lung cancer at a Tokyo hospital. He was 73. His battle with cancer became a very public affair in May 2007 when he revealed that he was stepping down after almost 20 years as the main presenter of the “News23” TBS late night news show. He made occasional appearances on the show when there were major news developments, but he looked gaunt and wore a wig in place of his once flamboyant hairstyle. A native of Oita Prefecture, he attended high school in Tokyo and graduated from the prestigious Waseda University, where he would later become a guest professor. He became a journalist for the Asahi Shimbun newspaper in 1959 before becoming editor of the Asahi Journal magazine in 1984. He started his own long-running news show on TBS in 1989.