Yuri Nakamura Dies At 44 Of Rectal Cancer — SkimNews
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- Yuri Nakamura died of rectal cancer on September 1 at age 44, with her passing announced by her representatives at Alpha Agency via a statement that thanked fans for their kindness
- Alpha Agency said Nakamura was first diagnosed with cancer in 2013; the disease went into remission but was discovered again in January 2025 and had metastasized, with doctors telling her in August she had only a short time to live
- Nakamura played psychologist Irene in Netflix's 'Romantics Anonymous,' a Japanese original series co-starring Han Hyo-joo as a chocolatier with extreme shyness, based on a French-Belgian film of the same name
- 'Romantics Anonymous' has amassed 103 million views on Netflix since its October 2025 premiere and rose to #1 on Netflix's Japanese series chart
- Nakamura's other credits include 'Love Letter From Heaven' (2007), 'Like Father, Like Son' (2013), and 'The 8-Year Engagement' (2017); illness forced her to withdraw from NHK drama 'Dangerous'
- Alpha Agency said Nakamura 'remained calm, maintaining a beautiful and gentle smile throughout her final moments with her family and loved ones,' noting her 30s and 40s were 'often marked by battles with illness'
Why it matters: Nakamura's death comes less than a year after 'Romantics Anonymous' became one of Netflix's top-performing Japanese originals with 103 million views, abruptly ending a career that included work alongside director Hirokazu Kore-eda and co-star Han Hyo-joo. Her forced withdrawal from NHK drama 'Dangerous' due to illness highlights the concrete gap her passing leaves in both Netflix's Japanese originals slate and Japan's broader TV/film industry.
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