On February 28th, Fuji TV announced that �Mezamashi TV� main newscaster Otsuka Norikazu (63), who was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia last year, will take his leave from thie popular morning news program.

He will be leaving this program alongside with his stand-in caster Ito Toshihiro (39), who will resign formally in March, and Miyake Masaharu (49) will take over his place as his successor.

Otsuka started out his career at Fuji TV after making his resignation from NHK in 1994 and joining 'Mezamashi TV' following April. He took his absence to recuperate back in November 2011 after being diagnosed with his illness.

In regards to this, he stated, �Although I was aiming to return after recuperating for a while, however, I was told that it would take longer than anticipated and thus made my decisions in regards to these facts. I plan to express my gratitude to the program once again as I make progress during my recovery,� and expressed his regrets for his resignation.

Source: Yomiuri News