Photo/Illutration Suzuka Asaoka (Provided by Alex Pilot)

PARIS—Fans are mourning the loss of a reporter responsible for introducing France to a wide array of Japanese culture and entertainment.

In its obituary for Suzuka Asaoka, the French daily Le Monde described her as “the ‘face’ of popular Japanese culture who left behind a legacy for all generations in France.”

Asaoka died on Oct. 17, a day before her 50th birthday.

She worked as a reporter for the “Tokyo Cafe” section of the cable TV channel Nolife and introduced Japanese manga, video games and music.

Nolife announced Asaoka’s death in an Oct. 18 post on its X, formerly Twitter, account.

This led to an outpouring of comments from fans and those in the popular culture industry. One said her reports awakened an interest in Japan, while another said they were always encouraged by what she presented.

Nolife was established in 2007 by Alex Pilot, 50, Asaoka’s husband, and his friends. At its peak, the cable channel had about 3 million viewers a month.

And, while Asaoka ended her reporting stint in 2018, fans still remember her to this day as a “legendary presence.” She appeared in 247 segments of “Tokyo Cafe,” and some can still be watched on YouTube.

Asaoka conducted interviews in both France and Japan. In addition to popular culture, she covered Japanese family cooking, the “hanami” cherry blossom viewing practice, and how to enjoy karaoke.

Those reports included comments by Japanese about what those traditions and habits meant to them, giving French viewers a glimpse of the lives of ordinary Japanese.

Ilan Nguyen, 49, who has researched the spread of Japanese culture in France and was an instructor of Japanese at the Institut National des Langues et Civilasations Orientales (INALCO, National institute for oriental languages and civilizations), knew Asaoka for about 20 years.

“Because she quickly became friendly with everyone she met, she was the only one who could present the various aspects of Japanese culture to France,” Nguyen said.

Asaoka also worked as a coordinator for various events bringing Japanese culture to France.

For example, she and Pilot visited the major music agencies in Tokyo to negotiate video broadcasting rights of popular singers.

The relationship of trust she built up over the years with many people in Japan led her to air interviews with major figures on her cable channel program.

Among the luminaries featured are Hirohiko Araki, creator of the “Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure” manga; the all-girl idol group AKB48; and anime director Makoto Shinkai behind the global hit “Your Name.”

Pilot, who only knew of Japan from the anime he watched as a child, learned about the country’s genuine everyday side from his wife. He studied Japanese in college and met Asaoka in Paris where she had come to study.

They were married in 2001.

He said Asaoka’s health began declining about two years ago from what at first was an undiagnosed illness. Doctors told her she had cancer only last year.

“Even though she was suffering from the illness, she never stopped smiling and was a courageous individual until the end who was loved by everyone,” Pilot said. “I am proud of what she accomplished in France.”

Related News