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Mikio Date returns to radio, but comedy routines must wait

The Sandwichman comedian describes lingering speech difficulties after a stroke and plans to continue rehabilitation alongside work.

Channel: ANNnewsCH ·

JapanStory of November 2, 2026Trari Newsroom

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サンドウィッチマン伊達みきお、後遺症「構音障害」明かす　症状は？　脳梗塞から復帰【もっと知りたい！】【グッド！モーニング】(2026年11月1日)

Returning to a live microphone is one step. Performing comedy routines again will be another. Japanese comedian Mikio Date says he has resumed work after a stroke, but still considers his return incomplete until he can perform his material.

Japan's TV Asahi news channel, ANNnewsCH, reports that Date returned on October 31 through the live radio program Sandwichman The Radio Show Saturday, after roughly two months away. He appeared before reporters alongside his comedy partner Takeshi Tomizawa and fellow comedian Eiko Kano.

Date and Tomizawa form Sandwichman, the double act that won Japan's M-1 Grand Prix comedy competition in 2007. For Date, the remaining difficulty affects the speech on which that work depends.

He describes his speech as about three-quarters recovered and says he has decided to keep working while continuing rehabilitation. He had attended a rehabilitation session before that day's recording. Date says he has no lingering paralysis and can drive, but still has dysarthria, a difficulty articulating speech sounds.

Speech-language therapist Kohei Takada explains in the report that impaired movement of the lips or tongue can prevent them from reaching the positions needed to pronounce particular sounds. Depending on which movements are affected, Japanese sounds such as those in the "sa" or "ra" groups can become difficult to produce.

Date gives a specific example: "mainichi," meaning "every day." Words linking successive "i" vowel sounds remain difficult for him, and he sometimes worries that listeners cannot easily understand what he is saying.

He says working again feels enjoyable. Tomizawa, asked about his relief, jokes that he can finally take a break himself. But Date draws a distinction between being back at work and being ready for their routines: he has not yet performed one since returning, and says that stage may take more time.