Shiro Ito, one of Japan’s most enduring comedians and actors, announced on October 1 that he will retire from entertainment when he turns 90 on June 15, 2027. The 89-year-old performer said the decision comes down to his body simply wearing out after decades on stage and screen.
According to Sponichi Annex, Ito described his own condition as deteriorating rapidly, and said he plans to step away once he reaches the milestone birthday. In the wake of the announcement, Bunka Hoso radio station confirmed that Ito’s long-running program will also come to an end. The show, co-hosted with freelance announcer Teruyoshi Yoshida and known in Japanese as “Shiro Ito Teruyoshi Yoshida Oyaji Passion,” has aired since April 1997. Its final broadcast is scheduled for June 12, 2027, closing out nearly three decades on air.
Ito’s career stretches back to 1958, when he joined the comedy troupe Warau Nakama (Laughing Companions) as a trainee. Over the roughly 70 years that followed, he built a reputation as a performer equally comfortable in slapstick comedy and serious drama, a rare range that made him a fixture of Japanese television across generations. Nikkan Sports quoted Ito reflecting on his decision simply as, “I’ve become a good old man,” a characteristically understated line from a performer known for his dry wit.
Who is Shiro Ito?
Shiro Ito (伊東四朗) is a Japanese comedian and actor whose career spans television, stage and radio since the late 1950s. He first rose to prominence as part of the comedy trio Tenpuku Trio before becoming a solo star. He is widely remembered for the comedy sketch “Densen Ondo” (Power Line Dance), a goofy dance routine that became a pop-culture phenomenon in Japan, and for hosting the long-running hit variety program “Ito-ke no Shokutaku” (The Ito Family’s Dinner Table). Beyond comedy, Ito proved his range as a dramatic actor, appearing in NHK’s beloved morning drama series “Oshin,” one of the most-watched television dramas in Japanese history. His seven-decade career has made him a household name across multiple generations of Japanese viewers.
News of the retirement prompted an immediate wave of nostalgia among Japanese audiences. In an informal reader poll accompanying the original report, respondents were asked what first comes to mind when they hear Ito’s name: 44.4% pointed to his comedy routines like “Densen Ondo,” 19.7% cited “Ito-ke no Shokutaku,” and the remainder split between his early days with Tenpuku Trio and his dramatic turn in “Oshin” — a spread that reflects just how many different eras of his career resonated with fans.
With roughly eight months remaining before his planned retirement, Ito is expected to continue his existing commitments, including the radio program, through their scheduled end dates. No further public appearances or farewell projects have been announced beyond the radio show’s final broadcast.
Author’s Comment
Seventy years in the business and the man still clocks out with "I’ve become a good old man" instead of some teary speech. That’s peak Showa-era cool, honestly. Western audiences don’t really have an equivalent to what Ito represents here — he’s not just a comedian or just an actor, he’s someone who did the goofy electric-wire dance AND held his own in one of NHK’s most legendary dramas, and nobody over here blinks at that range. I’ll say this: Japanese entertainment loves to let its legends retire on their own terms, with dignity and advance notice, instead of waiting for tragedy to force the issue. More industries could stand to learn from that. Rest easy when June comes, old man — you earned it.
