Actor Jun Inoue appeared with TV personality Masaaki Sakai on Tetsuko Kuroyanagi's long-running talk show "Tetsuko's Room" (TV Asahi), which aired on February 2nd. They talked about their hearing loss and how touched they were by Sakai's gift.
He has hearing loss and finds it difficult to hear when he sings. "(Sakai) came over and said, 'Here you go,' and it was a hearing aid," he said.
Inoue asked Sakai, "Do you remember (the hearing aid you gave me)?" to which he humorously replied, "Yes, I remember. I'm still paying the monthly installments."
Inoue expressed his gratitude, saying, "I wasn't in tears, but I was grateful. I was really grateful." He will turn 80 next year, but added, "I'm getting healthier with each passing year."
He also expressed his desire for researchers to use his own ears if hearing loss can be cured. "I want to be the first to jump in (to work with researchers). If there's something this fun, I want to live longer and do my best," he said, expressing his desire. "I want to sing. I want to sing."
