Actress Mari Hoshino appeared at a press conference held in Tokyo on June 22 for Nippon Television's charity program "24-Hour Television 49 - Love Saves the Earth -" and revealed the reasons why she decided to serve as a charity runner.
Hoshino, who announced in 2024 that her daughter has a nationally designated intractable disease called "congenital myopathy" and who has also obtained a social worker qualification, appeared with her family on last year's 24-Hour Television charity program. She attracted attention for watching over her daughters as they fulfilled their wish to "go out on their own."
Ms. Hoshino said, "I have a 10-year-old daughter. She has a congenital myopathy, a disease that makes her muscles very weak, and she lives each day using an electric wheelchair and a ventilator. In the past 10 years that I have lived with her, we have been able to live thanks to the support of so many people and the protection of many systems. But even so, I feel that there are all sorts of obstacles, big and small, to live in the community on a daily basis," speaking about the obstacles she faces every day.
She continued, "My wish is that not all children have their place in the world decided for them, but that they and their families can choose their own place to be. And I want them to experience the joy of growing up and saying, 'I did it!'"
When asked about her reasons for running, she said, "If my running can even slightly broaden the possibilities for children, there would be nothing that would make me happier. That's why I want to run, and I would like to be given the opportunity to run." She added, "I want to prepare as much as I can so that I can run in front of everyone with my head held high and say, 'Please cheer me on,' so I would really appreciate your support."
When she consulted with her husband and children, she said, "The first thing they did was clap their hands and say, 'Go for it!', so I feel like they really gave me a big push."
This year marks the 49th broadcast of "24-Hour Television," and its theme is "My Family Story ~Who do you think of?~". Shinichi Hatori and announcer Asami Miura will serve as the main hosts, joined by Teruyoshi Uchimura. Popular group SixTONES, Ikusaburo Kyoko Yoshine will be charity partners, Chanmina will be a special supporter, and Hoshino will be the charity runner. The broadcast will be from 6:30 p.m. on August 29th to 8:54 p.m. on August 30th.
