Renowned Japanese wrestler Osamu Nishimura has passed away at the age of 53 after a tough battle with esophageal cancer. Nishimura, one of the most celebrated figures in Japanese wrestling, breathed his last on February 28, 2025, leaving behind his wife and 6-year-old son.
Who was Osamu Nishimura?
Nishimura was a prominent figure in New Japan Pro-Wrestling (NJPW) and MUGA World Pro Wrestling during his illustrious career. He made his in-ring debut in April 1991. He is a former IWGP Tag Team Champion and a winner of the G1 Tag League. In the United States he wrestled for NWA New Jersey, the NWA affiliate in Michigan and ECW.
His final match took place in December 2024, when he teamed up with Katsushi Takemura and Shinya Aoki to face off against Atsushi Onita, Mammoth Sasaki, and Raijin Yaguchi.
Apart from wrestling, Nishimura served as a Tokyo Bunkyo Ward Assembly representative and worked as a food education instructor. He was re-elected for a fourth term in 2023 and continued serving the public until his passing.
Osamu Nishimura’s battle with cancer
This was not his first battle with cancer in 1998, he was diagnosed with a cancerous tumor in his retroperitoneal space, but overcame the illness through natural remedies and was declared cancer-free in 2000.
However, his second fight with cancer proved far more challenging as the disease had already spread to his lymph nodes and upper left side of his body by the time it was detected.
Despite being diagnosed with stage four cancer in March 2024, Nishimura continued to pursue his passion for wrestling.
Shinsuke Nakamura expresses condolence
WWE star Shinsuke Nakamura expressed his condolences on social media, while the wrestling community around the world mourned the loss of one of Japan’s most iconic wrestlers. Taking to social media Nakamura wrote, “Rest in peace, Osamu Nishimura. You were as kind as an older brother and taught me so many things”
