On Tuesday, NHK announced that veteran announcer Masaaki Horio has decided to resign at the end of this month. While his future plans are still undecided, it appears that he may pursue acting, which had been his interest during his younger days.

Horio, 52, submitted his resignation at the end of last month. His last scheduled TV appearance is a special program set to air on the 20th. Kazuya Matsumoto has been appointed to take over his regular shows.

While Horio was a student at Waseda University, he aspired to be an actor, taking up training with both the Haiyuza and Bungakuza troupes. However, he joined NHK in 1981 and eventually became a popular announcer.