Jun Maeda, the writer and composer behind many of Key’s best-known works, has been diagnosed with pharyngeal cancer. VISUAL ARTS, Key’s parent company, shared the news in a notice dated 19 October 2026, outlining his condition and what it means for his current projects.
According to the notice, Maeda began experiencing discomfort in his throat in early spring this year, with swelling and pain becoming more noticeable over the (northern hemisphere) summer. A medical examination then led to the diagnosis. After considering his condition and the outlook for treatment, Maeda has decided not to pursue active treatment and will instead receive palliative care, choosing to conserve his strength so he can devote himself to his creative work. He is currently in hospital.
Maeda has been writing scenarios and creating music for Heaven Burns Red, and VISUAL ARTS has provided an update on where that work stands. For the main story, he has completed the sections he was responsible for through the first half of Chapter 6, and has finished all of the major story elements that will carry the narrative through to the end of Chapter 6. He has also completed the lyrics and composition for the songs that feature in the first half of Chapter 6. Depending on how his illness progresses, he may not be able to take part in creating other scenarios and songs beyond those.
He had also been planning a new long-term project, an original music series released on YouTube featuring newly written songs. Following his diagnosis, Maeda felt he had little time left to keep creating, and has changed course to focus on finishing the songs already in development as quickly as possible so they can reach fans.
Maeda’s career stretches back to the late 1990s. Before Key, he worked on scenarios and music for visual novels at Tactics, including Moon. and One: Kagayaku Kisetsu e. He then co-founded Key under VISUAL ARTS in 1998, where he served as a main scenario writer and composer on many acclaimed visual novels including Kanon (1999), Air (2000), Clannad (2004) and Little Busters! (2007), all of which were later adapted into anime. He went on to create original anime series, planning, writing and composing music for Angel Beats! (2010) and Charlotte (2015), and planning and writing The Day I Became a God (2020). Most recently, he has been the main scenario writer and a composer on Heaven Burns Red, the RPG developed with Wright Flyer Studios that launched in Japan in 2022.
VISUAL ARTS President and CEO Genki Tenkumo closed the notice with an apology for the sudden announcement and a message about Maeda’s determination to keep working:
We sincerely apologize to fans and partners for this sudden announcement.
Maeda is currently hospitalized, but even under these circumstances, he remains strongly determined to devote himself to creative work through to the very end.
We would be grateful for your warm understanding and support of his wishes.
The full statement from VISUAL ARTS, including how fans can share messages of encouragement, can be found HERE.
