Legendary BNT Journalist Daniela Kaneva Passed Away at 87

The legendary BNT journalist Daniela Kaneva died at the age of 87. She blazed new trails in both the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) and BNT with her iconic reports, interviews, and documentaries from global hotspots.

A distinguished expert in Indian and Japanese culture, Kaneva remained active in journalism until the very end, continuing to contribute reports for the flagship BNT news programme "Around the World and at Home". Known affectionately by colleagues and friends as “DDK,” she was admired for her indomitable spirit, professionalism, and warm-heartedness..

Daniela Kaneva was one of the most significant and respected journalists in Bulgaria, leaving a lasting legacy in the country's media history.

Her career began in the 1970s with BTA and BNT. She became Bulgaria’s first correspondent posted to Japan and was the first foreign journalist officially accredited there. Her reports and documentaries from Asia—especially from Japan and India—stood out for their depth, emotional resonance, and journalistic excellence. In 2011, she was awarded Japan’s highest distinction for foreigners—the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Rays—for her exceptional contribution to strengthening Bulgarian-Japanese relations.

Among her most notable interviews were conversations with Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Soviet Foreign Minister Andrei Gromyko, and music legend Ray Charles, among others.

In 2020, Bulgarian President Rumen Radev honoured her with the Presidential Badge of Merit for her significant contribution to Bulgarian journalism.

She will forever be remembered as a “samurai of words,” whose voice and worldview inspired generations of Bulgarian journalists and viewers. She was the first Bulgarian correspondent sent to Japan and the first foreign journalist accredited there. In Tokyo, they were so surprised that Bulgarian TV sent them a woman that at the first official event they introduced her as "Mr. Kaneva".

One of her most famous interviews—archived by media outlets around the world—was conducted with Rajiv Gandhi aboard the plane he was piloting himself, just moments before his assassination during the 1991 election campaign.

The farewell ceremony will take place on April 27, 2025, at 12:00 PM at the “St. Sedmochislenitsi” Church in Sofia.

The team at BNT extends its deepest condolences to Daniela Kaneva’s family. May she rest in peace.