The true faces of Sho Sakurai and Masaki Aiba of “Arashi” before their marriage
Arashi's Sho Sakurai and Masaki Aiba, who have been active in various fields even after their hiatus, have reached their goal together!
(In the evening of September 28, “One Love,” which had been nurtured in secret, came to fruition.
On the evening of September 28th, Sho Sakurai (39) and Masaki Aiba (38) announced their marriage on the fan club website of “Arashi”. The marriage of two top idols, and the double announcement of their marriage, was unprecedented big news in the history of Johnny’s and was met with congratulations from all over Japan.
They’re having the happiest time of their lives, but what’s interesting is who they’re marrying.
“Sakurai is married to a former local TV station employee and former Miss Keio classmate from college (second photo). In January of last year, Shukan Bunshun reported that they were enjoying a trip to Vietnam and Hawaii.
On the other hand, Aiba’s partner is a former celebrity woman who is a year older than him, whom he has been dating since ’12.’ In ’19, her father admitted that he had talked to Mr. Aiba, albeit over the phone, and fans started bashing him about the relationship. However, it seems that they have been nurturing their love underwater.
Why did they take the unprecedented step of announcing their relationship at the same time?
Why the unprecedented simultaneous announcement at this time? “Both of them played a major role as NHK’s special navigators for the Tokyo Olympics. I think they decided to make the announcement after the Olympics were over and they had settled down. Even after the suspension of “Arashi”, they have been active in many fields and have been leading Johnny’s. The reason why the office approved the unusual double announcement may have been to honor those who have contributed to the company.
In the 22 years since their unprecedented debut press conference on a cruise ship off the coast of Hawaii in 1999, the two have grown to become the backbone of the Johnny’s family. This magazine has witnessed their true faces on numerous occasions.
We first caught Sakurai in March 2000, four months after his CD debut, at his graduation ceremony at Keio University High School (third photo). The sight of him unbuttoning his first button and making a phone call was already aura-inspiring. About 30 fans from outside the school came to see her in her school uniform for the last time.
After that, I saw her shopping at the supermarket late at night and going to the gym. She has many celebrity friends, and in July 2008, she was seen attending a birthday party for Asami Mizukawa (38), and in December 2010, she was seen returning home in a good mood after a dinner with her best friend Toma Ikuta (36).
It was in the summer of 2008 that this magazine broke the story of Asami Mizukawa and Aiba’s romance. We witnessed Mizukawa visiting Aiba’s house after work. Since they were a top idol and an up-and-coming actress, they went back and forth to each other’s homes to keep their love warm in secret.
Other sightings include Mizukawa practicing at a golf course in January 2009, and enjoying yakiniku (grilled meat) with Yutaka Yokoyama (40) of Kanjani Eight in Azabu Juban (Minato-ku) in May 2005. This summer, as a reporter for NHK, she and Sakurai reported on the excitement of the Olympics from the scene.
In their marriage announcement, they expressed their gratitude to their fans and pledged to work even harder. We hope they will use their marriage as a springboard for further success.
From the October 15, 2021 issue of FRIDAY
Photo： Takahiro Kagawa, Sota Shima, Toshikatsu Tanaka, Kojiro Yamada, Japan Magazine Association
