Yuzuru Hanyu’s Sudden Divorce has Caused Chaos on Social Media Sites in China

Yuzuru Hanyu, two-time Olympic champion in men’s figure skating, announced his sudden divorce on his SNS late at night on November 17. Fans in Japan and abroad are in a state of panic.

 

He had announced his marriage in August, but his wife has not been able to leave the house due to slander and stalking, unauthorized interviews and media coverage, and being accosted by suspicious people in her living space.

“Because of my inexperience, it was extremely difficult and unbearable for me to continue to protect my partner and myself as it was. I made the decision to divorce because I wanted my partner to be happy when I thought about the future.”

The couple has been married for five years.

 

At a press conference at the Japan Press Club on February 27, 2018, after the Pyeongchang Olympics, he was asked, “Do you want to have a family and become a father in the future?

“I don’t know how to answer this question,” he said. “I have fans who support me so much, and even people who are not my fans support me so much this time, but if I have a family, they might say I betrayed them. I am not an idol.”

In Japan, the article on Yuzuru’s sudden divorce received more than 10,000 comments in a short period of time from midnight to morning, with many people calling it “too sad” and “shocking”.

Meanwhile, in China, where there are many enthusiastic fans, the trending of “Yuzuru Hanyu Divorced” and “Reasons for Yuzuru Hanyu’s Divorce” were ranked first and second in the entertainment category on Weibo, a social networking service, respectively, indicating the high level of attention to the story.

 

As in Japan, there are fans who are outraged at the slanderous remarks and stalking behavior as “unforgivable,” while in China, a hoax is even being spread, although it is unclear how it came about.

He officially announced his marriage in August, his wife gave birth to a baby in September, and they divorced in November. This timeline is far too short.

“The baby is there to help you through the hardship, right?”

It seems that several people in China are aware that Hanyu had a child.

Many people also said they did not understand the speedy divorce.

 

“I can only say that both parties overestimated themselves, underestimated others, and got married before they were ready.”

“Poor girl, suddenly divorced and having to bear the title of “remarried””

“As expected, he is Japanese, so even his excuses are nonsense.”

Some people have been harsh in their criticism. However, it is hard to deny that the overall impression is off the mark.

Regardless of the reaction in China, was the married life of the “Prince on Ice” so unbearable that the average person could not understand it?