Masaki Okada and Mitsuki Takahata Tie the Knot From Best Friends to Lifelong Partners

A three-hour bar-hopping date.

“Masaki Okada and Mitsuki Takahata are pleased to announce their marriage.”

On November 19, Masaki Okada (35) and Mitsuki Takahata (32) updated their social media accounts simultaneously to share the news of their marriage. The two co-starred for the first time in the drama 1122: A Good Couple, distributed on Prime Video in June. Despite this collaboration, there had been no rumors of a romantic relationship between them afterward. On social media, surprised reactions poured in, such as, “A totally unexpected couple that sweeps everything away” and “Surprising, but they’re a perfect match—what a beautiful pair!”

Okada, meanwhile, was previously reported by FRIDAY in June 2021 to be in a relationship with Fuji TV announcer Yui Suzuki (30). At that time, amid the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Okada was picking Suzuki up at her home in his car and spending time together at his place—a pattern of “stay-home dates.” Shortly after this report, Fuji TV’s Mezamashi 8 covered the news of their relationship, sparking speculation of an imminent marriage.

“However, in an article published on January 8, 2023, by Post Seven, it was reported that Okada and Suzuki had broken up. According to the report, Okada initiated the breakup at the end of 2022. Around that time, FRIDAY also covered Okada’s ‘three-hour bar-hopping date’ with Maki Fukuda (36) of the comedy trio 3-Ji no Heroine (January 6–13, 2023 issue). Although fans were buzzing about this unexpected pairing, it seems their interaction did not develop into a romantic relationship,” a women’s magazine journalist explained.

 

At one point, they even lived together.

On the other hand, FRIDAY has also reported on Mitsuki Takahata’s romantic relationships multiple times. In July 2015, when she began gaining attention as a young actress for her role as Kiko, the younger sister of Masahiro Higashide’s character Yutaro Saigamon, in the NHK morning drama Gochisousan, the magazine covered her yakiniku date with Yudai Chiba (July 24, 2015 issue). In January 2016, it reported on her four-hour Shibuya date with singer-songwriter Yu Takahashi (January 22, 2016 issue).

“She was also said to have begun dating Kentaro Sakaguchi (33) in 2016, with their relationship deepening to the point of cohabitation. However, they reportedly broke up by the end of 2020,” according to a sports newspaper journalist.

Having overcome these twists and turns, the couple has now reached the milestone of marriage. They shared the following message on their respective social media accounts:

“While we’ve spent our time together like best friends, we will now become husband and wife. Supporting and encouraging one another, we aim to improve ourselves to show you even better performances in our work. We would be grateful if you could warmly watch over us.”

The bond between the two, who know each other inside out as best friends, must surely be strong. Wishing them a lifetime of happiness!