Is Wedding News Coming? Eriko Imai Spotted with a Ring on Her Left Hand

A sign of tying the knot?

One day in the House of Councillors chamber — Eriko Imai (41), Parliamentary Secretary of the Cabinet Office, smiled as she spotted an old acquaintance, a FRIDAY magazine photographer. On her left ring finger, a silver ring gleamed.

Imai debuted in the entertainment world at age 12 as a member of SPEED. After a successful run as a top idol, she made the jump to politics in the 2016 Upper House election.

“In 2022, she secured reelection, and by November of last year, she was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for Reconstruction and Parliamentary Secretary of the Cabinet Office. On the other hand, she’s also been involved in her share of controversies. Back in 2017, she was reported to be having a bullet train affair with then-Kobe city councilor Ken Hashimoto (45),” said a political desk reporter from a national paper.

In March 2021, FRIDAY caught the pair cohabiting in Tokyo after Hashimoto divorced his wife and resigned from his council seat. Ever since, rumors of their potential marriage have circulated at every turn.

“Mr. Hashiken, brought on board as a policy adviser, and Ms. Imai have reportedly had their fair share of fights and reconciliations. Around April last year, a particularly heated argument at their shared residence even escalated to the point that the police were called. Perhaps because of that, Ms. Imai hadn’t been seen wearing a ring on her left hand in the Diet. Given this recent change, it’s only natural to take it as a tying the knot signal,” commented another political reporter.

FRIDAY approached Imai directly.

—Has there been any change in your personal life?

“I wear (a ring) on my right hand too, see? I’ve had this on my left hand since last year — it doesn’t really mean anything,” she replied.

And when asked about a possible marriage to Mr. Hashimoto, she chuckled shyly and slipped into her office.

If indeed she’s found a love as vast and endless as the light of countless stars, it’s surely a thing to be celebrated — though we can only watch and wait.

From the June 20, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”