**Exclusive: Women’s Golf Rising Star Kanako Aoki Dating CEO 17 Years Her Senior**

One sultry evening in early July, a couple sat facing each other on the open terrace of a café in Tokyo. Unbothered by the surrounding noise, the woman kept her head down for most of the evening. After finishing their meal, the woman—professional golfer Kanako Aoki (25)—dabbed her eyes with a handkerchief, and her gaze toward the man gradually filled with redness and tears.

“Aoki is a tenacious athlete who finally passed the pro test on her sixth try last year. Despite that, she’s been well-known since her amateur days. With over 100,000 Instagram followers and nine sponsorship deals even before her debut, she entered the golf world as a highly anticipated rookie,” said a golf magazine editor.

So why was such a hopeful talent in tears at a Tokyo café? That very day, she had competed in the Shiseido JAL Ladies Open and missed the cut with a +4. The man who picked her up afterward in his Tesla was the same individual seated across from her.

Who is he?

“He’s Mr. A, the owner of an apparel company with annual sales exceeding 1 billion yen. Aoki reportedly met him in spring 2023 while working as a caddie at a golf course in Miyazaki Prefecture. He provided her with financial support so she could continue her career in the Kanto region. If I recall correctly, Mr. A was married at the time.”

The August 1 issue of “FRIDAY” (July 17) reported in detail on Aoki and Mr. A’s intimate date and their relationship declaration in an interview with this magazine.

For more details and multiple photos, please click here.

From the August 1, 2025 issue of “FRIDAY”