Anna Umemiya Opens Up About Her Turbulent Life and Words for Former Partners

Anna Umemiya (53), daughter of Showa-era superstar Tatsuo Umemiya (passed away at 81), has long made headlines as a “woman of many romances” surrounded by scandals. After passing the midpoint of life, she faced cancer and, shortly after completing treatment, announced her remarriage—continuing a life full of twists and turns. When interviewed, she first spoke about her grueling breast cancer treatment and the story behind her remarriage just “10 days after meeting.”

“On the unforgettable morning of May 20 last year, I was taking a shower and drying myself in front of the mirror when I noticed, ‘Huh? My breast size is different.’ I went straight to the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, and they told me it was breast cancer… But having watched my father battle cancer up close, I knew the treatment process well, so I didn’t feel excessive fear.”

She underwent about nine months of treatment, during which her spirit was often tested.

“Chemotherapy was so painful that I even thought, ‘From now on, I’ll live alone, so I don’t need my breasts.’ My hair fell out from the drugs; my skin burned from radiation. My body was gradually breaking down, and I felt like I wasn’t myself anymore. It was an extreme experience. But through those days, I realized something: even when I was weakened by stage 3 cancer and confronted with death, the people who stayed by my side were truly kind. After recovering, I decided to cherish the connections with the friends who remained.”

At the end of this long, arduous battle awaited a “fateful encounter.” On May 14 this year, at a hotel lounge in Tokyo, a friend introduced her to Yasunori Yotsugi (60), an art director who would become her remarriage partner.

“Apparently, Yocchan initially thought I was ‘a high-spending, condescending, moody woman.’ Back in my twenties, I was criticized in the media for having a ‘monthly living expense of 3 million yen,’ so maybe he imagined me as an obnoxious second-generation celebrity. But when I arrived and greeted him politely, he was charmed by the gap between my image and reality, and apparently thought, ‘I want to marry this woman!’ (laughs).”

Anna continued, laughing again, “That was the first time I ever felt grateful to the unscrupulous media.”

Afterward, things moved quickly, and on the fourth day after meeting, Yotsugi proposed entering a relationship with marriage in mind.

“When I said, ‘Are you sure? If you date Anna Umemiya, the media will write all sorts of things,’ instead of hesitating, he gave me an unexpected proposal: ‘Let’s get married instead of just dating. That way, nothing unnecessary will be written.’ At that point, there was no reason to refuse.”

Having faced both a major illness and remarriage, Anna spent the past year like a rollercoaster. Looking back, her life has always been full of ups and downs. In her twenties, she was constantly in the media spotlight because of her romantic life.

“At that time, I was young and didn’t realize anything was strange. Some of the men I dated, in hindsight, were quite odd—some had massive debts (laughs). There was Dad, who worried about me and opposed certain relationships, and yet I would hold hands with the very person he disliked. Then I would have to calm an enraged Dad, it was a constant cycle. But from my perspective, I was just helping someone I liked. If they were struggling financially, I would earn money to help—simple as that.”

Her highly publicized romances often ended abruptly.

“Even after giving my best, it didn’t work out, so I just moved on. Dad was surprised, asking, ‘Why did your feelings change so suddenly?’ I told him, ‘I did everything I could, but it didn’t work. I have the rest of my life to live.’ There was never even a hint of marriage. People often say I was ‘playing around,’ but that was only during a period in my twenties. I was just intensely doing strange things at that time (laughs).”

Later, Anna experienced both marriage and divorce with a young entrepreneur, and her high-profile romances with famous professional baseball players frequently made headlines.

“Some of them even came to meet Dad themselves and asked for his approval to date me. But that person prioritized his career over our relationship, so he feared scandal… In the end, we went our separate ways. Looking at his later achievements, though, I wonder why he didn’t choose me. That decision was completely a tactical mistake (laughs).”

Reflecting on her past relationships with positivity and humor, Anna concluded with a message:

“I’ve had many relationships, but I have no regrets. Those experiences made me who I am today. And Yocchan has faced me for who I am. There were many things I wanted to say to my exes back then, but now there’s only one: none of you even come close to Yocchan!”