Two-Timing Scandal Rocks Volleyball Star Ran Takahashi—NTV Left Scrambling Before Big Project

With an influencer and an adult video actress

It seems the “Prince of the Volleyball World” is indeed tremendously popular.

Ran Takahashi (24), a member of the Japan men’s national volleyball team and the Suntory Sunbirds Osaka, updated his X account on October 23:

“Regarding the recent reports about my private life, I reflect on and apologize for causing a disturbance. I will focus on my performance in the SV.LEAGUE 2025–26 season, which begins tomorrow.”

He apologized in relation to his private life because, on October 21, Bunshun Online reported a two-timing scandal involving influencer uka. (26) and adult video actress Ayaka Kawakita (26).

“The article stated that Ms. uka. was his main girlfriend, but that he had been secretly meeting Ms. Kawakita at a hotel. When Bunshun confronted him, he reportedly said that he and uka. were just friends, denying they were even dating. If the article is correct and uka. was in fact his main girlfriend, she must be deeply shocked,” said a sports newspaper reporter.

Those shocked are not only his main girlfriend and fans. Nippon TV is also said to be troubled.

“Starting November 1, Mr. Takahashi was chosen as an athlete supporter for ‘Karada WEEK.’ Karada WEEK is a major annual project. They always select talents with clean images, and there are many sponsors involved.”

This is according to a Nippon TV insider who spoke to our site.

From the morning show ZIP! to Hirunandesu!, and the evening program news every., plus Odoru! Sanma Goten!!, Shōten, and many others — 38 programs in total participate, making it a large-scale project involving the entire network.

A network-wide project involving 38 programs

“Mr. Takahashi is single, so if it were merely a case of a romance being discovered, it wouldn’t be a problem. But a two-timing relationship is not a good look. And this project is driven by the sales department, meaning sponsors’ opinions carry even more weight. For Nippon TV, this is a project intended to boost the network’s image — much like 24-Hour Television — by emphasizing health and wholesomeness. That’s why the timing of this scandal is truly unfortunate,” said the Nippon TV insider.

Looking at the official Karada WEEK website, sponsors include SKY Corporation, P&G, Honda, Lotte, and six other major companies. The site also displays a promotional banner for the fitness club Tipness.

On the event page, Nippon TV also announces a free family-friendly event taking place inside the network: “Go! Anpanman: Let’s All Dance! Mini Stage.”

“With sponsors paying large sums, it’s true that continuing to use Mr. Takahashi is causing significant backlash. This isn’t just a Nippon TV decision — the sales department is scrambling to explain the situation to sponsors and gather their opinions. Since 38 programs collaborate with Karada WEEK and broadcast special segments across the network, that means each program’s sponsors are indirectly involved as well. If Mr. Takahashi is removed, pre-shot visuals and planned VTR segments would all be scrapped, resulting in major damage,” said another Nippon TV staff member.

This site sent an emailed inquiry to Nippon TV asking whether Takahashi might be removed from Karada WEEK, but no response was received by the deadline.

For both Takahashi and Nippon TV, the two-timing report exploded at the worst possible moment. As he wrote on X, it may be best for him to focus on his main career for the time being.