The 140-Year Couple: Dr. Takasu and Rieko Saibara on How They Intend to Meet the End

A 140-year-old couple talks about how they want to face the end of life

“Seeing Katsuya working so hard gives me the energy to work too. If I had to describe our relationship, it’s kind of like a fan and their idol (laughs).”

Katsuya Takasu (80), a leading figure in cosmetic medicine and director of Takasu Clinic, and manga artist Rieko Saibara (60) are now in their 13th year together since announcing their relationship in 2012.

Diagnosed with cancer in 2014, Takasu continues to work at his clinic while undergoing treatment. Saibara depicts their everyday life together in her ongoing Darling wa 70-sai (“My Darling is 70”) series (Shogakukan). The two are currently in a de facto marriage, spending time together mainly on the weekends Takasu spends in Tokyo.

Saibara: “At first, we had no intention of announcing our relationship. But we were photographed kissing at the hotel he always stays at, and the pictures were taken to the weekly magazine Josei Seven. I made my manga debut with Shogakukan, so an editor I knew contacted me.”

Takasu: “If they were going to publish it in a weekly magazine, we figured we might as well put it out ourselves first!”

Did Saibara actually welcome the fact that their romance photos were delivered to a weekly magazine!?

Saibara: “Katsuya called the editor-in-chief of FRIDAY, and I called the editor-in-chief of Shūkan Bunshun, asking, ‘Has the same photo been brought to you (as the one taken to Josei Seven)?’ Then the Shogakukan editor scolded us, saying, ‘We’re trying to put the fire out—why are you two spreading it even further!?’ (laughs).”

Takasu: “I’d always admired that kind of thing. Long ago, when there were rumors that Tetsurō Tamba (d. age 84) had a secret child, a reporter asked him about it, and he said boldly, ‘You’re the only one who doesn’t know. Everyone else does. So it’s not a secret child!’ I thought that was so cool.”

Saibara: “I really didn’t want them to write things that weren’t true, like double infidelity. We were both single, so there was no problem at all. I thought it was fine to just leave it alone.:

Takasu: “If they were going to scoop us in a weekly magazine, I wanted us to put it out first. So when I told Josei Seven that we’d do a romantic interview, it ended up becoming our official relationship announcement.”

Saibara: “To be honest, I was kind of happy at the time (laughs). I was already over 40 then. At that age, even if you’ve had sex with someone a hundred times, if the guy says ‘We’re not dating,’ that’s the end of it. We hadn’t made any promises about being together, and I didn’t even think of myself as his girlfriend. So when the announcement came out, I thought, ‘Ah so I am his girlfriend.’”

Their bond deepened even before the public announcement. Takasu lost his wife, Shizu, in 2010, and Saibara lost her former husband, Yutaka Kamoshida, in 2007. Their families had been acquainted for some time, and eventually the two began exchanging letters.

Takasu: “I had always been a fan of Saibara’s manga Bokunchi. One day, while reading a magazine, I saw she had written, ‘The person I want to meet most right now is the director of Takasu Clinic.’ So I sent her a fan letter.”

Saibara: “Katsuya is such a treasure trove of material—so much that I feel like saying, ‘My stomach hurts from laughing!’ If there were a report card for how funny someone is, he’d get ‘Triple A’ (laughs). He really loves my manga, and for someone who draws manga, that’s incredibly gratifying. So before being a couple, we’re basically idol and fan.”

Takasu: “No one really acknowledges me. Teachers, classmates, people in the industry—they all say, ‘Takasu is weird. He’s not like us,’ treating me as some oddball. But Saibara turning me into material—that’s the best thing ever.”

Saibara: “Whenever I finish drawing manga, he’s the first one I show. I send it to him on LINE before anyone else. It’s my gift to him. Because honestly, there’s nothing left in this world that he wants.”

—from “FRIDAY”, November 7, 2025 issue

For the second part, where they speak candidly about cancer and the racehorse that once got them scammed, click here.