Ai Fukuhara Joins the Ranks of Happy Celeb Remarriages Like Yaguchi and Tokunaga

Announces pregnancy along with remarriage

Last December, Ai Fukuhara (37), former Japanese table tennis representative, made a sudden announcement of her remarriage to a non-celebrity man. The announcement was all the more surprising because the man had been reported by Josei Seven in 2021 for a 2-night, 3-day extramarital visit home.

Fukuhara had previously married Taiwanese table tennis player Jiang Hongjie (36) in September 2016, after the Rio Olympics. They had two children together, but their divorce was finalized in July 2021.

“Fukuhara decided to divorce in 2020 and was living between Japan and Taiwan to establish a company in Japan. However, in February 2021, before the divorce was finalized, reports emerged of an affair with the man she would later remarry, causing a major scandal in both Japan and Taiwan. Although the divorce was finalized, the custody battle escalated to criminal complaints by Fukuhara, but reconciliation with Jiang was reached in March 2024, maintaining joint custody,” said a women’s magazine reporter.

Perhaps because the custody issues with her ex-husband were resolved, Fukuhara announced her remarriage, simultaneously revealing that she is pregnant.

Cases like Fukuhara’s—meeting a fated person during marriage and remarrying them after divorce—can also be seen in the entertainment industry.

One of the most notable examples is Mari Yaguchi (42), former Morning Musume. member, who was reported in 2013 for an affair with a former model. Yaguchi had married actor Masaya Nakamura (39) in 2011 but divorced shortly after the report. Yet, six months later, she was photographed with her former affair partner, and she eventually remarried him in 2018.

“At the time, she was called a wipe monster and was an indispensable presence on variety shows, but the affair scandal affected her work. However, she is now active on stage as a Morning Musume. OG and continues her entertainment activities,” the report said.

On her Instagram, with 150,000 followers, Fukuhara also shares her life as a mother of two, appearing full of happiness.

Another similar case is former TV Asahi announcer Yumi Tokunaga (50), who remarried comedian Teruyoshi Uchimura (61) of the duo Uchan Nanchan in 2005.

“I absolutely cannot cause trouble”

“At the time, announcer Yumi Tokunaga was married within the company, but in 2003, reports of an affair with Teruyoshi Uchimura, whom she co-starred with on a program, surfaced, leading to her divorce. Although it was said that she and Uchimura had broken up afterward, in 2004, Tokunaga was reported visiting his apartment. This caused quite a shock within TV Asahi, but in 2005, Uchimura took responsibility, and they got married.”

Tokunaga left TV Asahi upon marriage and focused on raising her two children, but in 2017, she fully returned as a freelance announcer on AbemaTV. From 2018, she also became a newscaster for Hōdō Station (TV Asahi), achieving a fulfilling career.

What can be said about these two senior couples is that although they divorced from their first husbands, they now live happily with their current partners. That this pattern works, according to marital and family issues expert Hiromi Ikeuchi, who has handled over 38,000 consultations on affairs and divorce, has a clear reason.

Interviewed for this article, Ikeuchi explained:

“People like Fukuhara and the others mentioned here were heavily criticized in the media for their affair reports, and they caused trouble for their agencies and those around them. That’s why they have a strong resolve: ‘I absolutely cannot cause trouble’ and ‘I want to be happy.’ Also, for the first marriage, they often choose a partner based not just on love but also on income, looks, social status—someone who would satisfy not only themselves but also fans and people around them.

However, after marrying, they realize it’s not about the specs, but about love. Even after marriage, they discover, ‘This is the person I truly need as a partner,’ and sometimes divorce to follow their true feelings. Because they married honestly according to their own feelings, remarriages of this pattern tend to last.”

Fukuhara, who has had a highly publicized divorce and custody battles, now seems poised to enter a happy married life.