Mitsushima Hikari, Remarried After Pregnancy, Seen Locally Radiating Future Mother Vibes

A disciplined approach to acting

On March 30, actress Hikari Mitsushima (40) announced her remarriage and pregnancy with model Keisuke Asano (32).

Through social media, she reported:
〈We have just submitted our marriage registration and gotten married〉
She continued:
〈And there is a new life in my womb〉
revealing that it is a pregnancy marriage.

Mitsushima originally debuted as a member of the 7-member unit “Folder,” and in 2000 also performed as part of the 5-member unit “Folder5.” After the group went on hiatus in 2002, she transitioned into acting and appeared in numerous well-known works such as the film “Love Exposure” and the drama “Moteki.”

In her private life, she married film director Yuya Ishii in 2010, but they divorced in 2016. In 2018, she became independent from her agency and currently works as a freelancer.

Her new partner Asano is from Sapporo, Hokkaido. He is currently active as a model and photographer based in New York and Japan. A film industry insider who knows the couple said:

“They are both very disciplined about their work and deeply respect each other.”

In particular, Mitsushima is a highly respected, accomplished actress. Since becoming independent, she has reportedly taken each incoming offer with sincerity and seriousness. There is an anecdote about this:

At one point, the aforementioned film industry insider sent Mitsushima an offer to appear in a film. After summarizing the story, cast, and confirmed co-stars and sending it to her side, a message arrived—not from staff, but from Mitsushima herself.

With mothers who had small children

“The decision was ultimately made not to proceed with the project, but the reason for declining was written in a long message. It wasn’t about ‘I don’t like this’ or ‘I don’t like that,’ but rather a highly logical explanation of the overall meaning of the film, its questions to society, and her thoughts on her own role. Although the offer was declined, I was glad because it showed she had sincerely engaged with the proposal,” said the film industry insider.

In some cases, actresses leave the decision to accept or decline roles entirely to their managers. That is still relatively good; in some cases, there is not even a response to the offer at all.

In that sense, Mitsushima reportedly carefully considers every offer herself and sometimes even advises the other side, saying:

“Wouldn’t it be better if we did it like this?”

“Film and drama production teams are professionals deeply committed to their craft. I feel I now understand why offers to Mitsushima never stop,” (same film industry insider)

There are also eyewitness accounts from her neighborhood. A woman in her 40s who lives nearby told this site in an interview:

“About two years ago, Mitsushima-san was chatting without disguise in a small park with four or five women of the same age group. It was right after nursery school pick-up time, and most of the women she was talking with had small children with them. She seemed to know the children, and she was interacting with them very naturally. I remember she said, ‘Children are really so adorable,’ looking almost envious.”

There is now a small new life in Mitsushima’s womb. In the future, she may even be seen having casual park side conversations with other mothers.