“This Pattern…” The “Divorce Flag” Looming Over Ryoki Miyama and Maria Hanano: “Similarities” to Becky and Ryoko Hirosue

A New “Romance Star” Couple Is Born

The future of actor Ryoki Miyama (27) and former Takarazuka actress Maria Hanano (33) is in jeopardy.

Reports of their secret meetings broke in the July 23 issue of *Weekly Bunshun*. The two reportedly became close after co-starring in the musical *Crash Landing on You* and are said to have repeatedly met in secret at Miyama’s apartment and city hotels in Tokyo. In response, both stated,

“It is true that we spent time together,”

but argued that it was for the sake of preparing for their roles. They maintain that they are not in an extramarital affair.

On July 30, *Bunshun* published a follow-up report. Even after the series of allegations were reported, the two remained as lovey-dovey as ever, leaving those around them utterly dumbfounded.

Miyama’s wife is actress Shuri (35), and Hana is also married. According to *Bunshun*, despite the critical situation—coming immediately after being confronted by reporters—Miyama reportedly told Hana,

“Isn’t this the birth of the Reiwa era’s romantic star couple???”

It was also revealed that he sent Hana a carefree email like this. What’s terrifying is that their emails were completely “leaked” to *Bunshun*. One might wonder, “How on earth…?” but when this pattern plays out, it often leads to a tragic ending.

For example, in 2016, an affair came to light involving TV personality Becky (42) and Enon Kawatani (37) of the band “Gessu no Kiwami Otome.” Becky held a press conference at her agency at the time and bowed her head in apology, but behind the scenes, she was messaging Kawatani on LINE, saying

“Thank you, Bunshun”

“Sentence Spring!”

via LINE. Kawatani subsequently divorced his wife, and his band’s activities came to an abrupt halt. Becky, too, saw her popularity plummet, resulting in her having to pay hundreds of millions of yen in commercial contract breach penalties, and it took her many years to make a comeback as a celebrity.

The source of the story was someone quite close to her

In the 2023 reports of an affair between actress Ryoko Hirosue (46) and chef Shusaku Toba (48), the contents of a love letter Hirosue sent to Toba were brought to light. In it, she wrote,

“Thank you so, so much for making me feel this way,”

. It’s unclear how this came to light, but Hirosue later divorced her husband, Jun Candle (52). Like Becky, her public image was severely tarnished.

More recently, last year, actress Mei Nagano (26) and actor Kei Tanaka (42) were reported to be involved in an alleged affair. With what appeared to be a selfie of the two of them leaked, the situation seemed undeniable, yet the pair continue to deny any inappropriate relationship.

In this case, while Tanaka was flustered after being hit by *Bunshun*’s exposé, a LINE message in which Nagano plotted to coordinate their stories was leaked to *Bunshun*. Although the source of this leak is also unknown, it completely overturned the image of Nagano, who had been considered the leading figure among “innocent-image” actresses.

“Both Nagano and Tanaka deny the content of the LINE messages, claiming they ‘have no memory’ of them, but they have offered no further rebuttal. As a result of the series of reports, Nagano lost all her advertising work, including commercials, and her regular radio show was canceled. Tanaka, on the other hand, did not divorce his wife, Sakura, and the damage to him was minimal.He is pursuing his own interests, such as competing in international poker tournaments as a gambler,” said a sports newspaper reporter covering the entertainment industry.

Although Tanaka managed to avoid serious consequences, in cases like this where the contents of LINE messages or letters—known only to the parties involved—are “leaked,” it often leads to divorce. In fact, when confronted by a Bunshun reporter, Miyama’s wife, Shuri, said,

“I’m in shock,”

—a development that can only be seen as a sign pointing toward divorce. In an interview with this website, a source from a TV network’s news program stated,

“Cases where emails or LINE messages leak to the media often lead to divorce. This is likely because the source is frequently someone very close to the couple. While all eyes are on Mr. Miyama, given that Ms. Hana—who has a 2-year-old child—has taken such bold action, I wouldn’t be surprised if they divorce. If that happens, issues like compensation for emotional distress and child support will inevitably follow one after another,”

Now that the “leak to the media” pattern has played out, both Miyama and Hanano may be facing a rocky road ahead—