【Scoop!】Former Saisei no Michi Leader Shinji Ishimaru Spotted Spending the Night With a Long-Haired Beauty

Just as his private life was drawing attention following his appearance on a dating reality show

“We first need to start with defining what love actually is.”

That was what Shinji Ishimaru (44) said on the ABEMA dating reality show “Renai Byoin (Love Hospital).” Perhaps his overly logical approach got in the way, as he failed to find a girlfriend on the show. But as a sharp-minded man who had served as a mayor in his 30s, he was steadily getting closer to a beautiful woman in real life.

On August 30, the “Hiroshima Kagura Tokyo Special Performance,” for which Ishimaru serves as ambassador, was held at Sogetsu Hall in Akasaka, Tokyo. Around 11 p.m., the group emerged from the venue where Ishimaru and the staff had held an after-party following the performance. A beautiful long-haired woman who resembled First Summer Uika was walking closely beside Ishimaru. He looked unusually happy as he chatted with her.

After being seen off by the staff, Ishimaru naturally got into a taxi with the woman, and they headed to a designer apartment building in Tokyo. After getting out, the two walked straight into the entrance together.

“She is Ms. A, a former administrative staff member of the political organization Reiwa no Michi, which Ishimaru headed. She had been handling publicity for the group since before last year’s House of Councillors election in July. She is cheerful and kind, and since she is also in her late 30s, around the same age as Ishimaru, the two seemed to hit it off. After Ishimaru stepped down as the organization’s leader last September, she became his personal secretary,” said a person affiliated with Reiwa no Michi.

The apartment they entered appears to be the base Ishimaru uses as his office and residence in Tokyo. It has a spacious bedroom, and most of the interior lighting consists of indirect lighting, giving it a stylish appearance. The two did not emerge from the apartment that night, even after the last trains had stopped running.

“Ms. A has a home in Tokyo, but it appears that the two deliberately spent the night together at Ishimaru’s base. They also seem to have stayed at that apartment the previous night. There is no doubt that their relationship goes beyond that of a secretary and a politician,” said an acquaintance of Ishimaru.

Ms. A left the apartment at around noon the following day.

Was Ms. A the girlfriend Ishimaru had finally found? We sent Ishimaru a list of questions asking whether he and Ms. A had spent the night alone together and whether she was his girlfriend. We received the following response:

“First of all, would you please tell me your definition of a girlfriend?”

After this characteristically Ishimaru-like preamble, he continued:

“She is one of the people I have a professional relationship with and can trust.”

He did not deny that there was a particular relationship between them.

With the support of the trusted Ms. A, will the day come when Ishimaru once again steps onto the political stage?

The “FRIDAY September 25 Issue,” released September 10, and the paid edition “FRIDAY GOLD” provide detailed coverage of Ishimaru’s bid to run in the Fukuoka mayoral election and his own comments.

For those who would like to see the full details and additional photos, click here↓↓

From the September 25, 2026 issue of “FRIDAY”