Japan’s “Cry Baby Ai-chan”, Ai Fukuhara, Breaks Silence on Adultery Scandal
Ai’s surroundings are becoming noisy again.
Last March, she and her husband, Jiehong Kiyoshi, were in the midst of a divorce. The March 11 issue of Shukan Bunshun reported that Fukuhara was being harassed by her husband and was about to divorce him.
Later, Fukuhara gave an exclusive interview to “Seven” and completely denied the affair. It is a bit surprising that a series of related articles appeared about the divorce and adultery of a retired athlete who was not a celebrity, although she was certainly a popular figure, but that must be how high the level of attention to Fukuhara is.
It was thought that Fukuhara would be damaged in some way by the allegations of adultery, but nothing remarkable came of it, and his divorce from Jiang was finalized last summer.
Fukuhara then sold his house in Tokyo and bought a new condominium. Fukuhara then sold her house in Tokyo and bought a new condominium. It is said that the purchase price was no less than 300 million yen for a 300-square-meter high-end condominium.
With a fresh start, he started a new life.
Last December, “NEWS POST SEVEN” caught her on a love date with Mr. A, a man working for a major trading company, with whom she was reportedly having an affair. Their relationship had developed into a serious one, and there was a possibility of their remarriage.
According to the article, Mr. A reported to Fukuhara last November that his divorce had been finalized, and their relationship began in earnest from there. The Shukan Bunshun (weekly magazine), released around the same time, reported that Fukuhara was living together with Ms. A in a new house.
Three months have passed since then. Three months later, the table of contents of the March 24 issue of Shukan Bunshun (Japanese weekly magazine) carried the following story
The ex-wife of an adulterer confesses to “Ai Fukuhara’s lies and the blackmail case.
Mr. A’s ex-wife, Biko, confessed to “Bunshun” that she and Fukuhara had been communicating over the correction of the article, saying, “The article on the Internet is not true.
In the report of the alleged affair last March, Fukuhara and Ms. A were captured staying one night at a hotel after their date in Yokohama, but Fukuhara completely denied the affair, saying that they had taken two rooms.
However, according to what Biko told “Bunshun,” the relationship continued after that.
After the “Yokohama date” report, there was a big rift between Ms. A and Mr. B. Even so, they tried to start over, believing Ms. A’s words that she had no more contact with Mr. Fukuhara and would not do so in the future.
However, in mid-August of last year, they discovered a “love letter” from Fukuhara to Ms. A and a courier invoice that Ms. A had sent to Fukuhara. When I called the phone number written on the letter, Fukuhara answered and I questioned him about his relationship with Ms. A. However, I could not get a clear answer from Fukuhara. This made him distrust Ms. A even more.
For Ms. B, it would be impossible for Fukuhara and Mr. A to have started dating after Mr. A’s divorce.
Therefore, she called Fukuhara directly and appealed to him to correct the article by being interviewed herself, but Fukuhara admonished her and, on the contrary, suggested that they settle the issue with money.
In the ensuing exchange, Fukuhara consulted the police about the amount of money Ms. B had offered, which led to suspicions of “blackmail,” but Ms. B went to the police and explained the situation, and the matter was resolved. Fukuhara must have lost his patience with such behavior and decided to tell Bunshun everything.
Biko had hoped that the article would be corrected, but since she was able to clarify the facts, even if in a different form, one would have thought that this would be the end of the matter, but the turmoil has moved to a different stage.
Fukuhara’s side is considering filing criminal charges to determine whether Ms. B’s actions constituted blackmail, while Ms. B’s side is fighting for defamation of character, according to a sports newspaper reporter.
The turmoil is likely to become a quagmire.
What was surprising, however, was Fukuhara’s “handling of the media” as revealed in the Bunshun article. The “Bunshun” had directly hit Fukuhara just before the “Post Seven” article was published, and asked him to postpone the publication of the article and to reshoot the photos.
The “Post Seven” article was published just prior to the “Bunshun” article. “It is common for the agency of a celebrity who has been photographed to negotiate with the weekly magazine, but it is rare for an individual celebrity to negotiate directly with the magazine. It is quite a feat for her, who is still young, to directly communicate with a weekly magazine.
In Taiwan, Ms. Fukuhara herself handled work-related matters, so she must be used to it. And if she is asked directly by the media, rather than by her manager, there is a possibility that the media will change their response. Unlike the’lovely woman’ she has been up to now, she thinks about her own media strategy, so to speak.
Of course, there is no way that “Bunshun” would have been so soft on Fukuhara, but perhaps Fukuhara’s power has had some effect, as many media outlets have carried articles favorable to Fukuhara. The “plundering love reports” and clever “media strategy” . It seems that the “crybaby Ai-chan” has turned into a “devilish woman” before we know it.
Interview: Text: Hiroyuki Sasaki, Entertainment Journalist
Born in Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, he became a reporter for FRIDAY at the age of 31. During his time at FRIDAY, he reported numerous scoops and continued to work mainly for weekly magazines. Currently he also appears on TV and radio as a commentator.
Photo: Jun Chikuta/Afro Sports