Ruriko Kojima Going to University in China after Plunder Issue with her Ex-Boyfriend

On August 8, TV personality Ruriko Kojima, a.k.a. “Kojiruri,” announced on her SNS that she will be studying abroad at a university in a Chinese university starting next year.

I entered the entertainment industry at the age of 15, and although there were hard times, I was happy to have people laugh, I had fun, and I was passionate about my work for 13 years!”

Kojima posted a handwritten message on Twitter and other social media. She made the decision after much discussion with her agency, HORIPRO, and her family.

“I am now gradually saving my activities in Japan in preparation for emigration. I am sincerely grateful for their support for this decision. I will make a decision on the specific timing of my emigration based on the situation in the world,” she wrote.

Kojima wrote.

Kojima won the Grand Prix at the 34th HORIPRO Talent Scout Caravan in 2009. She has worked as an assistant on variety shows and the sports program “S☆1” (TBS), and was so active in various fields that she was described as “Kojiri-Muso” in an election special program.

On the other hand, in her personal life, she was found to be dating Yasuhisa Hara, the author of the popular comic “Kingdom” in 2020. There were “allegations of plunder” surrounding the circumstances of their relationship, but it was reported last year that the relationship had broken up.

The relationship with Hara was a turning point for me. Until then, she was known as a likable personality, but the situation changed drastically when the allegations of plunder were reported. Her popularity has increased rapidly, and there is no longer a shadow of her former self. As a result, she has decided to take a break from her activities in Japan and focus on China, which is a huge market.

We would like to support Kojima’s challenge, but there is a problem that cannot be solved by an individual. The current relationship between Japan and China.

On August 2, U.S. Speaker of the House Pelosi visited Taiwan. The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), in vehement opposition to this visit, conducted large-scale “major military exercise activities” in the vicinity of Taiwan from August 4.

The relationship between Japan and China is currently at a low ebb. Japan expressed concern over China’s military exercises, but in retaliation, the meeting between Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Foreign Minister Wang Yi was canceled. China is strengthening its sanctions and retaliatory measures against Taiwan, and it is believed that these measures will eventually spread to Japan as well.

Entertainers are also subject to the blockade. Currently, on Weibo, China’s version of Twitter, there is a growing movement calling for Taiwanese and Hong Kong-born entertainers active in China to clarify their political positions. Chinese media and social networking sites.

“Taiwanese and Hong Kong talent who do not express the One China Principle should not be allowed to work in China at all.”

A number of Taiwanese and Hong Kong-based entertainers who are active in China have posted the phrase “There is only one China” on Weibo.

On the other hand, Taiwanese entertainers who stopped updating their social networking sites or did not post the phrase “There is only one China” in order to distance themselves from political issues have been criticized on the Internet. Taiwanese three-member idol group S.H.E. member Hibi Tien and popular Taiwanese male idol group Fei Wanhai member Yan Ya Lun (炎亜綸) have come under fire for not supporting one China.

These trends are not personal for Kojima. Kojima is studying abroad at a Chinese university because he wants to pursue his entertainment career there in the near future.

“If that happens, Kojima will surely be faced with a treadmill. Unlike in Japan, excuses such as ‘I don’t know’ or ‘I’m not sure about that…’ are not acceptable. The headache is that if he were to admit to being “one China,” she would be labeled as such by Japanese netizens. This could hinder their activities in Japan. Take Japan or take China? We have to answer the ultimate choice,” said a writer familiar with the situation in China.

Kojima crosses the sea amid worsening Japan-China relations. It is likely to be a challenge with great risks.