TOKYO (TR) – The report by weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun last month about professional golfer Reika Miyako’s love affair with her coach, Shinobu Ishii, who is 30 years older than her, has resulted in the termination of their relationship, reports evening tabloid Nikkan Gendai (Dec. 7).
According to the report, the two began dating around spring 2024, when Miyako had just turned 20. Ishii, 51, is married. However, in an interview he explained that they had been living separately since around spring 2023. He claimed it was not an affair.
However, Miyako updated her Instagram on December 1 to announce that she had decided to separate. “I cannot bring sadness to my most precious parents,” she wrote.
Ishii also expressed remorse on Instagram. “At the time [of meeting Miyako], my marriage had effectively broken down with a separation of about three years.” He added, “After accepting my actions and taking responsibility, I have decided to end all ties with Miyako in order to move forward.”
Adultery
Gendai says that in Japan a married person not removed from the marriage register who engages in another relationship is generally considered to have committed adultery.
Gendai goes on to say that there are women who date married men and wind up troubled with this same issue. Miyuki Uekusa, a representative of the marriage agency Marry Me, says some women just give up on their partners, but that might not be a permanent solution.
“If it’s been just a year or two, most find someone new and get married quickly,” she says. “But in cases where it’s lasted over ten years, every single person I know who went to a marriage agency ended up back with their ex. In these situations, there’s often an age gap of 10 to 20 years with the married man, and he’s frequently covering expenses like rent, making it even harder to break away.”
Of course, married people can’t join a marriage agency, but there seems to be a certain number of women who start looking for a partner while hiding the fact that they’re dating or living with a partner.
“In the case of women, their partner won’t commit to marriage, so they come to a marriage agency without completely cutting ties with their boyfriend and looking for a partner,” Uekusa says. “This also happens to men, but in this case, the woman clings to them and won’t break up, which can be a problem. At Marry Me, we ask that you break up as soon as you decide to join us after consulting with us.”
