TOKYO (TR) – Former Nogizaka46 member and television personality Misa Eto, 33, announced the birth of her third child on Instagram on Monday.
The revelations sparked a wave of shock and cynical commentary online given her husband’s recent high-profile infidelity, reports evening tabloid Nikkan Gendai (Aug. 19).
“I recently gave birth to our third child, a boy,” Eto wrote to her followers. “While struggling with the unfamiliarity of raising three children, I am spending my days filled with love.”
Her husband, Seibu Lions infielder Sosuke Genda, 33, echoed the sentiment on his own account, posting, “I am grateful to my wife for giving birth to a healthy child.”
However, the picture-perfect family facade comes just a year and a half after weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun blew the lid off Genda’s extramarital activities. The baseball star was forced to admit to an affair with a hostess working at a high-end club in Tokyo’s posh Ginza district. At the time, reports suggested Genda’s feelings for his wife had cooled, bringing the marriage to the brink of collapse.
Business decision
Social media users were quick to express their astonishment at the rapid expansion of the family following the scandal.
“I can feel Eto’s sheer tenacity,” one user commented. Others voiced skepticism, writing, “Is a high-earning husband all that matters in the end?” and “You really can’t tell what goes on inside a marriage from the outside.”
Industry insiders suggest the decision to stay together and expand the family may be a calculated move.
“Eto built her media brand on the image of being an ‘adored wife,’ so her pride was likely a major factor,” a women’s magazine editor explained. “Furthermore, the ‘forgiving wife’ angle is highly lucrative for ‘mama talents’ who are in demand for talk shows. Looking at her future media exposure, choosing to rebuild the marriage was a very shrewd business decision.”
Turning as blind eye
Eto is the latest in a growing trend of Japanese celebrity wives turning a blind eye to their husbands’ sordid indiscretions.
The situation closely mirrors that of actress Nozomi Sasaki, 38, who stood by comedian Ken Watabe, 53, following his infamous 2020 multi-purpose toilet sex scandal. Sasaki refused to divorce, gave birth to a second child, and recently admitted on television that while she is still keeping him under “observation” and “still hasn’t forgiven him,” she stayed because Watabe is a “great father.”
Similarly, actor Ryuuji Harada’s wife, Ai, stayed with him after his 2019 “4WD affair” was exposed. The couple has since successfully milked the infidelity for variety show laughs, successfully rehabilitating his image. Conversely, Hiroko Mita’s repeated forgiveness of kabuki actor Shikan Nakamura’s endless string of mistresses has begun to alienate her female fanbase.
Whether Eto has truly forgiven Genda’s Ginza escapades remains a mystery, but the duo is guaranteed to remain under the public microscope. Ironically, some corners of the internet have even expressed bizarre sympathy for the cheating baseball player, suggesting he may have simply grown exhausted by his wife’s relentless “happy marriage” PR campaign.
