TOKYO (TR) – Former boy band member Ryoki Miyama and former Takarazuka actress Maria Kano have admitted to an “inappropriate relationship” after being caught visiting a luxury hotel together, claiming the illicit encounters were meant to help them prepare for their stage roles, reports weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun (July 30).
The 27-year-old actor and the 33-year-old actress are currently co-starring as the romantic leads in the Japanese musical adaptation of the hit South Korean drama “Crash Landing on You.” Both stars are married with children.
Miyama, a former member of the popular boy group BE:FIRST, is no stranger to controversy. He previously left the music group following a scandal in which he reportedly manipulated a female influencer into spending over 100 million yen on him.
He appeared to have settled down after marrying 35-year-old actress Shuri—the daughter of veteran actor Yutaka Mizutani—last August. The couple recently welcomed a child. Kano is also married and has a child of her own.
Multiple visits
According to the Bunshun report, the off-stage romance blossomed shortly after rehearsals for the musical began at a studio in Tennozu Isle on May 28.
On July 13, a scheduled day off for the production, Miyama was spotted leaving his home in his Lamborghini. He drove to Kotto-dori in Minami-Aoyama, where a waiting Kano climbed into the passenger seat. Shortly after 3:00 p.m., the sports car was seen descending into the underground parking lot of a high-end city hotel in Shinjuku.
The tabloid noted that the pair had engaged in multiple hotel rendezvous.
“Preparation”
Following the report, the management agencies for both stars issued statements acknowledging the encounters, though both camps initially attempted to justify the hotel visits as professional dedication.
“It is true that they spent time together for the purpose of role preparation for the stage,” Miyama’s agency said in a statement. “We recognize these interactions were intended to deepen their understanding of the work and their roles, but the method and lack of awareness regarding his own position were naïve, resulting in inappropriate behavior. We deeply reflect on this.”
Kano’s agency released a similar apology on its official website, claiming the private time was meant to “deepen their stage roles” but conceding it was an “inappropriate judgment” and that Kano is taking her lack of awareness seriously.
