"Talent" Sakura Uehara, 32, announced in a fax to media this week that she has divorced her husband Noriaki Endo, 38, an apparel maker. According to her management, Uehara cited Endo's violence against a weekly magazine cameraman last spring as the big reason she made the decision. Th efax said: "Rather than stay married and go through the motions, we decided to cancel our marriage and get on with our own lives."
Uehara married Endo in August 2003 after a three-year courtship that began as close friends. When the pair tied the knot, Uehara was quoted as saying "It's like two friends have become husband and wife."
Last spring, Endo was arrested for punching and kicking a cameraman from a weekly magazine, and that incident, coupled with other problems, are said to have led to the decision to divorce. After the incident, Uehara took a break from the celebrity world and said that it "gave me time to really rethink my life."
© Japan Today
57 Comments
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bdiego
Why did he punch and kick the cameraman from a weekly magazine? Most of them deserve it, so I'm surprised she would find that offensive.
moshiso7
Of course this wasn't the main reason, she only used the situation to divorce.
kidoave
The lady needs a career...look at her.
norinrad21
an easy gateway out of marriage
Kommentator
Insightful comments from people who have no idea about what really happened, yet are dumping all over this lady they have never met.
some14some
she looks so pale...is it pink?
perspective
But that's standard operating procedure here
jea711
punching and kicking the cameraman isn't the only reason for divorce. from all the news about this "starlet" (no idea until when she's gonna be a starlet), you could tell that she herself is a big problem.perhaps common with japanese women of her kind. but still glad that they aren't really that much. still we have lots of good ones out there.
bdiego
Well that's the whole point, I don't see how the real reason could possibly be attacking a cameraman, seeing as how it was probably done because they were nosing into their business.
The758
What really happened then?
Maria
If he's punching and kicking complete strangers in public, I wonder how he behaves when behind closed doors and unrestrained.
Altria
Punching a cameraman?
He should be commended, not divorced!
ratpack
And do you Uehara Sakura take this man to be your husband? Do you promise to love, cherish and honor him in sickness and in health? Do you promise to stick by him during the good times and the bad time.....except if and when your fella has a brain explosion and kicks the ar$e of a cameraman in which case all the above is null and void.....for as long as you both shall live? eto ano ne...I do...kana!!!
bamboohat
"We were friends, and then we got married. It was like two friends that came together in marriage.."
Wow.
gogogo
Why do people have to "fax" the media on this?
techall
She's still using fax? I haven't sent or recieved a fax in about 3 years.
bobbafett
what can she do? Hambone slap?
Hambone, hambone Have you heard? Going to divorce court to get me a mocking bird And if that mocking bird don’t gonna sing Ex hubbies gonna relinquish me a diamond ring And if that diamond ring don’t gonna shine Gonna take ex hubbie to the five and dime
Junnama
She should have scanned and emailed instead. It's much more Eco-friendly. Oh, does anybody actually know who she is?
medievaltimes
Another case of, "I promise to love you and be with you for the rest of my life. I really really mean it.............except if I change my mind."
flatearther
I guess this means the friendship is over?
SiouxGirl
I agree with medieval - a lot of ppl probably tune out during the vows, in the back of their mind thinking, "I look great! I wonder what kind of gifts we'll get." My educated guess is that she realizes his bad temper is either getting worse or that he isn't working on controling it. She doesn't want to discuss the history of their relationship. Can't blame her.
thepro
My guess is that she wants to be back in the spotlight. This husband was getting old and she was fading away.
nath
Marriage sucks.I would never ever do it again.
medievaltimes
Thanks SiouxGirl. But when you decide to get married, you surrender the right to change your mind.
Otherwise, why take the vow? Why not just say, "I love you and I want to be with you. But I cant promise to feel that way about you forever."
Maria
Obviously none of you have been in an unhappy relationship - lucky lot!
isthistheend
This woman is/was beautiful?
flatearther
@Yelnats- Well said. Marriage is like taking a year or two off to write a novel, great in theory but terrible in practice. Never made the mistake (marriage) myself and don't plan to.
Still sad news, though. Based on the article's description of their courtship, they had everything going for them in the beginning. :(
medievaltimes
It doesnt matter if you are happy or not. You are missing the point. If you get married, you surrender the right to change your mind.
medievaltimes
Personally speaking, Ive been in several unhappy relationships. But point being, I didnt marry them...thus giving me (or the other person) the option of ending the relationship.
If you get married, you surrender that option....or so they say.
Firripusan
Surrender that option? When does it come available again? When one kills the other? I walked away from mine with way too much weight on my shoulders from a woman who had severe depression, lashed out at me, and left me with $250,000 worth of debt. 12 years of it, I tried, believe me. I visited her in the psych wards too. She died a long time ago and became someone I no longer knew, yet I still feel guilty because I believed that same way a long time ago, medievaltimes.
Him punching someone else... though I don't know the story, did the paparazzi deserve it? Or was the relationship normally like this and hit her in secret too?
Maria
What absolute bollocks!
wibble
SiouxGirl, medievaltimes and others - "I agree with medieval - a lot of ppl probably tune out during the vows, in the back of their mind thinking, "I look great! I wonder what kind of gifts we'll get."" "Thanks SiouxGirl. But when you decide to get married, you surrender the right to change your mind.
Otherwise, why take the vow?"
Um - what vow in particular are you describing? I certainly don't recall any vows when I got married to my wife in Japan, the employee at the Ward Office just wanted the bit of paper. Different cultures don't forget.
medievaltimes
Firripusan - Your situation (very sad) and Ueharas seem to be quite different.
As for your debt, to put it bluntly, its your responsibility (especially if it was in your name). I dont know your details, but Im guessing this did not happen overnight all of a sudden. But I digress.
My previous point stands. Dont make promises you cant keep. Promising to be with someone (and only them) for the rest of your life is a very serious commitment.
To me it makes more sense to take the path of, "if you (or I) want to stay, stay...if you (or I) want to leave, leave." Because at the end of the day (week, month, year, decade etc) people will wind up doing what they want to do anyway regardless of a wedding, a ring, kids, a ceremony etc.
The number one cause of divorce is.......marriage. (joke)
medievaltimes
Maria - Please explain.
Dualta
Marriage has been extremely kind to me. Best thing I've ever done. I've had two kids with my best friend and we have a home full of warmth and security. Don't let the haters put you off. Divorce is the escape hatch, if you ever need it, but go into marriage fully commmitted and determined to make it work. Expect hard times, they will come, but maybe they'll not be so bad as to make you want to divorce your partner.
medievaltimes
Fair point. And a good point. But it begs the question, what is marriage?
I think most people would agree (vow or no vow), that marriage entails forming a union (legally binding) that involves a promise of staying commited and faithful to each other thoughout the rest of your lives.
But of course the reality of human behavior doesnt match the above...which again begs the question, what is marriage?
medievaltimes
Dualta - Its great that you are happily married (yes, it is possible). But a few points...
A case could be made that you didnt need to get married in order to have kids and be happy with your best friend.
You also say "divorce is an escape hatch, if you ever need it". Im guessing thats in contradiction to what you and your partner promised on the wedding day. Which begs the question, why promise in the first place?
I dunno. Maybe marriage isnt for everyone.
Mittsu
She is a typical tarento bubblehead - why all the outrage because she says something dumb? Apparently the cameraman was stalking and bothering them and the guy lost his rag - sems reasonable to me.
bobbafett
Its a business relationship and the product is children.
dolphingirl
Obviously this wasn't the only reason she divorced him. Possibly he had been violent before. Maybe even towards her. So good on her for getting out and having the courage to start over. Marriage isn't a life sentence. It's a commitment to stay together through good times and bad. Not a commitment to stay with someone who goes bad. Of course a couple should do everything to try and work things out but sometimes it's better for both to not be together. I think it's more honorable and more brave to see the truth of the relationship and admit it's over than to simply 'go through the motions'.
cleo
I'm with Dualta all the way, except that marriage was the second-best thing I ever did - having the kids is and always will be far and away #1.
If I hadn't needed the spouse visa to stay in Japan though, I doubt we would have actually tied the knot until it was time to have the kids.
Wouldn't it be highly irresponsible to decide to have kids with someone who isn't sure they're going to be there to help raise them? I suppose the marriage vows are a kind of insurance; you sincerely hope you won't need to draw on them, but when the unthinkable happens it's as well to have something to fall back on.
I'm sure the kids also feel more secure knowing that Mum and Dad are here because it's where they belong and they've made a commitment, not just because nothing better has turned up (yet).
Moderator: All readers back on topic please.
presto345
She is free to choose her means of communication, faxing not being any less eco-friendly than scan + email. But you knew that of course. Who is she? Well, you could've googled it. Have a look here: http://wiki.d-addicts.com/Uehara_Sakura Sakura made the right decision. Men who can't control their temper do not make good marriage partners.
kyushujoe
True. But you could replace "men" with "people" and it'd be no less true.
presto345
True. But you could replace "men" with "people" and it'd be no less true.
Be specific.
kyushujoe
Human beings. Folks. Anyone.
virgo
Come on folks. She is a "tarento" who most people have never heard of. She probably divorced him to save what little career she has. In Japan we all know about guilt by association. He was violent. She looks bad by being with him. Career suffers. So a cameraman got his ass kicked. Does not make her husband a bad guy. Just an incident.
Firripusan
Ah, after my rawr rawr post I wanted to say something else. Marriage is a great thing, two people working together to make a better life for one another and creating cute little ones to continue on. I also agree, people should be very committed to one another!
After my years I've learned quite a bit and am taking my time going forward. I've got that inner feeling of feeling I want someone in my life, but that's all it is. People should not divorce for silly reasons and is why I gave mine very great thought and 4/5 of the debt I mentioned was not what I racked up.
SiouxGirl
Maybe the vows need to be revised - "I vow to stick with you until the going gets rough or I get bored, whichever comes first." Or maybe just a certificate issued that says "The below signators are legally married. Whatever that means."
medievaltimes
Maybe people should stop putting so much emphasis on the wedding day, which lasts a day...and put more emphasis on the marriage, which lasts a lifetime.
bushlover
[According to her management, Uehara cited Endo’s violence against a weekly magazine cameraman last spring as the big reason she made the decision. Th efax said: “Rather than stay married and go through the motions, we decided to cancel our marriage and get on with our own lives.”]
If this is her only reason I'd say she's pretty shallow. I mean the guy was only trying to protect their privacy from a papparazzi. Sakura you were braindead before arrival.
nath
I hope they both find happiness. I see no reason for a smart Arse comment while two peoples lives are falling apart.
LFTIGER
I'm available Sakura!!
Blue_Tiger
A mile wide....and an inch deep.
This is an unbelievable reason for a divorce, and I like how she said it "we 'canceled' our marriage...." as if it were a subscription to a ladies weekly.
Can't say I wouldn't do the same to any paparazzi photographer....but then again, he could have done what Namie Amuro did, and sue the magazine for tens of millions....maybe the wife would have stayed around then...
shallow
nath
“It’s like two friends have become husband and wife.”... we call that "marriage" girl.
Elbuda Mexicano
Good for her! This husband sounds like a real idiot! Poor cameraman!
Elbuda Mexicano
I really doubt this was the ONLY reason for their divorce, more like like the last straw that broke the camel's back!