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Actress Rie Miyazawa announces divorce

25 Comments

Japanese actress Rie Miyazawa, 42, has announced that her longtime anticipated divorce with her Hawaii-based husband of seven years has finally been finalized.

The announcement came in a fax sent to the mass media from Miyazawa’s agency on March 18, in which she wrote that the couple had finalized the divorce procedures “after discussing the matter on a number of occasions.”

“I am looking forward to move on toward a new beginning as an actress, a mother and a single individual,” she wrote.

The Dutch-Japanese actress married her husband, a former pro surfer-turned entrepreneur, in April 2009, just a month before she gave birth to their daughter. At the time, Miyazawa openly spoke of her dreams of “building a family full of originality,” having her husband and herself frequently traveling to and from Hawaii and Japan to spend time together.

Three years after the marriage, however, in May 2012, Miyazawa announced, again via fax, that the couple has decided to split due to different commitments and “differences in way of thinking,” stating that it had become “difficult to carry on.”

The couple has been in the process of finalizing their divorce since then, including arranging custody of their 6-year-old daughter, which is believed to have been the most difficult negotiation in settling the split, Sport Nippon reported.

Miyazawa rose to fame as a child actress and later caused a stir in Japan, including the release of a nude photo book titled "Santa Fe" at the age of 18, announcing her engagement to sumo wrestler Takanohana, only to call it off two months later, revealing drinking issues, an attempted suicide and battles with anorexia.

In recent years, she has been leading a more stable and successful career, including launching a regular TV talk show and starring in the lead role for “Pale Moon,” a multiple award-winning movie released in 2014.

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Miyazawa rose to fame as a child actress and later caused a stir in Japan, including the release of a nude photo book titled “Santa Fe” at the age of 18, announcing her engagement to sumo wrestler Takanohana, only to call it off two months later, revealing drinking issues, an attempted suicide and battles with anorexia.

More like the Sumo association didnt want one of their most famous wrestlers involved with a woman who had posed nude. They didnt want the potential of having to deal with a future stable master's wife being in the spotlight.

The sumo association played a HUGE part in her crash. It was huge news on all the wide-shows for what seemed like months.

10 ( +12 / -2 )

The sumo association played a HUGE part in her crash. It was huge news on all the wide-shows for what seemed like months.

and Rie-mama was blamed for that.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

The husband doesn't have a name?

5 ( +6 / -1 )

What do you expect? She met the guy, got pregnant, and announced her pending marriage months later when she started to show.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

she's 42 now, I think we can drop the whole sumo thing from when she was 18 for Pete's sake. Misogyny has to stop

5 ( +6 / -1 )

What is the issue here?

She is very beautiful and famous. Guys around her might have already started drooling by now.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

There seems to be a glut of "professional" Japanese surfers marrying Japanese celebrities. Those 2 foot waves off of Chiba must do wonders for a guy.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

She is very beautiful and famous.

Comparing recent and old photos, I'd say she's destroyed her looks by all the work she's had done on her face.

Guys around her might have already started drooling by now.

Doubt it. She sounds too high maintenance.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

For Hawaiian surfer dudes cute Jpn girls are just little pieces of sushi, they're usually not interested in anything that serious or long-term (and they're usually not big fans of Japanese etiquette, either).

Unfortunately Rie had to find out the hard way, which also has consequences for her daughter.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

For Hawaiian surfer dudes cute Jpn girls are just little pieces of sushi, they're usually not interested in anything that serious or long-term (and they're usually not big fans of Japanese etiquette, either).

Unfortunately Rie had to find out the hard way, which also has consequences for her daughter.

She learned the hard way that her husband wasn't into anything long-term? Is marriage not a long-term commitment?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

my chance has come!!!

Be careful for what you wish for!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

I wish she'd announce a steak dinner or something. The girl has always been too thin to be healthy.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

More like the Sumo association didnt want one of their most famous wrestlers involved with a woman who had posed nude.

That's odd.....especially when sumo wrestlers practically spill huge amounts of flesh that itsy bitsy thongs can't contain.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

The husband doesn't have a name?

Not any more.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Announced to the media by fax - it's the real thing!

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Chalk up another stat for mixed marriages. Divorce rate is much higher for mixed than Japanese only.

Anyway, she got knocked up and had to marry the loser.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

LeGrandRio: "For Hawaiian surfer dudes cute Jpn girls are just little pieces of sushi, they're usually not interested in anything that serious or long-term (and they're usually not big fans of Japanese etiquette, either)."

You act like Rie is the picture mental stability and all things virtuous, when in reality she has been anything bet. In some cases she was dealt a pretty raw deal, as with the Sumo Association single-handedly screwing up her engagement and her life at the time, but the alcoholism and attempted suicide are on her and no one but. It was obviously a shotgun wedding, and as much as the 'surfer guy may have seen her as a piece of sushi', then she played the part. It takes two to tango.

In any case, I hope she does indeed get a new shot at things, and I think given her past that would mean hopefully staying away from the media here for as long as possible until this announcement and her new (somewhat) life settle down. best of luck to her!

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

No I don't think she was 100% the victim at all, just somewhat naive at that time probably.

StrangerLand- Yes marriage is obviously meant to be long-term, but Hawaiian surfer dudes rank amongst the word's best lotharios and have their own code regarding "chicks"

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I never thought the surfer existed. She's lived in Tokyo all that time. The "spouse in Hawaii" that you never see, it is a convenient cover. I mean the baby has a genitor, and she probably found a guy to register as official father (not necessarily the same person). I think she simply had the baby to raise it on her own and didn't dare just announcing the situation.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

She was repeating what happened to her mother, who met a Dutch guy and got pregnant. He left before she was born.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Correction to my previous post, the surfer dude is Japanese. When I saw professional surfer I thought it must be a gaijin as I cannot recall a ranked Japanese surfer. Perhaps he is poser type.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Is there a "mass media" fax number, or did some poor sod have to send out umpteen faxes to different media outlets? Anyone with any breeding knows that telegrams are the way to announce these things.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Their child, or children is/are the most important. I wonder what that situation is? I am allowed one 3 hour visit each month by the Japanese Family Court.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

I clicked just to look at her picture. There was a time when she was a big deal.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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