Original Article from here.

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ayu Returns to Japan Fully Guarded… 1 Week Since Divorce Announcement
24 January 2012. 05:05

Hamasaki Ayumi (33), who announced her divorce from Austrian actor Manuel Schwarz (31) =living in Los Angeles= on the 17th, returned to Japan on the 23rd. Although this was her first public appearance after the divorce announcement, ayu maintained her silence in response to reporters’ questions. She may have tweeted “Never regret anything”, but this “scar” seems to run deep.

10:20pm. Surrounded by about 10 staff members and bodyguards, ayu was spotted at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport. Dressed in huge sunglasses, mask and a black coat with its hood up, she was “fully guarded”. There was no way of guessing her expression, but a sign of weakness could be discerned from the way she leaned heavily on the staff member beside her.

In the jostle, about 40 members of the press rapidly fired questions at ayu, “Was the divorce sucessful?” “Have you talked to him?”, but she remained silent. Her only response was to bow her head at the request “Anything to say to the fans?” Knowing how much she treasures her fans, this gesture seemed to say “Sorry for making you worry”.

On the night of 16 Jan, during her stint overseas, ayu suddenly announced her divorce from Manuel Schwarz after one year of marriage through her member-limited fanclub site. According to her office, she would continue her travels in UAE Dubai before returning to Japan via a stopover in Seoul. This was her first public appearance after the divorce announcement.

Accpording to a source, ayu’s representative filed for divorce on her behalf on the 17th (Japan Time), at Las Vegas, Nevada, where they held their wedding ceremony. The paperwork may take days and so the official decision is still not out, but the divorce has already been granted. As she did not register her marriage in Japan, she still remains as “unmarried” in the local family register.

ayu continued to travel to other countries for work as she went through with the divorce. Though she kept her head bowed and remained silent in the arrival lobby, she updated her Twitter the previous afternoon with the message,

“Never regret anything coz at one time it was exactly what u wanted…”

This was submitted along with a photo of her running into the sea. It will not be long before ayu overcomes her divorce and returns to sing to her fans with a happy voice.

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GALLERY (click for larger images)