Original Article from here.

—–

Hamasaki Ayumi: Behind the Divorce, Ex-Husband’s Complicated Feelings Towards Nuclear Accident
19 January 2012. 16:00

Hamasaki Ayumi (33) announced her decision to divorce Austrian actor husband Manuel Schwarz aka Mannie (31) on her Official Fanclub site. Within the announcement message, ayu explained that she was the main reason for the divorce.

At the start of the marriage, the two had decided to “stay in the US”, but the Tohoku Earthquake Disaster occurred soon after, and a strong “feeling of reluctance to leave Japan” started to grow within ayu. In the end, Mannie was left in the US alone as the days went by.

Right after their marriage a year ago, the two went on a honeymoon to the Maldives. They returned to the US and stayed in Los Angeles for a while before ayu came back to Japan alone. Soon after, the disaster happened.

After the incident, “what (she) can do for Japan” became ayu’s future plan. An entertainment authority explains,

“Firstly, the tour start date was pushed back from April to May, and ayu’s team as a whole decided to create a new show from scratch. There was a time limit of just one month, and they probably did not even have the time to eat, much less to sleep.”

In those days, ayu cut her straight shoulder-length hair into an extremely short style, a very first for her.

“Through music, I want to send out all of my heart.”

A simple phrase, but full of passionate feelings, just like how she always does things.

On the other hand, Mannie followed ayu through TV and Internet news reports, learning about her through Twitter, and the two became a “long-distance couple” with no reality of married life. Surely ayu did not wish for such a marriage. However, Mannie did not have a reason to visit Japan. His life is based in Los Angeles, and aside from ayu, he has no kin or friend in Japan. Furthermore, his wife was too busy with work and constantly on the move.

Also, it has been said that Mannie, as an Austrian, had complicated feelings regarding nuclear power.

“Austria has a horrid past with regard to nuclear accidents due to Chernobyl, and nuclear establishments within the country are now banned by law. When the Fukushima nuclear accident occurred, the Austrian government issued notices requesting their citizens to refrain from travelling. Mannie’s family and friends must have understood the danger of nuclear power, and probably dissuaded him from going to Japan to visit his wife if he had no reason to do so.” (Entertainment Authority)