Original article from here.
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“No Splitting of Fortune” Covenant? The Failure of Hamasaki Ayumi’s “Divorce Promotion”
23 January 2012.
Singer Hamasaki Ayumi, who married Austrian-born actor Manuel Schwarz on New Year’s Day last year, has expectedly announced a “lightning divorce”. According to ayu, the reason for divorce was that their initial plans to migrate to the US were disrupted by the Eastern Japan Earthquake Disaster in March. Witnessing the destruction, a strong “reluctance to leave Japan” grew within ayu, and she started to drift apart from her husband, who lives in Los Angeles. She explained that “before we knew it, the emotional distance had grown too large”.
In other words, the two were in a “long-distance marriage”, with no semblance of a domestic married life together.
“With a drive-thru wedding ceremony in Las Vegas, she did not even register the marriage in Japan. As such, her marital status is not “divorced” but “single”. It seems that she had always anticipated a divorce, as covenants stating that “the fortune will not be split in case of a divorce” and “no reparation is to be paid” were allegedly signed even before the wedding ceremony.” (Entertainment Authority)
Thinking back to New Year’s Eve last year, one day before the marriage announcement on New Year’s Day, ayu performed on NHK’s “Kouhaku Utagassen” dressed in a pure white wedding gown. This well-preparedness incited rumors within the entertainment circle that this was all just “promotion for the new song”.
As ayu has not had a hit song in years, rumors about the recent divorce being a publicity stunt are also going about. ayu has always been good at self-promotion. In the past, when she was dating TOKIO’s Tomoya Nagase, there was a piece of news about them “returning from a holiday, holding hands”. At that time, the one who tipped off the press about the returning couple was one of ayu’s staff members, another Entertainment Authority claimed.
However, if this divorce is really a publicity stunt, it is truly a failed attempt. Her citing the “disaster” as a reason for divorce invited much accusation. Moreover, with her working in the Middle East now, flames such as “Wasn’t she reluctant to leave Japan?!” and “Is she running away overseas now?!” are many. Even ayu’s “magic” isn’t working this time round……
To say that she was anticipating to divorce as she didn’t register their marriage in Japan is the stupidest thing in the world. I’m married in Spain and I haven’t registered my marriage in my home country. Am I supposed to be expecting to divorce just because of that?!
This is so silly. I think the whole “didn’t want to leave Japan” and long-distance marriage is a very BELIEVABLE lead up to a divorce. How could any marriage in its infancy survive long-distance? As if this could be a publicity stunt. It’s her personal life and people should leave it alone, she’s going through something very difficult. ><
Ay, Sarah, I could give you a hug!! I’ve been telling everybody that a long-distance marriage is truly a challenge. It can be worst if both partners have their own careers. And not even Ayu could ask Manuel to give up his career to follow her to Japan: I know it very well because I’m in their exact situation.