2024 Manga Adaptations (January - June)
Legendary Japanese actor Ken Watanabe (Letters from Iwo Jima, The Last Samurai) and versatile actress Kaho Minami (Angel Dust, Infection) have decided to officially part their ways after 13 years spent together.
Ken and Kaho met on the set of a 2004 TV Tokyo drama and immediately started dating. They got married on December 3rd, 2005. Ken formally adopted Kaho's son from her previous marriage to director Jinsei Tsuji, while he also has two biological children from his previous marriage - a son Dai Watanabe and a daughter Anne Watanabe, also an actress.
Apparently, the main reason why they decided to divorce is because Ken was cheating on Kaho two years ago while she was undergoing treatment for breast cancer. Apparently he had been seeing the other woman for 3 years, but they broke off in 2017. He admitted publicly to the affair.
"Most of what is written in the (Shukan Bunshun) article is true,” Watanabe told reporters, after apologizing for taking so long to talk about the matter. “I am deeply sorry for making my fans, supporters and work-related staff worried over my frivolous actions. Above all, I am deeply sorry for having hurt my wife." - Ken Watanabe talks to reporters during the press conference on July 15 in which he admitted having had an extramarital affair.
In 2016, at the time when his wife was diagnosed with breast cancer, it was revealed that Watanabe had been diagnosed with stomach cancer and would receive treatment for it. He also managed to recover from leukemia in the 90s.
Despite the cheating scandal, Watanabe has a full schedule of upcoming films, such as Bel Canto, Detective Pikachu and Godzilla: King of Monsters.
