Kaho Minami and Watanabe Ken are divorced

When Watanabe Ken and Kaho Minami married each other back in 2005, they were looked at as a star couple.

Watanabe Ken is one of the few Japanese actors who have made it internationally has starred in major Hollywood films such as “The Last Samurai”, “Inception”, “Godzilla”, “Transformers: Age of Extinction”.

Kaho Minami has starred in “Hotaru”, “Four Days of Snow and blood”, “Godzilla, Mothra and King Ghidorra: Giant Monsters All-Out Attack” and many TV series.

Both were previously married and met after working on a drama together back in 2003 and would marry in December of 2005.

Both have suffered through cancer in the past few years.  Watanabe was diagnosed with stomach cancer in February 2016, while Kaho Minami was diagnosed with breast cancer.

But as these two would support each other during their challenges, in March 2017, the tabloid Shukan Bunshun published an article with photos of Watanabe with another woman in New York and that he has had an affair for three years.

Watanabe would hold a press conference in July 2017 and confirm that he did have an affair, during the time his wife was fighting an early stage of breast cancer and that he met the other woman while he was filming in Osaka.  Watanabe said that the two are living separately at that time.

Reports of divorce discussions appeared as early as January 2018.

Kaho tweeted the following on May 17, 2018:

この度、離婚という形に到りましたことをご報告申し上げます。
出会いから16年、様々なことを学びました。
そしてこの1年は、自身の生き方を見つめ直す時間を与えられました。
これからは曇りのない笑顔で、私らしく歩んで参りたいと思います。
今後ともどうぞ宜しくお願い申し上げます。

— kahominami 南 果歩 (@kahominami) May 17, 2018

Kaho wrote:

“I am reporting that we have reached a decision to divorce.  I learned many things in the 16 years since we met. 

In the past year, I was given time to look back on my way of life.  From now on, I would like to walk like a person with a smile without any cloudiness.”

According to media reports, the two are discussing with their lawyer of a property settlement.  Also, that because Watanabe is guilty for infidelity, he will be have to compensate Kaho.  The two were reported to have signed a prenuptial agreement.

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