Shimabukuro Hiroko and actor Saotome Yuki have filed for divorce

Singer Shimabukuro Hiroko (38), a member of the all-female group “SPEED”, announced on Instagram on the 31st that she and actor Saotome Yuki  (26) had divorced. She wrote, “To all of you who always support me,” and reported, “It’s a conclusion that the two of us came to after discussing it thoroughly.” She filed for her divorce on the 30th, according to her sources.

The two announced their engagement on September 12, 2016, and submitted their marriage registration in Shimabukuro’s hometown of Okinawa on February 11, 2017, the first anniversary of their relationship.

Shimabukuro was 32 when the engagement was announced, and Saotome was 20 at the time, having just come of age in May. The two made headlines as a couple with a 12-year age gap and parents of a 3-month-old baby.

At the time of the marriage announcement, the two posted the same sentence on their respective blogs, “We will continue to support each other, walk together with love and gratitude, and polish our arts.”

On February 11, last year, on the occasion of their 5th wedding anniversary, they posted a two-shot photo on Instagram of them wearing matching sneakers and cuddling up.

In October last year, Shimabukuro appeared at the concert of his hometown “Okinawa Actors School”, and performed a one-day-only SPEED revival stage with Uehara Takako and Imai Eriko, who appeared as surprise guests, and sang the debut song “Body & Soul”.

Full text of the announcement on Instagram: I apologize for the personal matter, but at this time, I have decided to dissolve my marital relationship with Saotome-san. This is the conclusion that we came to after discussing it thoroughly. I am grateful to Saotome from the bottom of my heart for being her partner. From now on, I will continue to do my best to enjoy my work as well as my days, so please continue to support me. With many thanks. Shimabukuro Hiroko

 

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A post shared by 島袋寛子 Hiroko Shimabukuro (@hiroko.shimabukuro)