Noriko
Sakai
One evening in late May, Noriko
Sakai was entering the luxury condominium that is her home with an
armful of shopping bags, followed by her son. But her husband was
nowhere to be seen.
Over 20 successful years as a
singer and actress, Sakai, popularly known as Nori-P, has evolved
from a young pop idol to a “mama-doru” (an idol who is also a
mother), appearing on the cover of parenting magazines and
performing in a PR film on the new jury system as a
housewife.
In 1998, Sakai married a
professional surfer, the son of the owner of a prominent sporting
goods chain store. She learned to surf herself and used to invite
her friends, SMAP member Takuya Kimura and singer Shizuka Kudo, who
later married.
Besides her work in the
entertainment industry, the singer/actress founded her own fashion
brand and the public image of Sakai as a good mother and wife is
well established.
But a friend says, “They are the
kind of couple that often quarrel but in a way that usually doesn’t
affect their marriage. Recently she came to consult about
another fight they had… but something was different this time. It
seems her husband is having an affair and she kicked him out of
their home.”
The husband is currently staying
at their vacation house in Chiba. According to his acquaintance,
the husband initially said he was there to concentrate on surfing,
but appeared depressed and admitted that his wife asked for a
divorce.
On another Sunday afternoon,
Nori-P left her home with her son, driving her Porsche. The husband
was absent. Around 7 p.m., she came out again with her son and
another boy who appeared to be a friend. Sakai returned an hour
later with supermarket bags. The husband was not seen throughout
the day.
So what’s really going on with the
11-year marriage?
A long-time friend of the couple
disclosed that the two had a huge row during their trip to Okinawa
during Golden Week. The husband admitted that it was his fault, but
also complained that he was stressed about being acknowledged only
as “Nori-P’s husband.”
Sakai’s pet name for her husband
is “An-chan,” which comes from the main character in the TV drama
that marked the change in her career from a pop idol to an actress.
Even his nickname is related to Sakai’s work in the entertainment
industry… perhaps having a famous idol as wife comes with its own
problems.
As far as Shukan Post is aware,
the couple is living separately. But the representative of Sakai’s
management company denied any knowledge about estrangement or
divorce between the couple. “I just spoke to her on the phone and
she laughed and said her husband was sitting next to
her.”
“It’s true that the two tend to
get very emotional when they quarrel, and Sakai’s husband is often
away to surf in Chiba. But there’s nothing new to that. And people
get weary of married life. It happens to anyone.”
But the husband still hasn’t been
seen at their home.