Actress Sugita Kaoru (40) has finally put her brief and unhappy marriage behind her. She refused to speak to the media at the weekend but her lawyers issued a fax statement saying that her 7-month marriage to wealthy heir Ayukawa Junta (44) had ended in divorce. With her troubled past that started when she gained fame as a child actor, she was long considered destined to be a spinster. She even seemed to relish the image in recent years, as she fed off it on the the variety show circuit. So the showbiz world was taken by complete surprise when she announced her marriage to a very eligible and rich bachelor in January. But the honeymoon – and Sugita’s new image as a “celeb” wife – didn’t last long. Rumors circulated of fights between the two – who never even lived together – and Sugita started dropping bigger and bigger hints that things were not going well. During the summer she said she had returned her wedding ring (by parcel delivery!) and hadn’t even seen her husband in months. Divorce papers were submitted at the end of July and the final decision was handed down on August 11. Lawyers for Ayukawa said that there is no dispute over alimony and there will be no court case. It remains to be seen whether Sugita will use the experience to create a new “divorcee” showbiz persona for herself, or whether she’ll prefer to retire and live off whatever financial settlement she receives.
• Tanaka Misako (45) is making her comeback as an actress. She will star in the upcoming TBS drama series “Brother Beat,” her first major role in five years. It also marks her return to work after she had a baby girl in 2002. She will play the mother of three handsome sons in the so-called “home comedy.”