Management for former soccer star Honda Yasuto (40) announced that he and model Takaoka Yumiko (34) are divorced. Honda initiated the divorce papers, which Takaoka filed at a municipal office yesterday. She has custody of their 7-year-old daughter. The divorce was by mutual consent so there is no alimony involved. A former Japan international who played for Kashima Antlers from the early 1990s, Honda retired in 2006 as the longest serving of the original J-League players. Beloved by Kashima fans, he took pride in the fact that he was widely hated by supporters of other teams and regarded as a dirty player. He is now a soccer commentator and adviser to Kashima. He and Takaoka married in 2000, but she will have to do something about her official blog, which has a prominent photo of her in her bridal dress and is titled “Hondake no Yome” (Bride of the Honda Family). She is the younger sister of popular actress Takaoka Saki (36), who divorced actor Hosaka Naoki (41) in 2004.
Romance has bloomed between actress Hirayama Aya (25, photo top left) and Johnny’s Jimusho singer Takaki Yuya (19, bottom left), according to today’s issue of weekly magazine “Friday.” The two appeared together in the drama series “Gokusen” in the spring of 2008 and are thought to have started dating last autumn. Management for both stars have denied anything other than friendship between the two. Takaki is a member of the group Hey! Say! Jump!
• Singer Kuroki Ken Jr. (43, photo right) and freelance announcer Nakao Miho (38, photo right) got married last month, it was revealed yesterday. Kuroki’s father was a popular ballad singer in the 1960s, who had a major hit with “Kiri ni Musebu Yoru” in 1968.