Aug 08 (Japan Times) - Wedding preparations are underway for Lower House member Shinjiro Koizumi, 38, a prominent politician who is widely seen as a potential future prime minister, and TV personality Christel Takigawa, 41.
The pair made the surprise announcement at the Prime Minister’s Office on Wednesday. Their relationship was until that moment a closely guarded secret.
Separately, Koizumi wrote on his blog that Takigawa is pregnant and due to give birth early next year.
“We started our relationship last year and both of us had started thinking of marriage,†Koizumi, a member of the Liberal Democratic Party, wrote.
“Fortunately we have been blessed with a child. I’ve been really happy spending time with someone I love, which naturally led to pregnancy and marriage,†he added.
The news came as a happy shock to many, as their involvement had not previously been reported or even suspected.
“This is actually only our second time being in public together,†Koizumi said, speaking of how they had to keep the relationship secret.
The son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, one of Japan’s most popular leaders in recent years, Shinjiro Koizumi is a rising star in politics.
Takigawa was born in France in 1977 to a Japanese mother and a French father. She rose to fame as an anchor for Fuji Television Network’s prime-time news.
