Ex-AKB48 member Miki Nishino marries comedian 31 years her senior

Japan’s Good Couples Day is a day that falls on November 22 and it is a play on the numbers “11” and “22” which can be pronounced as “ii fufu” which sounds like “good couple” in Japanese. On this fateful day, former AKB48 member Miki Nishino, 23 announced that she had gotten married to comedian Keiichi Yamamoto, 54 from comedy duo Gokuraku Tombo.

The J-pop idol posted two wedding photos on social media and wrote in Japanese: “Despite the age difference of 32 years, we feel comfortable with each other and did not notice the difference.”

In 2012, Nishino joined AKB48 when she was 13 and had “graduated” from the group in 2017. She shared that she can be herself when she is with Yamamoto.

“I hope Yamamoto-san can be healthy forever, so we can make meals together, walk together and be a good couple forever,” she added.

The comedian also shared the good news on his socials, saying that he will listen to his wife and live a healthy life, so they can be together as long as possible.

It is reported that the duo got to know each other through a variety show and had announced their marriage on his YouTube channel on Tuesday and shared wedding photos on social media on Wednesday.

News of the marriage garnered attention on social media not just because of the age gap but also due to Yamamoto’s past. The comedian was accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old girl in 2006 after a night out in Hokkaido.

Yamamoto was questioned by the police and he reached a settlement with the victim. However, his image was affected by the incident and his agency cancelled his contract.

Yamamoto left showbiz for almost a decade before making a comeback in 2016.

On Wednesday during a live stream, Nishino and Yamamoto shared that they first met on the set of a TV show in 2018.

By March 2022, they grew closer and would go for meals together.

Nishino messaged Yamamoto to say “I wonder if I have feelings for you. But that’s impossible, right?”

During one of their meals, she told him that she couldn’t stop thinking about him and then they talked about whether or not to date. Yamamoto then confessed that he loved Nishino at a gathering of fellow celebrities, which made Miki Nishino decide that their feelings were genuine.

The comedian regularly asked Miki Nishino to marry him after they started dating. She said that he might have proposed to her around 50 times.

The couple were spotted together on an Abema variety show in 2020 where they joined in a joke segment pretending to be a couple.

The former AKB48 member also appeared in a video celebrating Yamamoto’s 54th birthday in February 2022.

In 1989, Yamamoto joined the Yoshimoto Kogyo group. The group terminated his contract in 2006 due to the sexual assault charge accusation.

It was reported that the comedian was not arrested because he did not force the girl into his hotel room.

Born on April 4, 1999 in Shizuoka Prefecture, Miki Nishino is a Japanese tarento and idol.

She is a former member of the girl group AKB48 under Team 4 and of AKB48’s subgroup Tentoumu Chu!.

She is now a solo tarento and idol represented by Twin Planet, and formerly worked part-time at a yakiniku restaurant owned by fellow former AKB48 member Mayumi Uchida for a short period of time after graduation from AKB48.