The long-running variety show "Shinkonsan Irasshai!" (ABC TV/TV Asahi, Sunday 12:55 PM) hosted by Takashi Fujii and Sakura Inoue will feature a 48-year-old wife who is twice divorced and her husband who is 14 years younger than her, who will talk about the family bond that has deepened with the birth of their 5-year-old fourth daughter.
In addition to the 21-year-old eldest daughter, the recording studio was also packed with his eldest son (27), second son (23), second daughter (18), third daughter (16), and fourth daughter (5). The eldest son's wife and two sons also came to watch. The first five children are from his previous husband, and for the husband, who had been living alone for around 10 years, it felt like "suddenly we had more friends."
The two met 12 years ago, when the husband was 21 and the wife was 35. The wife had started working as a part-time cashier at the fish shop where the husband worked. His first impression of the wife, who was married, was that she was a lively person. They became close through their eldest son, who was in his second year of junior high school at the time. When the wife found out that her husband had been admitted to a strong high school baseball team on recommendation and was living in a dormitory, she asked if she would teach baseball to her eldest son, who was aiming to become a regular on the baseball team.
Her husband readily agreed, and as they waited in a large park nearby, she emerged from the car, revealing that she had five children. After giving their eldest son serious instruction, the husband was exhausted when his daughters asked him to play tag when he tried to take a break. However, the husband, who loves children, found himself enjoying the day so quickly that the time flew by, and they began spending their holidays together.
Meanwhile, his wife decided to divorce for the second time. However, the harsh reality of being a single mother awaited her. She was turned down by all apartments due to the large number of people in her household, and finding a mother-child dormitory (a facility supporting mothers and children) that did not allow residents with children over 18 was difficult because her eldest son was already in high school. Unable to choose a property and having to work, she began to ask her husband to look after the children. Conversely, her husband, seeing the weak side of his wife who had always seemed bright and powerful, began to feel a sense of "I have to support her" and eventually develop affection.
With her husband's help, they found a new home and successfully moved. The next day, they went out for drinks and got to talking. They held hands as they left the izakaya, and then continued talking in a nearby park. On the way home, they shared a "very passionate first kiss," and began dating.
Later, she discovered she was pregnant with her sixth child. When she told her children, her second son confessed, "There's a 14-year age difference, and I'm still in my 20s, so I'm sure it's okay." Her husband responded, "It's okay. I'll be the father of all six of you." Her youngest daughter, with mixed emotions of joy at becoming a big sister and the fact that she has a different father, reportedly broke down in tears.
However, his wife developed preeclampsia, a condition that causes high blood pressure and organ damage during pregnancy. She was rushed to hospital at 25 weeks pregnant and gave birth by Caesarean section in September 2020, three months earlier than expected. Their fourth daughter weighed just 512 grams. He was told, "We don't know if she'll survive another day," and his wife spent the day crying.
Meanwhile, her husband, who had been transferred to Kyushu, received a call from the hospital announcing an emergency birth, and his mind went blank. Their fourth daughter made it the next day, but she also suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, and they struggled to survive each day. Finally, in March of the following year, when her weight exceeded 3,000 grams, she was able to leave the hospital.
However, the fourth daughter continued to have a tube attached to her nose and milk injected directly into her. The second son said, "I could tell it was painful, so I wanted to take over," but all the children cooperated and supported the childcare.
Eventually, the fourth daughter grew up healthy and her health stabilized, and in July of last year, after five years of dating, the couple got married. The eldest son read a letter summarizing everyone's opinions. The wife burst into tears when he read the letter, expressing gratitude for meeting their fourth daughter, who had strengthened the bonds of the family, and the husband was moved, saying, "She has grown up." The entire studio was filled with a warm atmosphere.
