Japanese celebrity Ruriko Kojima and her entrepreneur husband Kota Kitamura were reportedly hospitalized on February 4th. Today, "Habitat," the company Kitamura belonged to, confirmed that Kota Kitamura has passed away at the age of 29.
However, this tragic news led netizens and media to recall Kojima's past relationship with manga artist Yasuhisa Hara, creator of "Kingdom." At the time, questions arose regarding whether Hara was still married when they began dating, sparking rumors of an alleged affair. Now, this incident has reignited those discussions. Today (February 6th), Hara took to X (formerly Twitter) to address these "completely fabricated rumors," urging the public to stop spreading false information.
Hara's post stated: "Good morning. It is truly saddening to learn of the passing of Mr. Kitamura, Ruriko Kojima's husband. However, it is regrettable that some individuals online are posting malicious tweets based on 'completely fictional stories.'"
He vehemently denied the rumors, emphasizing: "The truth is, I never had any private contact or met with Ms. Kojima before my divorce." He further urged: "Please stop spreading lies and fabricated stories. It is truly regrettable to see these false tweets in the morning." He also expressed his condolences to those affected: "The grief Ms. Kojima and her loved ones are experiencing right now is unimaginable. I sincerely pray for Kota Kitamura's peaceful repose."
In August 2020, Ruriko Kojima confirmed her relationship with Yasuhisa Hara on her radio show, "Summers Mimura Masakazu to Kojima Ruriko no Mimukoji Radio!" The following month, in September, Hara announced on X that his divorce had been finalized in March 2020.
Later, in July 2021, Kojima confirmed their breakup on a program, and in 2023, she announced her marriage to entrepreneur Kota Kitamura.
(For details, Japanese paparazzi had previously captured photos of the two out together in late July 2020, see the report here.)
For Yasuhisa Hara, this was undoubtedly an unexpected wave of backlash. Kojima's news inadvertently brought up their past relationship, forcing him to step forward and clarify the numerous baseless speculations circulating online.