Earlier today, Koda Kumi announced that she is pregnant with her second child at the age of 43.
Normally this news would be meant with congratulations. But this was not that case for her.
Let’s rewind back to 2008. On January 31, the day after the release of her album “Kingdom”, Kumi appeared on the radio show “All Night Nippon.”
During the show, she was asked what she thought about her manager’s recent marriage. In a lighthearted manner, she replied, “When women turn 35, their amniotic fluid goes rotten, so I hope they have a child before then.”
This statement changed the course of her career. Backlash ensued due to Japan’s low birth rates, with the topic being a sore one for the nation. Promotion for the album stopped. She was dropped by sponsors such as Coca-Cola, to the statement, GemCerey, and KOSÉ.
After the controversy, Kumi made several public apologies, including on her concert tour for the album. She said that she deeply regretted hurting thousands of Japanese women and mothers.
In her 2011 book “KODA REKI”, Kumi wrote, “I must not pretend like it never happened… The moment I thought, ‘My dream has finally come true,’ I destroyed everything with my own words… I realized how immature and unprofessional I was. I stand and speak in front of so many people. I hadn’t thought about the responsibility and power that came with my position.”
In the book, she continued, saying that she still cries when she thinks about the comment and hurting the women of Japan. She cancelled several rehearsals for “Live Tour 2008 ~Kingdom~” due to the severe anxiety she would get, believing that she when she would walk out onto the stage to perform during the actual tour, that the arena would be empty.
Given this, the internet has had a field day with her announcing her pregnancy at age 43, eight years past the “expiration date” of her amniotic fluid.
The top comment on Oricon’s announcement of the new has gathered over ten million views in less than twelve hours.
