Shukan Bunshun is reporting that Nagano Mei and Tanaka Kei are having an affair. Kei has been married to now retired tarento and actress Sakura since 2011, with the couple sharing two daughters.
But Kei isn’t the only man who Mei is bringing back to her apartment. She is also seeing Kim Mu Jun, a young Korean actor who stars with her in the TBS drama “Caster.”
On April 15, a Bunshun reporter caught Mu Jun spending the night at Mei’s apartment. Before he returned to South Korea, Mu Jun was in fact living with Mei. On April 19, the reporter saw Mei and Kei meet at an izakaya. The couple had a three hour dinner, before going to a bar in Roppongi. At 3 AM, Mei and Kei were seen at the entrance of her apartment building, with Kei being quite drunk.
The next day, the reporter questioned Kei upon him leaving Mei’s apartment.
Mei and Kei met in 2020 while shooting the film “Soshite, Baton wa Watasareta.” According to Kei, the two didn’t have anything in particular to talk about outside of work, even during staff dinners, in part due to her being young (Kei is currently 40, while Mei is currently 25). After the film, Mei and Kei were invited twice to dinner by mutual friends, but even then, their conversation didn’t extend beyond simple greetings.
But, according to Kei, things took a turn last July, at another dinner arranged by mutual friends. The couple had the unexpected opportunity to talk at length. They talked passionately about work. He also found her fun while drinking, and was surprised by her opinions on things based on her own way of thinking. In short, he was very impressed by how much she had grown as a person in the four years since their initial meeting.
When asked about their relationship, Kei said that Mei is only his junior, denying the affair, saying that it would be impossible. He then said that if she was to say she wanted to be in a relationship, there are times when he wish he could be.
He did confess that he had a spare key to her apartment, which he had returned.
When pressed as to why he stayed the night at Mei’s, Kei said it was because he was drunk and that she had taken care of him, something common among close friends. He actually considered himself a nuisance to her because of this.
The reporter then asked what his wife would think of this situation. Kei responded that his wife knows him, and she would probably tell Mei to make sure that he doesn’t cause any trouble while drunk.
When the reporter asked about the Halloween photo above, he said it wasn’t just two of them, that there were other friends at the event.
Kei said that he and Mei decided to keep their distance due to the appearance of things, but they were able to meet later as friends.
