Kumi Koda - Personal Life

Personal Life

In August 2007, it was rumored that Koda was dating SMAP leader Masahiro Nakai. The media questioned the artists' agencies on the matter, neither agency had confirmed or denied the rumors. In September, during a variety show that Nakai was a semi-regular on, socialite Dewi Sukarno was discussing her ideal boyfriend mentioned that Nakai and Koda were dating. It was also rumored that the two would get married before Koda's 25th birthday. In the December issue of Josei Seven, it was "confirmed" that the two were dating.

The couple has been dubbed as the "national couple", a nickname last used in the early 1960s when actor Akira Kobayashi married enka singer Hibari Misora. However, some have denied that the relationship is real, claiming that Johnny Kitagawa orchestrated the relationship in order to move SMAP to the Avex label; websites have claimed that Koda is just a cover up for Nakai's real girlfriend. On December 12, 2011 these rumours were finally proven false, as it was announced through Koda Kumi's official site that she is engaged to Kenji03 from Back-On Kumi then announced on December 16 that she was 8 weeks pregnant. This was discovered after returning from the Mnet Asian Music Awards in Singapore. The two married on December 29, 2011. On July 17, 2012, Koda gave birth to the couple's first child, a son.