May 2004

Pop diva Namie Amuro, currently on the biggest ever overseas tour by a Japanese performer, has suddenly taken a greater interest in motherhood than ever before, according to Josei Seven (5/13-20).

Once the undisputed queen of Japanese pop, Amuro is trying to resurrect her career with an Asian tour focusing in Taiwan and South Korea.

But rumors of an impending marriage for her ex-husband Sam have apparently sparked Amuro’s maternal instincts like no time since the birth of her 5-year-old son, Haruto.

At the heart of her troubles is Japan’s stance on child custody, which currently is given only to one parent in the event of a divorce.

Currently Amuro and her former husband live on different floors of the same condominium, taking care of Haruto for a week at a time.

“Amuro heard that Sam is thinking of re-marrying. She’s not at all opposed to the idea of Sam going off to live with another woman, but she’s fairly worried about what will happen to Haruto if that comes about,” a music industry insider tells Josei Seven. “Even though Sam does hold sole custody rights of Haruto, they’ve brought him up together and the boy’s currently in an environment where he can see either of his parents whenever he wants to. But if Haruto gets a new mama, there’ll be times when things don’t go as smoothly as they are now.”

Japan’s glitterati is packed with stories of troubles faced by celebrities’ kids when their parents divorce. Some of the celebrities have even been denied the right to see their own flesh and blood. Many local experts argue that any mother figure is still better than raising a kid in a single parent environment.

“In the United States it’s really common for kids to go from one place to another if their parents are divorced, but that concept hasn’t yet taken root in Japan and I don’t think it really provides emotional stability for the child. Most of the time when a new mother is welcomed into a home, people tend to have their kids raised in the complete family because they believe that makes it easier on the children,” Hiromi Ikeuchi, a marriage counselor, tells Josei Seven. “To prevent troubles for the children involved, some say it’s better for the parent without custodial rights to stay away from the new family for about one year to give the child time to settle in.”

Amuro marked the start of her Asian tour by getting a tattoo of Haruto’s name etched into her bicep. It may be the closest memory she has of her son for some time.

“Amuro’s incredibly busy and, if Sam has sole custodial rights, (his marriage) would mean there’ll be a fair bit of distance placed between her and Haruto,” the music industry insider tells Josei Seven. “Poor Amuro looks like she’ll have to brace herself to getting along as a divorced mother with no custodial rights.”