Famed Japanese author with no limbs confesses to 5 extramarital affairs as he prepares for political career
The memoir that Hirotada Ototake published in 1998 propelled him to stardom in Japan. No One’s Perfect is his true-life story of struggling to get on in Japanese society after being born with no arms or legs won him admiration and respect and he became a frequent commentator on television shows before forging a career in sports journalism and teaching.
Ototake was famous for zipping around in a custom-built wheelchair with a big smile, despite being born with tetra-amelia syndrome, while his book became the third best-selling book released since the war in its first year in print.
Two years ago, 39-year-old Ototake set up a non-profit organisation dedicated to keeping the streets clean in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward, where he was born, and there had been suggestions that the ruling Liberal Democratic Party was looking into inviting him to stand as its candidate in elections for the Upper House of parliament in the summer.
The reputation and career that he worked so hard to build have come crashing down, however, after Japan’s tabloid media revealed that Ototake has been carrying on no fewer than five extramarital relationships.
My conduct towards my wife, who has supported me this far, and others who have helped my career is an act of betrayal that cannot be forgiven
Confronted by reporters from the Shukan Shincho, Ototake admitted that he went to Paris and Tunisia in December with a woman in her late 20s.