China celebrates ‘favourite Japanese’ table tennis star and Olympian Ai Fukuhara’s ‘divorce freedom’

Speculation of the star’s divorce has swirled online since March following Japanese media reports

Tong Liya, one of China’s most popular actresses, was celebrated by fans for announcing her divorce in May

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Japanese table tennis player Ai Fukuhara and table tennis player Chiang Hung-Chieh have confirmed their divorce. Photo: Xinhua

Published: 5:15pm, 9 Jul 2021Updated: 10:23pm, 11 Jul 2021

The Chinese public has expressed overwhelming support for retired Japanese table tennis star and Olympic medallist Ai Fukuhara, who announced her divorce from Chiang Hung-chieh has been finalised.

“As a result of discussions between the couple, the divorce was concluded upon mutual agreement,” the 32-year-old Fukuhara, who represented Japan at four Olympics, said in a statement, according to Kyodo News. “We will do our best to reduce the impact on the children as much as possible.”

Fukuhara, known affectionately in China as “little Ai”, married Chiang who is from Taiwan in 2016 after the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. She gave birth to a daughter in 2017 and a son in 2019.

Both Fukuhara and Chiang followed up with Weibo statements on Thursday night. Fukuhara told her fans: “I will hang in there”, while Chiang said: “I’m fine, please don’t worry about me, I will take your blessings and begin a new life”.

Ai Fukuhara meets the press in Tokyo in 2018, for the first time since announcing her retirement on her blog two days earlier. Photo: Kyodo

On Weibo the news of Fukuhara’s divorce was celebrated by fans. By Friday the topic had been read over 690 million times.

“Getting a divorce is your freedom, there is nothing to apologise for, congratulations on your new life!” one commenter said.