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“Ayapan” is consistently ranked No. 1 as the most desirable TV announcer in Japan

Rumors started flying that super popular Japanese TV announcer (newscaster) Aya Takashima aka “Ayapan” will be married later this summer to Yuji Kitagawa of the Japanese folk duo “Yuzu”. The two began dating back in 2006 and supposedly plan to tie the knot at the end of June when Yuzu wrap up their national concert tour.

Yuji Kitagawa, the envy of millions of Japanese men

Yuzu: Koji Iwasawa (back) and Yuji Kitagawa (front)

However, Ayapan herself denies this on her blog. According to insider information there are several reasons why “the princess of Fuji TV” cannot tie the knot just yet. First off, Yuji’s family used to be devotees of the Japanese religion “Gedatsukai”. Since leaving the cultish church his mother Keiko established her own religion named “Kamunagara no Michi” and appointed herself the leader. Keiko Kitagawa has already proclaimed that when a woman marries her son, she should be a full time housewife who focuses on raising kids and taking care of the family. But it’s presumed that Aya would like to continue working.

The Princess of Fuji TV isn’t about to go down quietly following her possible future mother-in-law’s wishes

Secondly, the 29 year old Aya Takashima is considered the crown jewel at Fuji TV, excelling at presenting new programs as well as variety shows. Fuji TV does have other younger “announcers” such as Minako Nakano, Midori Matsuo, Rio Hirai and Tomoko Honda, but they all either lack the experience and ability that Aya possesses or are prone to scandals. So for the time being Fuji TV must rely on “Ayapan” to maintain good ratings.

Aya Takashima with the darling of Fuji TV, Minako Nakano (left)

And then there’s also the money factor. Keep in mind that it is customary in Japan for a female TV newscaster / announcer to voluntarily “retire” once she announces her marriage. You may return to active duty at a later time, but most likely under the status of a freelance announcer. (Japanese TV stations like to stock their “ana” young, fresh and single) It has been estimated that if Aya Takashima were to turn freelance she wouldn’t make much more than what she is getting paid now, which is around $200,000.

We’ll see how this plays out…