Kazuhiro Kiyohara Turns 59: Ex-Wife Aki Marks the Day with a Family Photo Cake

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Model Aki shared on Instagram that she celebrated the 59th birthday of her ex-husband, former pro baseball star Kazuhiro Kiyohara, with a cake decorated with family photos. Her caption — “I’ll be by your side for the year leading up to your kanreki (a traditional 60th-birthday milestone in Japan)” — set off a flurry of theories on 5ch (a major Japanese anonymous forum), ranging from “she’s just too embarrassed to explain” to talk of a “fake divorce.” Commenters also weighed in on Kiyohara’s character and on Aki’s current career.

Kazuhiro Kiyohara’s 59th Birthday… Ex-Wife Aki: “I’ll Be By Your Side for the Year Until Your Kanreki…” — Prepares Cake with Family Photos to Celebrate

On August 18, 2026, model Aki (57) updated her Instagram Stories to mark her ex-husband Kazuhiro Kiyohara’s 59th birthday, sharing family photos in the process.

■ “I’ll Be By Your Side for the Year Until Your Kanreki…”

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article

2Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:11:07.32ID:Y2uxwsHs0
What does 'by your side' even mean? Are they remarrying?
32Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:26:36.61ID:mqbCXMnb0
>>2
I genuinely have no idea.
Can't even guess.
123Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 23:21:12.01ID:8oFdtbwL0
>>2
They've probably gone full 'just friends.'
Doesn't work as a married couple, but plenty of exes get along great once they're just friends.
154Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 23:55:30.84ID:DtTa9nF20
>>2
It was basically a fake divorce all along.
Guess they've given up hiding it now.
10Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:14:21.92ID:xUiWADrO0
Say what you want about Kiyohara, but he's so relatably flawed that people end up loving him anyway.
15Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:16:41.11ID:JIqh42pd0
>>10
If you put him on a hero pedestal you'll be seriously let down by his character.
But if you just think of him as a 'big kid' and watch over him, he somehow comes off endearing.
55Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:33:26.41ID:XYCT2vhJ0
>>10
I'm a bit younger than his generation and I can't stand him.
Low batting average at Seibu (his first pro team) yet full of himself anyway, then at the Giants he didn't even take the game seriously and put his energy into bullying teammates instead.
Zero good impressions of the guy from me.
23Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:22:31.64ID:4lH7EgaY0
What's the actual meaning behind 'until his kanreki,' I wonder.
53Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:31:55.72ID:xUiWADrO0
>>23
Isn't it just her covering embarrassment?
She hasn't remarried anyone either —
I'd guess out of sheer kindness she'll just stay close to him till the end.
95Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:53:02.30ID:4lH7EgaY0
>>23
Maybe so.
But I can't help suspecting something like: their eldest son is set to marry next year, and once that's wrapped up, it's a clean goodbye.
28Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:25:08.26ID:i9AwIMjC0
She can't get by without Kiyohara's money either, you know.
34Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:27:17.43ID:UbL2gwND0
>>28
Why would you say that lol
Aki's all over TV these days.
51Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:31:06.54ID:vPY1dKr30
>>28
If anything, his ex-wife earns more than him now.
112Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 23:08:24.10ID:VchoA7gJ0
>>28
You see her constantly in fashion spreads aimed at middle-aged women — the whole 'Aki wears such-and-such' genre.
I'd say she's one of the more in-demand models in her age bracket.
36Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:27:32.99ID:bKm1XuhD0
Didn't she keep the Kiyohara surname even after the divorce?
They still seem to be in touch too — it's a strange relationship somehow.
80Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:47:06.96ID:hHY2Ww0c0
>>36
That's probably just Aki's sense of loyalty/generosity.
The kids love Kiyohara too, so I guess this setup feels natural for everyone at this point.
129Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 23:26:10.71ID:XbP7xHyr0
>>36
He was arrested over shabu (Japanese slang for methamphetamine), so I think she wanted the divorce to send the message 'we have nothing to do with Kiyohara.'
Their kids were enrolled at Keio (a prestigious private school system), so my guess is staying enrolled required the divorce.
48Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:29:58.80ID:vPY1dKr30
What a big-hearted ex-wife.
I wonder if he treated her really well back at the start.
57Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:33:40.03ID:aysgkFwh0
>>48
Apparently he had his wife's parents, who needed nursing care, moved in nearby.
She's said she's grateful she got to care for them with no regrets right up until they passed.
50Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:31:05.06ID:TI+ih+Uj0
159Anonymous2026/08/21(Fri) 00:15:53.61ID:MEsn/XDN0
>>50
For someone in his mid-fifties, that's actually holding up well.
66Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:38:35.64ID:JpiKTkbx0
In Kiyo's case he's probably dealing with depression too —
his mental state just isn't stable.
That's exactly why his ex-wife and the whole family keep an eye on him.
68Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:39:16.31ID:PIFhFfPc0
>>66
If it's a side effect of antidepressants, that would explain a lot.
75Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:42:29.12ID:L+GucigF0
>>66
I think he's still seeing a doctor for it now —
heard it straight from Kiyohara himself in some interview.
81Anonymous2026/08/20(Thu) 22:48:12.73ID:6ohSDxaq0

This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Sports & Entertainment Express+) thread “[Baseball] Kazuhiro Kiyohara’s 59th Birthday… Ex-Wife Aki: ‘I’ll Be By Your Side for the Year Until Your Kanreki…’ — Prepares Cake with Family Photos to Celebrate.”

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