Interest
Voice Actress Minori Chihara Responds to Accusations of Adultery
posted on by Kim Morrissy
The Weekly Flash magazine reported speculations on Tuesday that the anime voice actress and singer Minori Chihara is currently having an adulterous affair with a married man outside the entertainment industry. The magazine also reported that Chihara was previously in a six-year relationship with the violinist Kōichirō Muraya, who was married at the time. Muraya admitted to having an affair with Chihara but claimed that they broke off the relationship in 2016 and that they are currently just friends.
Chihara responded to the article in a blog post also published on Tuesday. She wrote that while the details about her relationship with Muraya were "more or less true" and that she deeply regrets the actions she took back then, she is not currently seeing a married man. Although the magazine photographed her leaving her house and shopping at a 100 yen store with a "new man," she claimed that their relationship is that of good friends. She wrote that her house is "half- workspace" and so she tends to invite people to stay over without much consideration for gender, which has caused a misunderstanding. She said that going forward she will conduct herself more prudently so as not to invite misunderstandings.
"I'm deeply sorry that my private matters have caused you all great consternation and confusion during these difficult times," she wrote. "I understand that it may be impossible to forgive me for all the unfathomable hurt I've inflicted on others in the past and will inflict on others in the future... Once again, I must extend my deepest apologies to all the fans who have supported me, all the people who are close to me, and of course all the family that has gotten wrapped up in this incident."
Chihara is best known for playing Yuki Nagato in The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and Chiaki Minami in Minami-ke. She has also performed theme songs for The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, Beyond the Boundary, Violet Evergarden, and Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet, among many others.
Sources: Weekly Flash May 26 print issue, online article, Minori Chihara's blog
