Note: When the media in Japan anonymously address a celebrity, an idol, a victim, or a person, they refer to them as A子 (A-ko) or B子 (B-ko). I’ve preserved that in this news article for the sake of simplicity. All images are taken from the Weekly Bunshun article, which I paid for access to in order to translate this (don’t slap me with a DMCA, please!) 

Legendary Voice Actor Toru Furuya (70) Caught in Detective Conan Affair Scandal! 

A Four-and-a-Half Year Affair with a Fan 37 Years His Junior. Police Called for Assault, with Pregnancy and Abortion Revelations. The Former Lover Speaks Out as He Faces the Consequences

“Whenever I see innocent children on the street, I’m reminded of that day. It pains me to see him surrounded by fans, acting as if nothing happened. I decided to come forward in hopes that he never repeats the same mistake,” A-ko confesses. She had been in a long-term affair with voice actor Toru Furuya (70) until last year.

“He told me, ‘I won’t lie or betray you.’ He accepted my selfishness, and I believed I accepted his as well. But looking back now, I wonder how much of it was really heartfelt…”

Born in Yokohama in 1953, Toru Furuya joined the Himawari Theatre Group at age 7, officially launching his career spanning over 60 years. At 15, he voiced Hyuma Hoshi in Star of the Giants, and in his 20s, he landed the defining role of Amuro Ray in Mobile Suit Gundam. An anime industry insider comments:

“Furuya’s fresh voice and delicate performance matched the innovative hero archetype of a ‘protagonist hesitant to fight.’ He became a representative voice actor for Japan and was invited to anime events in Europe, America, and the Middle East.”

Furuya continued to voice iconic characters such as Pegasus Seiya in Saint Seiya, Tuxedo Mask in Sailor Moon, and Yamcha in Dragonball, cementing his status as a “legendary voice actor.”

In his private life, Furuya married fellow voice actress Mami Koyama in 1976, divorcing in 1983. He remarried voice actress (at the time) Satomi Majima in 1985, and they had a daughter in 1992.

His role as Tooru Amuro in Detective Conan in 2012 propelled his popularity to even greater heights. Furuya himself stated, “This might be the character that made me break out the most in my voice acting career” (Women’s Seven, August 23-30, 2018 issue).

Amuro’s “triple-faced” role as a Public Security Bureau officer, a member of an enemy organization, and a part-time café worker captivated many women with his mysterious charm.

In the Detective Conan: Zero the Enforcer film (2018), where Amuro played a central role, some passionate female fans watched the movie over 100 times, rallying behind the slogan “Make Amuro the 10 Billion Yen Man” (in box office revenue).

“Amuro transformed Conan from a children’s anime into something adults could enjoy. Furuya can be credited as a key figure in the recent Conan boom,” the anime insider adds.

At the time, Furuya remarked, “I haven’t played many villains, so I have a longing for them. Don’t you often find women who fall for bad guys? Basically, I just want to be popular (laughs)” (ORICON NEWS, April 13, 2018).

Furuya became a “Newtype” voice actor, reaching the peak of his popularity after turning 60.

It was through Conan that Furuya met A-ko, who we mentioned at the beginning. She is 33, a staggering 37 years younger than Furuya, and just a year apart from his daughter. She recounts:

“As an anime fan, I knew of Furuya’s name, but I became a fan after hearing his voice as Tooru Amuro in the 2016 film Detective Conan: The Darkest Nightmare.”

Around 2017, she participated in an event where Furuya interacted closely with fans.

“It involved hugging, cuddling, and other close interactions, which made me fall for him even harder. Before I knew it, I had gone to see Zero the Enforcer 45 times, moved to tears by his performance,” she adds.

“I Can’t Produce Sperm”

For days, her interactions with Toru Furuya were limited to the one-sided action of sending fan letters and gifts to his agency. That all changed on New Year’s Day 2019 when a text message from an unknown number arrived.

〈This is Toru Furuya♪ Sorry for the sudden text!〉

A-ko’s heart soared, and who could blame her?

“At first, I thought it might be a scam, but as we exchanged messages, I realized it was really him. I couldn’t believe it,” she says.

Their first face-to-face meeting was a month later, in February 2019, at a restaurant in Tokyo.

“I was nervous, but I managed to strike up a conversation about his various works. He came across as a true gentleman,” she adds.

After their meal, they found themselves in a karaoke booth, where Furuya’s enchanting voice filled the air with Mariya Takeuchi’s “Eki.”

The following March, Furuya was staying at a hotel in Kochi City for an anime and manga-related event. A-ko, who had come to the city to attend the event as a general audience member, was invited to Furuya’s hotel room.

It was already past midnight, but she headed to the hotel where he was staying.

“The moment I stepped into the room, he pushed me onto the bed with a force I hadn’t expected. There was no buildup, no romance. It was so abrupt. As he grew more aroused, he tried to enter me without protection. I pleaded, ‘Wait, please,’ but he brushed it off, saying, ‘It’s okay, it’s okay,'” she recounts.

She tried to stop him again, but he explained, “I can’t produce sperm. My wife and I tried fertility treatments for about 7 years. Even if I finish inside you, there’s absolutely no chance you’ll get pregnant.”

As mentioned earlier, Furuya does have a daughter, but…

A-ko reflects, “Even though he said that I was still anxious about getting pregnant. But he was my idol, someone I admired deeply. The thought that he might be lying never crossed my mind. In the end, we had unprotected sex that night,” she admits.

From that one passionate encounter, their relationship intensified at a dizzying pace. Furuya made numerous visits to her home, squeezing in time between his hectic schedule.

A constant source of tension between them was the undeniable fact that he was a married man.

〈I desperately want to be with you, but I don’t think it’s possible. I’m so sorry〉
〈I’ll have to give up the roles I’m currently playing〉
〈It would cause problems for so many people〉
〈I love you, A-ko, and I don’t want to break up, but you probably can’t forgive me〉

Furuya, juggling his roles as a voice actor, family man, and her lover, often sent her skillfully crafted LINE messages.

“Age difference be damned, I had fallen head over heels for him as a man. But he always maintained that he ‘can’t get divorced,'” she says.

September 2020 marked a turning point when an “incident” occurred at Furuya’s villa in the Kanto region.

“That day, too, we got into a heated argument about our relationship. And then, he snapped,” she recounts.

“Enough is enough, you bitch!”

In a fit of rage, Furuya allegedly struck her face several times. Blood gushed from her nose, staining the futon where they had lain moments before.

“I scrambled for my phone and locked myself in the bathroom, frantically dialing 110,” she says.

“Help me, please!”

Her desperate screams filled the air. The next instant, Furuya forced open the bathroom door, snatched her phone, and powered it off.

When A-ko’s Pregnancy Was Discovered

Furuya refused to return the phone, leaving A-ko no choice but to flee the villa. He chased after her, dropping to his knees on the street, begging for forgiveness.

“I’m so sorry!”

Upon hearing his apology, the two retreated to the villa. However, when A-ko turned on her phone, she found several missed calls from the local police.

“In the end, four or five officers showed up at the villa. I was the one questioned at the entrance, while Furuya hid in a back room the entire time,” she says.

Later, A-ko confronted Furuya over the phone about his violent outburst.

A-ko: “Hitting me was wrong, wasn’t it?”
Furuya: “I’ll be honest, I completely lost my temper.”
A-ko: “And in the face, at that.”
Furuya: “Of course, I feel just awful about that.”

Despite the turbulent episodes, their relationship persisted.

Furuya even sought A-ko’s guidance for an apparel brand he was developing.

Moreover, he wielded his ultimate weapon without restraint. He professed his love to A-ko using the voices of beloved characters, including Tooru Amuro, the very role that brought them together.

“You’re my lover.”

He whispered a variation of Amuro’s iconic line, “My lover, is this country,” replacing “this country” with her name, his voice dripping with affection.

The greatest challenge to their relationship emerged in March 2021 when A-ko discovered she was pregnant.

A-ko tearfully recalls that time.

“It was my first pregnancy. Yet he casually sent a LINE message saying, ‘I’m sorry! I should have been more careful’. When I called him, the first words out of his mouth were, ‘I want you to get an abortion’… I wanted him to consider my feelings first. No matter how much we discussed it, he stubbornly insisted, ‘I want you to abort it.'”

Furuya’s words tore A-ko’s heart to shreds.

“Is it really mine?”
“That can’t be called a yet life.”

A-ko yielded to Furuya’s wishes and chose to terminate the pregnancy. However, Furuya allegedly refused to sign the consent form required by the hospital.

“When he refused to sign, he justified it by saying, ‘It’s so I can continue my relationship with you.’ I persuaded him and had him sign a memorandum after the surgery, separate from the one submitted to the hospital beforehand.” A-ko says.

Following the abortion, a period of radio silence ensued, but eventually, they rekindled their affair.

They went to see the Conan and ONE PIECE movies that Furuya appeared in, and even went on a “pilgrimage” visiting locations from the works.

The breakup came abruptly last September at the airport, as they returned from an event in Hokkaido where Furuya had performed, accompanied by A-ko.

“Once again, we got into a heated argument about our future. Both of our tempers flared, even with other passengers around. He was angrier than I’d ever seen him. He brought up the abortion, saying, ‘I signed the consent form, didn’t I?!’ and ‘You knew I was married when you got involved with me.’ I couldn’t help but wonder if those were his true feelings. I was overwhelmed with a sense of frustration and betrayal,” she recalls.

Then, Furuya said, “It’s well and truly over now,” and left.

“I haven’t directly contacted him since then. Looking back, he said such cruel things to me on countless occasions. Things like, ‘I haven’t been intimate with my wife in decades, so being with you isn’t cheating.’ He did terrible things, but there were also moments of genuine happiness. Even now, my feelings are a tangled mess,” A-ko says.

When we requested an interview with Furuya to verify the facts, he agreed to meet.

In a room at his designated agency, a somber Furuya awaited us. His eyes were red and swollen, and he seemed to be fighting back tears.

――Is it true that you were in an affair with A-ko for four and a half years?

“Yes, it’s true. There’s no denying it.”

――There’s a 37-year age difference between you and her, making her the same age as your daughter.

“I was completely caught up in the idea of being with a young, attractive woman. I let myself get carried away.”

――Did you have genuine feelings for her?

“Of course I did.”

――Did you really use the voice of Amuro to appeal to her, who is a fan?

“Ah… It might have happened. My memory isn’t what it used to be, so if she says it happened, it likely did. I deeply regret it. It was an act that tarnished the character, and I’m truly sorry for that.”

――In March 2019, during your first intimate encounter, did you not use protection?

“Honestly, I don’t remember. I apologize for that.”

――Did you think there would be no consequences even without protection?

“Years ago, when I got checked at the hospital, I was told that ‘there’s no possibility of pregnancy through normal intercourse.'”

“I’ll likely need care myself soon.”

――Is it true that you were violent towards her at your villa?

“It’s true. But it wasn’t with a fist; it was with an open hand. I hit her two or three times. During our fight, she started saying she was going to ‘leave’… I panicked. I lost control and lashed out.”

――You took her phone?

“I panicked, thinking if this turned into a police matter and everything got out, it would be the end. The cops did come, but they considered it a lovers’ quarrel and left it at that.”

――Were you ever hit by her?

“No, she never did.”

――In March 2021, when she became pregnant, did you say you “wanted her to have an abortion”?

“Yes, that’s true.”

――Did you also ask, “Is it really mine?”

“I may have said something to that effect. I had my doubts, but I still accompanied her to the hospital and paid for the procedure and a form of compensation.”

――You also said, “That can’t even be called a life yet”?

“She was about 5 weeks along at the time, and that was my thinking back then. But I said it intending to console her, as she was struggling with the situation.”

――Were you trying to avoid taking responsibility?

“No, I recognized it was my responsibility.”

――You initially refused to consent to the abortion procedure?

“I was told a consent form wasn’t necessary. After she had the abortion, I signed and stamped a memorandum, separate from the official form.”

――Did you ever consider marrying her?

“I always made it clear to her that it was absolutely out of the question. I’m turning 71, and I’ll likely need care myself soon. I knew marrying her would never lead to her happiness.”

――Did sex play a big role in your relationship?

“Yes. Being with her made me feel like I was still a man, that I still had it in me.”

――Does your family know about the affair?

“I told them everything (before this interview). My wife said I was foolish and shortsighted and that we’ll have to live with this shame. It seems she told our daughter, who apparently said, ‘I’m on dad’s side.'”

――Is everything you’ve said here the truth?

“Yes, without a doubt. I’m completely at fault, and resorting to violence was despicable, the lowest thing a person can do. I’m genuinely sorry. I’m ready to accept any repercussions that come my way, even if it means losing everything because of this.”

Just as Conan says, “There is always only one truth.”.
(Note: Furuya doesn’t say this last line. It’s how the author closed out the article)