TOKYO (TR) – While former gravure idol Leah Dizon recently delighted fans with a social media update from the U.S., her ex-husband is facing a much bleaker reality in Japan: a prison sentence for a multi-million-yen investment scam, reports the site for Josei Jishin (Oct. 21).
On October 20, Dizon posted a rare update to her Instagram Stories, sharing a photo of herself in glasses and a casual sweatshirt, a rare glimpse into the private life of the woman who once took Japan’s gravure world by storm.
In March, a court handed Fumihiro Miyoshi, a former celebrity stylist who operated under the name BUN, was handed the six-year term after being found guilty of swindling three individuals out of 281 million yen.
Miyoshi was arrested in January of last year for peddling fictitious investment opportunities centered around the sale of celebrity merchandise. During his trial, prosecutors sought an eight-year sentence. Miyoshi partially denied the charges, alleging that a mediator had provided false testimony, but the court ultimately convicted him of fraud.
“Black Ship”
The conviction marks a sharp fall from grace for the man who famously married Dizon in 2008. Dizon, an American who was known as the “Black Ship of Gravure,” sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry when she announced her sudden marriage and pregnancy at the height of her popularity.
The marriage, however, was short-lived, ending in a “speed divorce” in 2010.
According to entertainment sources, the couple’s split was marred by severe financial disputes. Following the divorce, Miyoshi remained in their condominium. He reportedly agreed to repay Dizon tens of millions of yen that she had personally fronted for the property’s down payment. But as Miyoshi’s business contacts went bankrupt, his payments to his ex-wife completely stalled.
Different path
While her ex-husband’s financial troubles spiraled into major fraud, the 40-year-old Dizon has forged a completely different path.
After returning to the U.S. as a single mother, she left the entertainment world behind and pivoted to academia, graduating at the top of her class from Nevada State University’s developmental psychology department in 2019. Supported by academic funding, she successfully balanced raising her daughter with her graduate research.
Sources note that she continues to focus on her life as a researcher and mother, having long moved past the drama of her Japanese showbiz days and her disgraced former husband.