Japanese comedy duo Katsumi ♥ Sayuri, who are celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary this year, now have a concrete timeline for paying off debt that once topped 1.2 billion yen (roughly $8 million), according to a report by Shueisha Online. The update, shared via a Yahoo! News Topics post, quickly spread online after fans reacted to just how far into the future that payoff date lies.
Per the report, the debt stemmed from two sources: about 200 million yen tied to Katsumi’s own failed investments and business ventures, and a far larger sum, roughly 1 billion yen, that fell on the couple after Katsumi’s late father, who had co-signed loans as a guarantor for a company, saw that company collapse. Katsumi was left responsible for the guarantor debt.
The report notes a small but symbolic sign of the couple’s improving financial standing: Katsumi said that for the first time in his life, one of his credit card applications was approved. At their current repayment pace, the two are projected to be debt-free when Sayuri is 81 and Katsumi is 87, a timeline that drew a wave of reactions on social media, with some users joking about the decades-long horizon and others praising the couple’s resilience and positivity in sticking with it rather than giving up.
The report also touched on the couple’s history, noting that Sayuri’s parents initially opposed her marrying Katsumi. According to the report, their opposition eased after the 1995 Great Hanshin earthquake (Hanshin-Awaji Daishinsai), a major disaster that struck the Kansai region, though the report does not detail exactly how the event changed their minds. Alongside the debt news, several social media users also commented on Sayuri’s appearance, remarking that she still looks great despite the long financial struggle.
Who are Katsumi ♥ Sayuri?
Katsumi ♥ Sayuri are a husband-and-wife manzai comedy duo affiliated with major Japanese talent agency Yoshimoto Kogyo. They are best known for their signature catchphrase and gesture, “Boyoyo-n,” which has made them recognizable figures in Japanese television and variety shows for decades. The pair married in the mid-1990s and are marking 30 years together this year. Katsumi’s financial troubles, including the large guarantor debt inherited from his father’s failed company, have been a recurring subject of Japanese entertainment coverage, with the couple often addressing their situation publicly and with humor rather than avoiding the topic.
