[2006] Tomoya Nagase's father about Ayu & Tomoya

[Tasked]

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/waiwai...dm020000c.html

Dad says no end in sight for 5-year Ayu-Nagase love saga
Japanese showbiz's longest-running "on-again, off-again" love match has been given renewed vigor after pop diva Ayumi Hamasaki and her full-time beau Tomoya Nagase arrived back in Japan from an overseas trip all lovey-dovey and holding hands, according to Shukan Josei (10/24).

The couple's affectionate return from a quick jaunt to L.A. came amid widespread speculation that they were about to split after a relationship whose public side spans half a decade and, in private, has probably been going even longer.

"They're always lovey-dovey," Nagase's taxi driver father tells a Shukan Josei hack, who has paid him a fare that also gets her an exclusive interview.
It's been five years since Hamasaki and Nagase publicly declared they were a pair. Recent reports, however, have claimed the contrary, so the tender return -- given widespread coverage in the tabloid media -- is something of a triumphant one for the lovers.

Nagase's dad says the two stars certainly appear headed for the aisle, but the fact they haven't made it yet after dating for so long has stoked the embers of speculation about a split. The elder Nagase, though, dismisses all talk of a breakup.
"Even the tiniest thing happening around them is turned into something huge. There was all that stuff about the foreigner and how she was going to go off and live overseas," the cabby tells Shukan Josei, referring to rumors that Hamasaki had received an engagement ring from the son of a world-famous designer and that her affair with Nagase was finished. Hamasaki has since totally distanced herself from the alleged foreign suitor, which has in turn worked in Nagase's favor.

"He's not the type to care much about the paparazzi. But Ayu is more worried about the media. When reporters come along, she'll tell him to lay off on the touchy feely stuff," Nagase's father says. "And, don't forget, they are going out together."

Nagase's father says he wouldn't mind seeing his son and Hamasaki tying the knot pretty soon, especially as they're both getting close to 30 (Ayu is 28 and her man a year younger) and have been dating for five years. And he dismisses the idea that they're headed in separate directions.
"Tomoya loves her and if they want to be together, then everybody around them should want that, too," Nagase's father says. "There's absolutely no reason why they should split up."

The cabby says he is really proud of his son.

"He's a great bloke and I'm not just saying that because he's my son," the cabby tells Shukan Josei. "And he told me that when he falls in love with someone, he stays in love with that person for the rest of his life." (By Ryann Connell)

credits: halkun @ AHO