Japanese multi-talent Shōko Nakagawa (popularly known as “Shokotan”) announced on Saturday that she is expecting twin boys. Nakagawa made the announcement in an X (formerly Twitter) post fetauring an exclusive interview she had with Japanese fashion magazine Numéro Tokyo. In her interview, she spoke about her expected twins, fertility treatments, and her worries.
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In her interview, Nakagawa noted that after her father passed away when she was young, her family was primarily made up of women. Saying, “Being from a family of women, I somehow assumed [the twins] would be girls and was thinking of dressing them up in [Disney’s] Rapunzel dresses. But they turned out to be boys (laughs).”
Nakagawa also spoke on her path towards motherhood and the difficulties she encountered. She stated that she chose to freeze several of her egg cells in her 30s. After her marriage, she and her husband went through fertility treatments to become parents. However, she experienced two miscarriages.
“I had a miscarriage after the fifth week.” Nakagawa described her first attempt at parenthood. “Even though the embryo took hold, I had a second chemical miscarriage around the fifth to sixth week, which caused me immense grief. Even so, I continued to work as usual. But I was overwhelmed with anxiety, wondering what I would do if it happened again.”
Nakagawa publicly announced her pregnancy on May 5, her birthday. She said, “To be honest, I was really scared to announce my pregnancy.” She continued, “But the people who came were so kind. There were times during the performance when I sat down, and the fans said, ‘We’re adults too, so we’re happy to be able to watch you while you’re sitting down,’ which made me feel really happy.”
Nakagawa (also known as “Shokotan”) is best known as a singer after performing theme songs for such anime as Gurren Lagann, Star Blazers 2199, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood, Punch Line, and numerous Pokémon films. She has also guest-starred in numerous Pokémon installments and hosted the weekly children’s variety show Pokémon no Uchi Atsumaru? (Meet Up at the Pokémon House?) from October 2015 to March 2022. Her voice roles include Diana in Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Crystal, Athena/Saori in Saint Seiya Omega, and the Oracle Fish in Dragon Ball Super.
Sources: Shōko Nakagawa‘s X/Twitter account, Numéro Tokyo