Japan’s ‘gigolo’ turns influencer with three wives and 11 children now earns over RM35,000 monthly, considering ‘double life in Malaysia and Hokkaido’

TOKYO, Feb 8 — A Japanese man who previously relied on his wives for financial support now earns ¥1.25 million (RM35,520) a month as an online influencer.

Ryuta Watanabe, 36, gained media attention last October for his polygamous lifestyle in Hokkaido, Japan, where he lived with three wives, four children — including twins on the way — three pet dogs and two lizards, according to South China Morning Post (SCMP).

“I was born to be a gigolo,” Watanabe said, adding that he once dated up to 16 women at the same time and dreamed of fathering the most children in Japan.

Japan does not permit polygamy, so his wives are legally unregistered partners.

He also has a fourth wife who lives separately and was in an on-and-off relationship with him, along with seven other children from past relationships.

For years, his wives covered all household expenses, and Watanabe openly identified as a himo otoko, a term for an able-bodied man financially dependent on women.

In February 2024, he launched personal social media accounts and began earning an income from his content.

Watanabe assigned each of his three wives to manage a separate account, filming their daily life to document their polygamous household.

He recently interviewed applicants for a potential fifth wife.

He also established a company in May and planned to expand his business by selling clothes and hair care products.

Watanabe, who dropped out of secondary school, previously worked in more than 20 part-time jobs, including as a mover, cleaner, waiter and male host, but none lasted more than a month.

He claimed to have sex more than 28 times a week and said he never masturbated to avoid “wasting his sperm.”

He expressed interest in donating to a sperm bank to fulfil his goal of having 54 children, surpassing Japanese shogun Tokugawa Ienari, who had 53 children with 27 concubines.

His lifestyle has sparked online debate in Japan.

“What he does looks nothing different from a cult religion, and it scares me,” one commenter wrote.

“I worry about their children’s wellbeing, especially when they grow up and face criticism and even bullying from people who find their family strange,” another said.

A third commenter questioned whether Watanabe could be an option for women who do not want marriage but want children.

Watanabe visited Malaysia last September and shared an Instagram post of him and one of his wives posing at Batu Caves.

In another post, he wrote about considering migration to Malaysia, adding, “Thinking about living a double life in Malaysia and Hokkaido.”