Ryuta Watanabe, 36, is in relationships with multiple women with whom he has fathered 10 children, and lives with two of them as part of a bizarre marriage arrangement
A Japanese man who claims to have four wives and two girlfriends has said he wants to father 54 children and become the “god of marriage”.
Ryuta Watanabe, 36, who lives in Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido, mooches off the salary of his wives and girlfriends and has not worked for the past 10 years. Polygamy is illegal in Japan, meaning that a person cannot legally marry multiple people at the same time.
Instead, Watanabe’s ‘wives’ are recognised as partners in the eyes of the law, based on long-term cohabitation. Watanabe has already fathered 10 children, and lives with two of them, as well as three of his ‘wive’.
While his partners are out earning money, Watanabe acts as a house husband by cooking, doing housework and taking care of the children. His partners split the 914,000 yen (£4,676) worth of monthly expenses.
Watanabe has a fourth wife, but the 24-year-old is estranged. According to the South China Morning Post, Watanabe met with two of his girlfriends on social media.
He started to date multiple women via dating apps after he found himself living on welfare, following being dumped by his girlfriend six years ago. Earlier this year, he told TV show Abema Prime: “I just love women. As long as we love each other equally, there won’t be any problems.”
As part of the bizarre living arrangements, Watanabe said he sleeps with a different “wife” each night. He also bragged about having sex more than 28 times a week and that his partners do not get jealous.
He has stated his goal is to break the record for most children fathered in the country, becoming a so-called god of marriage.
Watanabe said: “I want to have 54 children so my name will go down in history. I’m still looking for new wives.” While some people have accepted Watanabe and his partners’ lifestyle, people have taken to social media to voice their criticism of the arrangement.
One person commenting on YouTube said: “His kids will never be able to have a close relationship with their father because there are just too many of them.”
It is understood Tokugawa Ienari, a ruler of Japan who died in 1841 holds the odd record of most fathered children. He is believed to have fathered some 53 children with 27 concubines during his reign.
