Long-time couple Kaname Kawabata (of CHEMISTRY) and Hiroko Anzai have gone their separate ways, it was learned on Thursday. During their six-year relationship, many believed they were headed for marriage, but it appears that work may have come between them. The two seem to have broken up last month, and it was also discovered that Anzai left her management agency around the same time.

Their relationship was first reported in October 2001. Years later, Kawabata bought an apartment in Kanagawa near Anzai's parents' house, and the two began living together. Things appeared to be going well, leading the media to speculate about an eventual wedding.

Trouble apparently began around the start of this year, though details are still unclear. Anzai's management said they knew nothing in particular about the breakup, since she had already left the company. One source, who reportedly knows Kawabata well, explained that the split seems to have resulted from Kawabata's desire to devote himself more to his music.