Two Yoshimoto Kogyo comedians have announced that they are getting married. Kenichi Chujo (44) and Kumiko Akita (34) held a press conference in Osaka on Wednesday, stating that they plan to tie the knot at the start of the new year, with a ceremony to follow in the spring.

The couple began dating a little over four years ago,　though Akita surprisingly revealed that she greatly disliked Chujo at first. She said her opinion of him began to change after she learned that he was friends with major league baseball star Ichiro.

Chujo, a member of the Yoshimoto Shinkigeki troupe since 1992, has become fairly well known for his "eyebrowless yakuza" character. Akita joined the same troupe in 1997.