Dewi Sukarno
Dewi Sukarno (デヴィ・スカルノ Devi Sukaruno), born Naoko Nemoto (根本七保子, Nemoto Naoko, born February 6, 1940), is a Japanese socialite and the last of the three wives of former Indonesian leader Sukarno.
Biography
Dewi met the 57-year-old Sukarno when she was 19, when the then-Indonesian president was on a state visit to Japan. Prior to becoming Sukarno's third wife, she was an art student and entertainer. There were rumors of her having worked as a geisha, but she has repeatedly denied this). She had one daughter, Kartika, with Sukarno. [1] Sukarno was overthrown by Gen. Suharto in a 1967 coup, and died three years later.
Madame Dewi, who moved to Europe after Sukarno's ouster, has lived in many different countries, including Switzerland, France, and the United States. She currently resides in Tokyo, where she lives in a spacious, four-storey, memorabilia-filled residence in the Shibuya district [2].
Dewi is known for her outspoken personality. She is often referred to as Dewi Fūjin (デヴィ夫人 Devi Fūjin, literally "Mrs. Dewi" or "Madame Dewi"). Her full name is Ratna Sari Dewi Sukarno (ラトナ・サリ・デヴィ・スカルノ Ratona Sari Devi Sukaruno), but she is commonly referred to simply as "Madame Dewi". She made appearances in the news media after the January 2008 death of her husband's successor Suharto, blaming him for instituting a repressive regime and likening him to Cambodian despot Pol Pot [3]
She currently runs her own jewelry and cosmetics businesses, and is active in charity fundraising. She makes occasional appearances on Japanese TV shows, and has served as a judge for beauty contests, such as the 2005 Miss International pageant held in Tokyo.
Controversies
Dewi has had her fair share of controversies over the years. In 1994, she posed for a book of photographs that was published in her native Japan, where some of the images featured her partially naked, and others showed what appeared to be tattoo-like body art. The book, while not distributed in Indonesia, was immediately banned, with many Indonesians feeling offended by what was perceived to be the besmirching of the Sukarno name and legacy.
In January of 1992, Dewi was involved in a much-publicized altercation in a party in Aspen, Colorado with fellow international socialite and heiress Minnie Osmena, daughter of a former president of the Philippines. Tensions already existed between the two, beginning with an exchange at another party several months before, where Dewi was heard to laugh when Ms. Osmena declared her political plans, among which was the desire to run for the office of Philippine vice president. The Aspen spat, reportedly triggered by an allusion made by Minnie Osmena to Dewi's supposedly checkered past, culminated in Dewi hitting Ms. Osmena in the face with a wine glass, leaving a gash that needed 37 stitches to repair [4]. Dewi was jailed for disorderly conduct after the incident.
Appearances in Pop Culture
In Nerima Daikon Brothers the character Yukika Karakuri/Deb Sukarno/"Lady Deb" is a parody of Dewi Sukarno.
References
External links
- Dewi Sukarno, JapanZone