Kanye West continues to shun America in favor of a new life in Japan with wife Bianca Censori, and he’s looking into the practicalities of making it his full-time base and formally throwing the towel in on his life in the U.S., a source exclusively tells In Touch. 

The 47-year-old musician has come under fire in recent years for outrageous statements and allegedly abusive behavior. While that may present some social obstacles in Los Angeles or New York City, the insider says, “Things are just so much easier for Kanye in Japan,” as “he doesn’t get hassled and he can be himself.” 

Kanye has spent the last six months traveling with Bianca, 30, frequently popping up in Tokyo. “He’s made great connections, and he adores the culture, being there gives him a lot of peace.” the insider adds. 

The rapper was recently spotted linking back up with kids Saint, Chicago, and Psalm as he took them to a 7-Eleven in Tokyo, though it wasn’t clear if his oldest daughter with ex-wife Kim Kardashian, North, was in Japan visiting him with her siblings. “He’s still able to see his kids and he loves being able to expose them to a different way of life outside their bubble of L.A., so he sees nothing wrong with making his permanent home so far away, if anything he thinks it’s good for them to have a different perspective,” the source adds. 

“Fact is he just doesn’t have the passion for America that he used to have, he feels like he’s constantly harassed when he’s there, whether it’s by people looking to sue him, or just tear him down for the hell of it.”

There has been speculation that Kanye is avoiding the U.S. to avoid getting dragged into the Sean “Diddy” Combs mess. He hasn’t been named in any allegations against Combs, 55, but a different source told DailyMail that Kanye is concerned he could be walking into a similar media nightmare because of sexual assault allegations that were made against him by his former assistant, Lauren Pisciotta. She accused him of wrongful termination in June 2024, but then updated her complaint against him to include an incident that took place during a studio session hosted by Combs and Kanye.

Kanye has denied the accusations, but that insider told the outlet, “With all this stuff with Diddy, Kanye is terrified.” As other accusations he’s avoiding the U.S. because he’s a deadbeat dad fall flat as his children join him in Japan, the insider added, “Kanye’s reasoning for not being [in America] has nothing to do with his children and has everything to do with the multiple lawsuits that he is facing in the States.”

The first insider notes, “He did promise Kim that he’d move back to L.A., but now he’s saying he’s changed his mind and wants to make Japan his home base. Kanye changes his mind a lot, so anything is possible but at the moment he’s all in with the Japan idea and says Kim will just have to accept it.”