Japan Entertainment News - May 2007
Fujiwara, Jinnai Hold ¥500 Million Reception | May 31, 2007 |
 The lavish ¥500 million wedding reception for actress Fujiwara Norika (35) and Yoshimoto comedian Jinnai Tomonori (33) was broadcast live on national TV last night. According to the NTV network, it was among the most expensive receptions ever televised. The event was held in the Heian no Ma reception room at the Hotel Okura Kobe and was attended by about 600 guests. As always there was no irony intended as Norika's father walked her in a white dress with an 8m-long veil down the "virgin road". Seeing the dress for the first time, Jinnai said, "She's more beautiful than I ever imagined. 100 times! She looks like something out of this world!" There were videotaped messages from stars including Hollywood actress Cameron Diaz (34), Miyazaki Prefecture governor and former comedian Higashikokubaru Hideo (49) and top Yoshimoto comedy duo Downtown. Singer Go Hiromi (51) had 14 backing dancers for his performance of "Oyome Samba", a popular choice for wedding receptions. Finally, Jinnai surprised his bride with a version of her favorite Kobukuro song, "Eien ni Tomo ni", accompanying himself on the piano. Not a musician, he spent three months secretly learning to play the song. The couple held their wedding ceremony on February 17 at the Ikuta Jinja shrine, also in their hometown of Kobe.
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Sakai Izumi to Have Musical Sendoff | May 30, 2007 |
 Thousands of fans have flocked to the offices of the late singer-songwriter Sakai Izumi to pay their respects and leave flowers. Sakai, who performed solo using the name of her former band Zard, died after a fall at the Keio University hospital at the weekend. Her body was taken yesterday to a funeral hall near her home in the western Tokyo suburb of Machida. Yesterday, more than 1,200 fans came and said their tearful farewells at the Roppongi office of Being, Sakai's management agency, and hundreds more turned up at the Osaka office. They opened from 7:30am to allow office workers to pay their respects on their way to work. Sakai was the most successful female artist of the 1990s and her fans are mostly young adults. This week they cleaned record stores out of copies of the most recent Zard album, a 15th anniversary greatest hits collection released last October. It had dropped out of the Oricon Top 100, but immediately shot back to No.6 on the daily rankings. It was announced yesterday that "Sakai Izumi-san o Shinobukai", a remembrance event, will be held for fans and fellow artists on June 27 at the Aoyama Sougijo funeral hall. Zard hits will be played throughout the event. Her songs, which have inspired and encouraged a generation of young Japanese, will provide a suitably uplifting sendoff.
• Actress Okina Megumi (27) is to retire from show business, according to "Sports Hochi". According to sources, she is simply tired of it and her management agency have admitted that she will quit at the end of this month. Real name Mimasu Takae, the Hiroshima native was scouted while still an elementary school student. She made her TV debut in 1992 at the age of 13 and her first drama leading role four years later won her a best newcomer award. She married an IT entrepreneur in 2004 only to divorce a year later.
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Japanese Dancer is Miss Universe 2007 | May 29, 2007 |
 20-year-old ballet dancer Mori Riyo is the first Japanese to be named as Miss Universe in 48 years. She was selected from 77 contestants at the annual competition in Mexico on Monday. The runners up were from Brazil and Venezuela. Mori is from Shizuoka Prefecture, where she currently works as a jazz instructor at a dance school run by her mother. She has studied dance since she was four, including time studying ballet in Canada. In an indication that the world has fallen for Asian Beauty - a common theme in Japanese advertising these days - Miss Korea Honey Lee was also chosen among the final five contestants. The win by a Japanese entrant is all the more notable since the runner-up in last year's contest was Naha City native Chibana Kurara (25), who has capitalized on her instant fame and now works as a TV news reporter among other things.
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Zard Vocalist Sakai Izumi Dies in Hospital Accident | May 28, 2007 |
 Tragedy hit the J-pop world last weekend when Zard vocalist Sakai Izumi died in a bizarre accident at a hospital where she was undergoing cancer treatment. She was 40. She was first diagnosed with cancer of the womb last year and underwent surgery. She was recently readmitted to the Keio University hospital in Tokyo as the cancer had spread to her lungs. Early on Saturday morning she was returning from a walk in the hospital grounds when she fell from the landing of an external staircase and suffered a severe blow to her head. She received treatment but died of a cerebral contusion on Sunday afternoon. Real name Kamachi Sachiko, the singer, song writer and former race queen formed Zard in 1991 along with fellow members Machida Fumito (guitar), Hoshi Hiroyasu (bass), Michikura Kosuke (drums) and Ikezawa Kimitaka (keyboards). After their debut single, "Goodbye My Loneliness", the band had their breakthrough hit with "Makenaide" in 1993, which was used as the theme tune for the spring high school invitational tournament that year. Though the band dwindled in number until it was just Sakai as a solo artist, she kept the band name and continued to have hits during the 90s, including "Mou Waserenai" and "In My Arms Tonight". She was planning to release a new album this autumn and follow it up with just her second ever concert tour and the first in three years. A prolific artist with over 40 singles released, Zard was the No.1 best-selling female artist of the 90s and third overall.
• TBS revealed today that announcer Toyoda Ayano (30) recently married and is expecting a baby in December. She and her husband, a 38-year-old producer with the network, registered their marriage on May 20. Toyoda, a graduate of Sophia University, is a presenter on the "Evening Five" show.
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Kawase Naomi Takes Cannes Grand Prix | May 27, 2007 |
 Kawase Naomi (37) is the first Japanese in 17 years to take the Grand Prix at Cannes. "Mogari no Mori" (The Mourning Forest) was announced as the runner-up at the 60th Cannes Film Festival on Sunday. "Making film is so tough and resembles life," said a tearful Kawase at the awards ceremony. "There are many difficulties in life. Invisible things, the memory of the deceased... we can stand alone when we find ourselves to be supported by such things. Thank you very much for appreciating the movie." Her latest film is about a man with dementia (Uda Shigeki) living in a small retirement home and a female caregiver (Ono Machiko) who lost her child. Together they wander in a forest seeking his wife's grave. The film was shot in a small town and the mountains near Kawase's hometown of Nara and captures some of the surviving natural beauty of Japan. The festival's top prize, the Palme d'Or, went to the pre-announcement favorite, Romanian film "4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days". Kawase has won at Cannes before - she was the youngest ever director to win the Camera d'Or award for best debut film with "Moe no Suzaku" in 1997. The last Japanese film to win the Grand Prix was Oguri Kouhei's "Shi no Toge" in 1990.
• Veteran comedian Hagimoto Kinichi is to be the oldest ever celebrity to do the 100km run for NTV's annual charity telethon. Having just turned 66, he will be seven years older than lawyer Maruyama Kazuya was when he completed the run in 2005. He told fellow comedian Shimada Shinsuke on a live variety show, "I told them I can't run, but I'd do it anyway. I'll just grit my teeth and run." "Kin-chan", as he is affectionately known, was the first ever emcee for the telethon 30 years ago. These days he is most often seen in his role as manager of the Ibaraki Golden Golds amateur baseball team.
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Fujimoto Miki and the Funny Man | May 25, 2007 |
 The first reported romance for new Morning Musume leader Fujimoto Miki (22) is none other than comedian Shoji Tomoharu (31). "Mikiti" has been spotted several times spending the night at Shoji's Tokyo apartment by weekly gossip magazine "Friday", who published the photos in today's issue. Friends say they have been dating since at least last autumn. Apart from being a top idol, Fujimoto is also something of an athlete and the "ace striker" for the Hello! Project's futsal team. Shoji (photo right) is one half of the popular comedy duo Shinagawa Shoji, regulars on the variety show circuit, and is the one who is always ready to remove his t-shirt and show off his muscular physique. This latest match up between a comedian and a popular female beauty reinforces the image of a romantic boom for Japan's funny men.
• The Tokyo District Court has dropped the indictments against comedian Udo Suzuki (37) and actor Miwa Akihiro (72). Both were involved in separate traffic accidents in the last couple of months. But in both cases, there were only minor injuries and they have been settled by the respective insurance companies.
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Movie Director Kumai Kei Dies | May 24, 2007 |
 Movie director Kumai Kei died yesterday at a Tokyo hospital after suffering a brain hemorrhage. He was 76. As reported here on Monday, Kumai was taken to the hospital last Friday after a newspaper delivery man discovered him unconscious outside his Tokyo home. He was best known for tackling social issues in movies such as the hugely successful "Kurobe no Taiyo" (Tunnel to the Sun, 1968), about the construction of the famous Kurobe Dam, and "Umi to Dokuyaku" (The Sea and Poison, 1986), which won the Silver Bear award at the Berlin International Film Festival.
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Johnny Depp, Pirates Land in Japan | May 23, 2007 |
 Johnny Depp (43), Orlando Bloom (30) and other members of the cast and crew of "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" landed in Japan yesterday. Hundreds of fans crowded the arrivals lobby at Narita Airport from early morning, divided into two main groups depending on their loyalty to one star or the other. They numbered in their thousands by the time Bloom arrived at 6:15pm. Depp showed up in his private jet three hours later. Both stars took their time passing through the lobby allowing fans, some in tears, to give presents and take photos. The third episode of the hugely successful movie trilogy opens worldwide on May 25, though it has its Asia premiere tonight at the Nippon Budokan in central Tokyo.
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Wife of Kishibe Shiro Dies at 43 | |
 The wife of actor/talento Kishibe Shiro (57) died last month of sudden heart failure, it was revealed yesterday. She was just 43. Kishibe awoke on the morning of April 6 and hurt himself getting out of bed. He went downstairs where his wife Saori told him to go back to bed and lie down for a while. When he awoke an hour later he went downstairs only to discover his wife collapsed on the floor. He tried to resuscitate her as he waited for an ambulance but she was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. In the last year she had complained several times of difficulty breathing but had refused to see a doctor. Kishibe is said to be wasting away at his Yokohama home in a state of shock and unable to speak. The couple had been married since 1994. Kishibe rose to fame as a member of the 60s group The Tigers and later playing the water sprite in the popular 70s TV series "Saiyuki" (shown abroad as "Monkey", and Kishibe's character was known as Sandy). He first married in 1971 and had two children. Poor financial decisions led him to declare bankruptcy in the late 90s, but it was this image that became his gimmick after his return to showbiz a few years later.
• Police recently nabbed talento Uehara Sakura (30) for speeding and driving with an expired license, it was revealed yesterday. She was given a speeding ticket late on the night of May 15 when police stopped her for driving over 80km/h in a 60km/h zone on a bypass in Tokyo. She said she hadn't realized that her license expired at the end of April. She has already renewed her license and paid the fines. In typical fashion, TV Asahi will either cut scenes including Uehara from today's edition of "Ai no Apron" or include a subtitle to say the show was filmed before the incident.
• Actress and former idol singer Minamino Yoko (39) has a new love in her life. She and creative director Yanai Michihiko (43) first met last September while he was directing the video for Nagasawa Masami's debut single, the theme tune for a TV drama reprisal of a popular 80s movie. Minamino became a star back in the mid-80s due to her role in a similar drama series, "Sukeban Deka II". Yanai is a musician and has been the creative force behind such TV ad campaigns as Tower Records' "No Music, No Life", Fuji TV's "Kikkake wa, Fuji Terebi" and Shiseido's "Uno".
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Kitano, Matsumoto, SMAP at Cannes | May 22, 2007 |
 Some of Japan's biggest stars are at Cannes this week. Kitano "Beat" Takeshi (60) is there as one of the 35 directors who took part in a compilation movie to celebrate the Film Festival's 60th anniversary. Takeshi's 3-minute comedy segment, the second in "To Each His Own Cinema", was well received. The short will be shown with Takeshi's upcoming new feature, "Kantoku Banzai", set to open on June 2. True to form, he turned up at the red carpet event wearing a traditional hakama and a silly "chonmage" wig. "In 60 years probably no one has done anything as stupid as that. Next I'd like wear a hakama to the Oscars, and when my name is called take it off and show my arse! If I get an honorary Oscar at the age of 90, I'll probably soil myself and cause real mayhem." Fellow comedian Matsumoto Hitoshi was visibly nervous at the first ever screening of "Dai Nipponjin", his debut as a movie director. But the unique comedy got a standing ovation on Saturday night from the audience of 800, and it has already had distribution offers from ten countries. Also on Saturday night, two members of pop group SMAP were giving a party to promote their respective movies. Kimura Takuya (34) is plugging "Hero", the latest spinoff from a hugely successful Fuji TV drama series. Bandmate Katori Shingo (30) is promoting the movie adaptation of his recent TV version of "Saiyuki" (Journey to the West, also known as Monkey). The party drew about 800 guests from some 12 countries.
• Top kabuki star Nakamura Kanzaburo (51) has been penalized by the Tokyo tax authorities for failure to declare some ¥70 million in income. The undeclared income was from a period of three years up to 2005 and was received during the course of parties and other events to commemorate his succession to his current stage name. His sons, Kantaro (25) and Shichinosuke (24) have also been investigated as their fictional expenses were allegedly used as tax write offs. Including penalties, Kanzaburo has been hit with a tax bill of about ¥30 million. He has disputed the audit results, adding that the official statements are defamatory. But he does have a history of run-ins with the tax man, the last dating to late 1999. At the time he fessed up and handed over some ¥6 million in taxes and penalties.
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Shiozawa Toki Dies | May 21, 2007 |
 Actress Shiozawa Toki died of cancer at a Tokyo hospital late Thursday night. She was 79. She had been battling the disease for most of her adult life since she was first discovered to have tongue cancer at the age of 30. She was at the peak of her popularity on the variety show circuit in 1984 when she was found to have breast cancer. She underwent a second mastectomy in 2004. In April 2006 she underwent surgery for the fourth time but the cancer had spread throughout her body. She was released from hospital in November but her health deteriorated again in February and she was re-admitted. She made her movie debut with the major Toei studio shortly after WWII and had her first and only starring role in 1954. With her outlandish hairstyles and glasses and crude humor, she shot to fame 30 years later on the Fuji TV afternoon talk show "Itadakimasu".
• Romance has blossomed between actress Kimura Yoshino (31) and actor Iseya Yuusuke (30). The pair worked together last September on the upcoming Miike Takashi movie "Sukiyaki Western Jango". They spent more than a month filming in a remote mountain location in Yamagata Prefecture and started dating after their return to Tokyo. They have recently been spotted shopping together for interior goods. It is the first reported romance for Kimura since her debut in 1996. Iseya was previously linked with actress Hirosue Ryoko in 1999 and with Yoshikawa Hinano in 2003.
• Movie director Kumai Kei (76) was taken to hospital on Friday after a newspaper delivery man discovered him unconscious outside his Tokyo home. He recovered consciousness later and is said to have suffered a stroke.
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Love At Last For Hisamoto Masami? | May 18, 2007 |
 At the age of 46, comedienne Hisamoto Masami may have found love at last, according to today's issue of the weekly gossip magazine "Friday". The article says that a handsome company heir, named only as "A-san" and said to be in his early 30s, spends several nights a week at Hisamoto's Tokyo apartment. In a press release from her management agency she said, "He's a good friend. I may be buck-toothed but I'm also a woman, so I'm gonna go on a date now and then. Korekara mo Yorochikubiii!". The last part is one of her famous nipple puns! Known for her often crude humor and a veteran of the Wahaha Honpo comedy troupe, Hisamoto often ranks among Japan's most popular TV celebrities. A-san is the third generation heir to his family's business and is said to resemble a "macho version of soccer star Miura Kazu".
• Director Kawase Naomi (37) is attending the Cannes Film Festival for the third time, as her movie "Magori no Mori" is the only Japanese entry in the competition section. She was a guest, along with her 3-year-old son, at a reception for the Japan Contents Festival held yesterday. Kawase won the Camera d'Or award for best directorial debut with "Moe no Suzaku" in 1997 and had "Sharasojyu" in competition in 2003. As this year is the 60th anniversary of the festival, she says she doesn't get much attention because a lot of big names are in town. But she reckons her latest feature is in with a chance of taking the Palm d'Or.
• Troubled enka singer Mori Shinichi (59) brought the curtain down for the final time on his "Jagaimo no Kai" charity concert yesterday. He started the annual event 23 years ago when he married idol singer Mori Masako (48). But a battle with hepatitis, a messy divorce and an artistic dispute that prevents him from performing some of his greatest hits have led him to call it a day. Not that he's retiring - he gave the first performance of his latest single, "Jinsei Hitasura", set for release on May 23. More than 20 acts were on hand yesterday to lend their support, as was Prime Minister Abe Shinzo.
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Aota Noriko Not a Real Loser Dog | May 17, 2007 |
Former pin-up girl Aota Noriko (39) is one of the celebrities labeled "make-inu" in Japanese showbiz, a phrase that literally means "loser dog" and is given to female celebs thought incapable of getting married. But following the revelation yesterday that she's been married and divorced, her reputation is probably worse than ever. It turns out she married a 38-year-old restaurant owner in 2004 at a time when her career was going nowhere. She told no one but family and close friends, not even her fellow former members of the popular 90s "sexy group" C.C. Girls. But her career took a strange twist shortly after her marriage. She was one of several women, including actress Sugita Kaori (42), former porn star Iijima Ai (34) and model Rinka (33), who were panelists on the new hit TV Asahi variety show "London Hearts". Hosted by comedy duo London Boots, the key to the show's success was its focus on the loser status of these and other female celebrities, most of them on the wrong side of 30. They ranked each other on things like who the public would say would make the worst girlfriend, marriage or sex partner. The success of the show and her new image as "Bubble Aota", someone psychologically stuck in the bubble economy years of the early 1990s, led to more TV appearances. As her public persona became more and more divorced from her private reality, her husband filed for an actual divorce in 2005. But they remain close and have talked about possibly getting remarried once their lifestyles have settled down.
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Death of a Wide Show | May 16, 2007 |
 A popular afternoon "wide show" is the latest casualty of the shake up at Nippon Terebi. In September "Za Waido" (The Wide; Mon-Fri, 1:55-3:50pm), hosted by Kusano Hitoshi (63) and Mori Fumi (33), is to end its 15-year run as the mainstay of NTV's afternoon schedule. Popularly known as Nittere, NTV was king of the audience rankings for ten straight years up to 2003. It held the top spot for "golden time" (7-10pm), "prime time" (7-11pm) and all day (6am-12am) rankings. But since it dropped to second behind Fuji TV in 2004, it has been making major changes to its lineup. Last year it dropped the news show "NNN Kyou no Dekigoto" after 52 years, replacing it with "News Zero". "Za Waido" first came on the air in 1993 and was unusual at the time for the fact that it didn't start on the hour, now common practice for news and info shows. It is co-produced by NTV and Yomiuri TV, but the latter has decided to pull out and NTV felt they couldn't afford to continue financing the show alone. It's still doing well in its 2-hour mid-afternoon time slot, but TV Asahi's re-runs of popular drama series is top of the rankings. It's likely that NTV will be looking to re-jig both that slot and the hour following it that it currently fills with a drama re-run.
• Actress Yonekura Ryoko has been chosen as Miss Lily 2007. Sponsored by the The Netherlands International Flower Bulb Center, the award is given each year to the woman who looks best holding a bunch of lilies. Of course, reporters were more interested in asking her about rumors that she has rekindled her romance with kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizo (29). She insisted that since their breakup at the end of 2005 they are just good friends, despite the fact that she flew all the way to Paris in March to watch him perform. Since their split Ebizo has been linked with actresses Sato Eriko and Takaoka Saki and a current, unnamed girlfriend.
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 The new pop trio Gyaruru has its second lineup before it has even got off the starting line. The group was first announced last month, with the members being former Morning Musume Tsuji Nozomi (19), "ogui" (glutton) talento Gyaru Sone (21, photo center) and "meganekko" (glasses girl) idol Tokito Ami (19, right). But Tsuji dropped out within weeks after announcing her pregnancy and impending marriage. The future of group was in doubt until yesterday, when a replacement was announced. Stepping in for Tsuji is Abe Asami (22, left), the younger sister of former MoMus member Abe Natsumi (26). She's no stranger to "gyaru" fashion, as that was her look when she was first scouted as a high school student. With Sone taking the stage name 'Sonene' and Tokito going for 'Amimi', Abe will be known as 'Abebe'. The group's debut single, "Boom Boom Meccha Macho", will be re-recorded in time for its scheduled June 20 release.
• Veteran newscaster Chikushi Tetsuya (73) revealed yesterday on his nightly "News23" show that he has lung cancer. The disease was diagnosed early enough that it can be treated, so he is going to take a break from the TBS show while undergoing treatment.
• It was revealed yesterday that actress Hosho Mai (30) recently got married. According to a source, she married 37-year-old graphic designer, named only as N-san, on March 6. The couple registered their marriage at a municipal office in Tokyo. They met through a mutual friend in 2004 and dated for about two years. They have no plans for a press conference or wedding ceremony. Hosho is best known for her roles in TV dramas such as Fuji TV's popular "Shomuni".
• The latest issue of weekly magazine "Shuukan Asahi" reveals that cross-dressing singer-actor Miwa Akihiro (72) failed to report a traffic accident in March. According to the article, Miwa's car struck a motorcycle while both were making a right turn on the junction of Komazawa-dori and Kannana-dori in Tokyo. The motorcyclist reported the accident to local police an hour later, but Miwa failed to do so. Papers have been filed against him for professional negligence resulting in injury and failure to report an accident. His management agency says the matter has already been financially settled between the respective insurance companies.
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Wada Akiko Slams Tsuji | May 14, 2007 |
 Wada Akiko has called the recent announcements by Tsuji Nozomi (19) "irresponsible". The former Morning Musume member revealed her wedding plans and her pregnancy just days apart. Tsuji and actor Sugiura Taiyou (26) say that their decision to marry was made months ago, but "Akko" (57) - always one to speak her mind - said that the timing was obviously calculated. Wada, also known as the God Sister, appeared on her weekly Saturday show on NTV just two days after having surgery to remove polyps from her colon. Though clearly not back to full strength, she felt the need to put the young upstart in her place. "She says she's going out with the guy, going to get married, then reveals she's pregnant. It's all too neat," she said. "The kid has no sense of responsibility." Indeed Tsuji's untimely pregnancy has left a lot of people in the lurch. She dropped out of a stage musical and recently graduated MoMus leader Yoshizawa Hitomi (22) had to step in to cover for her. And the future of Gyaruru, a new pop trio that was launched just days before her announcement, is up in the air.
• Fuji TV announcer Watanabe Kazuhiro (30) is going for a Lucky Seven wedding. A presenter on the "Mezamashi Terebi" morning show, he announced yesterday that he is to get married on July 7. His met his fiancee while both were studying at Seijo University and they started dating on January 1, 2001. So the 7/7/07 date for their wedding seemed the ideal next step. It's also the date of Tanabata, one of Japan's most famous - and romantic - festivals. Also called the Star Festival, it comes from an ancient Chinese legend based around the one day of the year when the two stars Vega and Altair, usually separated by the Milky Way, come together.
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Kaneshiro Takeshi to Woo's Rescue | May 11, 2007 |
 Japanese-Taiwanese actor Kaneshiro Takeshi (33) joined director John Woo (61) in Beijing yesterday to promote the troubled movie "The Battle of Red Cliff". With a ¥9-billion ($75 million) budget, making it the biggest independent film ever, and the first of two episodes to be released before the Beijing Olympics in 2008, the movie has drawn huge interest. But Woo has had a ton of trouble with his casting. Chow Yun-Fat was the biggest name on the bill but left just three days after shooting started last month, citing lack of preparation time. His role as Zhao Yun, a general of the Kingdom of Shu, was given to Hu Jun; Watanabe Ken was cast as Cao Cao, the last Chancellor of Eastern Han Dynasty, but was dropped following protests over a Japanese actor playing a Chinese historical figure; and Tony Leung rejected his original role and was lured back with Chow's part; Taiwan-born Kaneshiro was brought in to replace Leung in the role of Zhuge Liang, the legendary strategist of the Kingdom of Shu. The movie is based on the greatest battle described in the "sangokushi", or Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the great Chinese historical novel written in the 14th century. As the battle of Red Cliff is said to have involved over a million soldiers, Woo has set up several units to film various scenes. Sangokushi is the Japanese reading of the Chinese classic, and has spawned a series of hugely popular manga, anime and computer games. Asked about his late arrival to the project, Kaneshiro said "I've been a big fan of the manga and game versions since I was small, so I know the story." He is certainly no stranger to Chinese historical epics, having just finished "The Warlords" with Jet Li and Andy Lau.
• Popular actor Tsukamoto Takashi (24) is the latest young star to announce a shotgun wedding. His fiancee is a 31-year-old office worker who he met in the autumn of 2003. They started dating in May 2005, found out she was pregnant in February,and got engaged on April 14. Meanwhile, former Morning Musume member Tsuji Nozomi (19) and actor Sugiura Taiyou (26) held a press conference yesterday to talk about their wedding plans. Sugiura said he proposed on March 10 though it wasn't until a week or so ago that Tsuji discovered she was pregnant. They plan to marry on her 20th birthday but have no plans for a ceremony this year.
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"Memories of Tomorrow" Set for U.S. Release | May 10, 2007 |
 Japan Academy Award-winning movie "Ashita no Kioku" (Memories of Tomorrow) is set to open in the U.S. later this month. Despite his long career, Watanabe Ken (47) made his debut as a leading man in the movie and he was also executive producer of the project. Since it opened in Japan in May of last year, he has been jetting round the world promoting it to foreign buyers with the same passion he showed during the domestic promotion campaign. As he is based in Hollywood these days, a U.S. release was his main priority. His recent work on Hollywood productions, most recently Clint Eastwood's "Letters From Iwo Jima", and his appearance as a presenter on the Oscars have opened a lot of doors for him. The story of "Ashita..." is about a successful middle-aged marketing executive and his wife as they struggle to deal with his early-onset Alzheimers, a theme that resonates beyond national borders. There's also fact that, despite lacking the support of a TV network that is behind most Japanese movies, the feature made a solid ¥2.2 billion at the box office and received five Japan Academy Award nominations. Watanabe won for the first time as best actor. It opens on 120 screens today in South Korea, and in New York on May 18. It will be in theaters in Los Angeles from June 8 and in San Francisco from July 13.
• Music producer Kobayashi Takeshi (47) is on the verge of divorcing singer Akko, vocalist of his J-pop group My Little Lover, and looks set to marry singer Hitoto Yo (31). It was an affair with Hitoto, exposed in the weekly gossip magazine "Friday" in January, that brought an end to Kobayashi's 11-year marriage. He and Akko, together with guitarist Fujii Kenji (38), formed My Little Lover in 1995. They married the following year and have two children. Fujii left the group in 2002, and it became Akko's solo project last November. She kicked off a nationwide tour on May 7, with Kobayashi in attendance.
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Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi to Make Movie Return | May 09, 2007 |
 Rock singer-songwriter Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi (50) is planning a comeback to the big screen after eight years. Movie director Fukusaku Kenta (34) was among the big names attending a PR event yesterday to launch Nagabuchi's first album in four years, "Come On Stand Up!" The pair decided it was time to put some much-needed "macho" back into Japanese movies. "They say the Japanese movie industry is healthy these days, but it's all weepies and comedy," said Fukusaku. "The male action movies my father loved so much are dying out. I want to make use of Nagabuchi-san's physique and make a real fight movie." Their relationship goes back to the 1988 TBS drama "Tombo", directed by Kenta's father, the late Fukusaku Kinji (1930-2003). With the wiry, "junky" look of his younger days, Nagabuchi won rave reviews for his starring role as the yakuza Ogawa Eiji. These days he's a lot more buffed and hangs out with such fighters as K-1 star Kohiruimaki Takayuki (29) and sumo grand champion Asashoryu (26), both in attendance at yesterday's event. Fukusaku Kinji directed such violent classics as "Jingi Naki Tatakai" (Battles Without Honor and Humanity) and "Battle Royale", but his death in 2003 forced his son take over at the helm of "Battle Royale II". No details of the latest movie project are available but it will be Nagabuchi's first movie role since the "Tombo" follow-up "Eiji" in 1999.
• Rocky Wada (53), a popular TV and radio personality in Hokkaido, has been arrested for paying for corrupting a minor. Police say that last summer he met a high school girl, who was 15 at the time, through a "deaikei" mobile website. He arranged to meet her at a hotel in Tomakomai City and paid her ¥15,000 for sex. Following his arrest in Sapporo yesterday, he said he has no memory of the incident. Real name Wada Norio, he is the host of two long-running shows based around his knowledge of western rock music. Both TV Hokkaido and FM North Wave are planning to cancel his shows.
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Morning Sickness for ex-Morning Musume | May 08, 2007 |
 The truth is out about Tsuji Nozomi (19). It turns out that the reason the former Morning Musume member recently dropped out of a planned stage musical is that she is two months pregnant and planning to get married on her 20th birthday. She and actor Sugiura Taiyou (26) started dating last year and visited each other's family homes at the end of the year. The diminutive Tsuji, who debuted with Morning Musume in 2000 at the age of 12, was always one of the group's most popular members. After she "graduated" from the group in 2004, she formed the duo "W" with Kago Ai (19), only to see that go down in flames when Kago was fired from the Hello! Project in April. Tsuji was swiftly named to lead a new trio called Gyaruru just two weeks ago, but was diagnosed with an acute stomach ulcer days later. Given the news of her pregnancy, it's likely she is also suffering from morning sickness and will most likely soon be on maternity leave so the future of Gyaruru is unclear. Of the more than two dozen girls who've been members of Morning Musume over the last ten years Tsuji will be just the third to get married. Sugiura made his break in 2001 playing the lead role in the "Ultraman Cosmos" action hero series on TBS. In 2002 he and his younger brother Takao made their singing debut as the duo Ex. Bold. His latest project is the movie "Zero Kara no Kaze", scheduled for release in December.
• Happy news too for talento couple Fujii Takashi (35) and Otoha (26). The couple, who married in July 2005, are expecting their first baby in November. Fujii is best known for his character Matthew Minami, who appeared in the Hollywood movie "Lost in Translation".
• "Spiderman 3" is off to a flying start. It broke the ¥3 billion barrier at the box office in just six days since it opened on May 1, a new record for a Hollywood movie. It's been seen by over 2.5 million people, way more than the 800,000 who have been to see "Babel", which opened three days earlier.
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Yoshizawa Hitomi Graduates from Morning Musume | May 07, 2007 |
 Yoshizawa Hitomi (22) made her final appearance last night as leader of Morning Musume. She characteristically shed no tears as the group finished their spring tour an afternoon and evening show in front of 30,000 fans at the Saitama Super Arena. Fans also got their first proper look at the group's two new Chinese members, JunJun (19) and LinLin (16). The fourth member to take on the role of leader, "Yossui" leaves after seven years and one month with the group, the longest run of any member. She suffered tragedy in January when her younger brother Hirota died in a traffic accident at the age of 16, just days after she had announced her planned "graduation" from the group. She performed as scheduled at the Osaka Dome four days later, refusing to shed any public tears. Her toughness is a vital part of her success, and she will be straight into her next job this weekend, filling in for former member Tsuji Nozomi (19), whose poor health forced her to drop out of a stage musical.
• Actor Kitamura Kazuo died yesterday of lung failure. He was 80. He had been hospitalized last month following a mild stroke and developed pneumonia. He is survived by his wife Kikuko, actress daughter Yuri (36), and son Yukiya (33), a stage actor. One of the major names in Japanese theater, he also appeared in TV dramas and movies, including Kurosawa Akira's "Tengoku to Jigoku" (Heaven and Hell) and "Nippon Konchuki" (The Insect Woman), directed by his old friend Imamura Shohei. He last appeared on stage in 2004 and last winter he filmed scenes for the yet to be finished movie "Beauty".
• Former actor Achiwa Shinsuke was found dead at a waterfall in Kagoshima Prefecture several days ago, according to a statement yesterday from the production company he ran. Police are investigating the death as a possible suicide. The ex-husband of actress Takigawa Yumi (56), he was best known for his role in the "Ultra Seven" action hero TV series. He suffered two strokes in recent years and had been in poor health since. His daughter is talento Takigawa Hanako (18).
• Comedian Hata Youku (31), better known as the Guitar Samurai, announced yesterday that he is engaged to be married. The relationship with the 33-year-old named only as "A-ko" started when he was 20. It wasn't until 2004 that Hata made his name as one of the breakthrough as one of the faces of the comedy boom. Now that he has established himself, he finally felt ready to propose, which he did in March. The couple are planning to register their marriage later this month. The surge in popularity enjoyed by young comedians in the last few years has seen a number of them marry models and actresses. But some have stayed true to the "regular" women who supported them in leaner times. In addition to Hata, there's Takeyama Takanori (36), Matsumoto Kouta (27) and Neko Hiroshi (29).
• Talento and pin-up girl Kumakiri Asami (26) has admitted that she is in a relationship with Yokohama Bay Stars pitcher Nasuno Takumi (24). A fan of the rival Hanshin Tigers team, she has taken some stick for the fact that Nasuno has said he hates the often fanatical Hanshin fans.
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Yokoyama "Knock" Dies | May 05, 2007 |
 Former comedian and Osaka governor Yokoyama Nokku died of throat cancer on Thursday. He was 75. His former comedy partners Kamioka Ryutaro (65, formerly Yokoyama "Punch") and Aoshiba Fukku (68, Yokoyama "Hook") were among the friends and family in attendance at a wake held in Hyogo Prefecture yesterday. There is speculation that a major farewell event will be held at the Kyocera Osaka Dome. Real name Yamada Isamu, Nokku was born in Kobe in 1932. He joined the Yoshimoto Kogyo agency at the age of 23. Six years later he, Kamioka and Aoshiba became the Manga Trio, as Yokoyama "Knock", "Hook" and "Punch". They specialized in comedy routines based around current news. The trio broke up in 1968 and Nokku went into national politics, though continuing to do showbiz work. He was elected to the Diet four times from '68 to '89, missing out only in 1974. He left the Diet in 1995 and ran successfully in the Osaka gubernatorial election. He won a second term by a record margin in 1999 but was caught up in a sexual harassment case soon after. He was given a suspended prison sentence for harassing a female college student in his car during the election campaign. The media backlash was extreme and he retired from showbiz. He made a couple of guest appearances last year but his health was already failing. Kamioka was one of the senior members of the showbiz community when he retired in 2000, in part because of the fate of his good friend. Yesterday was his first appearance before TV cameras since then but he declined to make any comment.
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Giants Win 5000th, Lose Fans | May 03, 2007 |
 The Yomiuri Giants slump continues. Despite the fact that they are having a good season so far and are top of the Central League, the audience rating for their televised night games in April was the worst ever. At 10.8% in the Kanto region, it was well below last year's record low of 12.6%. Ironically, the bad news came on the same day that the Kyojin, as they are known in Japanese, won their milestone 5,000th game. The 5-3, 11-inning win over the Chunichi Dragons at Nagoya Dome also saw the first ever save as a pro for ace pitcher Uehara Koji. The Giants' first ever win came on July 3, 1936.
• Singer Aikawa Nanase (32) is pregnant again. She revealed yesterday on her official website that she is currently 6 months pregnant with her second child. She is currently in recording and says she will go ahead with her annual July 7 concert. With her name including the kanji for the number seven (nana), she chose that date for a show to commemorate her 10th year in showbiz in 2005. The band put together for that event included former X Japan guitarist Pata, former Luna Sea drummer Shinya, and former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman. Aikawa married in February 2001 and had a baby boy the following September.
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Spiderman 3 Opens in Japan | May 02, 2007 |
 "Spiderman 3" opened in theaters across the country and elsewhere in Asia yesterday, several days before the U.S. Costumed fans formed lines up to 150m long for the morning show at theaters in Tokyo, proving that the huge PR for the movie is paying off. Distributor Sony Pictures said that some 400,000 people saw the movie on the opening day, well above the number for the first two installments in the series. At that pace the movie looks set to meet their box-office target of ¥10 billion. In 2005, "The Da Vinci Code" was seen by 930,000 people in the first week, making over ¥9 billion. Yesterday was officially a regular work day but many people have taken Tuesday and Wednesday off to have a full 9-day Golden Week holiday. Audiences were boosted by the fact that discount tickets were available yesterday, the first day of the month and so "Movie Day", and today, as Wednesdays are "Ladies Day".
• Freelance announcer Nagai Minako (41) revealed yesterday that she gave birth to her second child in February. She married Hori Kazutomo (41), president of IT group Cybird in 2001 and they had their first child that year. Nagai plans to appear at a Mother's Day even in Yokohama on May 13.
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Matsumoto Gets Cannes Invite | |
 Comedian Matsumoto Hitoshi (43) is off to a good start as a movie director. His directorial debut "Dai Nihonjin" isn't due for release until June 2 but it has been invited to this month's 60th Cannes International Film Festival. According to distributor Phantom Film, it will air during Director's Week and will be eligible for the Camera d'Or prize for best first feature film. The festival will be held from May 16-27 and Matsumoto is planning to attend. In keeping with his multi-talented reputation (he has written several best-selling books), Matsumoto also stars in the movie and co-wrote the screenplay. Though details about the movie are being kept under wraps, the debut feature will inevitably be compared with the work of Kitano "Beat" Takeshi (60). Especially as his latest, "Kantoku Banzai", is scheduled to open on the same day as "Dai Nihonjin". Also one of Japan's top comedians, Takeshi turned to the world of movies some years ago and has garnered worldwide acclaim for his varied body of work. He may well be in Cannes this year as he is Japan's representative in a compilation movie of 3-minute segments by 35 of the world's top directors.
Matsumoto said at a press conference in January, when asked to describe his movie, "I definitely don't think it's the kind of work that will be winning prizes at Cannes!" But Cannes artistic director Olivier Pere described it as a "comedy masterpiece" that takes a totally unique approach to mixing fantasy and documentary, adding that he'd already watched it four times!
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Morning Musume Best-Selling Female Group Ever | May 01, 2007 |
 Okay, it's finally time for me to stop ragging on Morning Musume. The girl group with the ever-changing lineup has achieved yet another milestone, selling more singles than the legendary idol duo Pink Lady. Their latest single, "Kanashimi Twilight" has entered the latest Oricon chart at No.2 and so far has sold over 50,000 copies. Not exactly a huge number yet, but enough to put their total single sales at 11.085 million over the last ten years and finally beat the long-standing record of Pink Lady. Including total singles sales, they now hold five records for a female group. The others are: the most No.1's (10), the most Top 10 hits (33), the most consecutive years with a No.1 (6) and the most consecutive years with a Top 10 (10).
The only thing keeping them from another No.1 this week is the latest from Johnny's duo Kinki Kids, who have a phenomenal record of their own. "Brand New Song" is the 25th single since they debuted and every one of them has gone to No.1, a feat that got them into the Guinness Book of Records. At No.1 in the album chart is Canadian rocker Avril Lavigne (22), who played an unannounced "guerrilla live" show in front of Shinjuku station on Saturday.
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