Yearly Archives: 2007

The 1000th single to top the Oricon weekly chart is “Michi” by pop group Exile, which entered at No.1. The ballad was up against some strong competition to grab the landmark top spot. Popular duo WaT teamed up with TV kids’ character Gatchapin Mukku to record the No.2 hit, “Kimi ni Okuru Uta”. Tenor Akikawa Masafumi (39) has managed to stay in the Top 3. Not only was his “Sen no Kaze ni Natte” the first classical recording to top the chart, it’s also the first by a male solo artist to stay in the Top 3 for six weeks running since Fukuyama Masaharu‘s “Niji” in 2003. The 32nd single from Morning Musume, “Egao Yes Nude”, has entered the chart at No.4. They have now made the Top 10 for ten years running, a record for a girl group. Kuraki Mai (24) has seen every one of her 26 singles enter the Top 10, extending her record for a solo female artist. Her latest, “Season of Love”, entered at No.6. One spot below is the Japanese debut single from American model Leah Dizon (20). She’s been busy on a recent trip to Japan, making appearances in record stores and on TV. The half French-American, half Chinese-Philippina model’s self-promotional savvy has worked particularly well in Japan, and she had one of the best-selling photo books of last year.

• The mysterious “second sister” of the “Gorgeous Kano Sisters“, says she has nothing to hide. She visited the Akasaka police station in central Tokyo on Saturday to answer claims that she had absconded with some ¥500-million worth of jewelry belonging to Kano Kyoko (44). She says she only knew about the matter after it was reported in the media last week. Previously a manager for the other two celebrities, she allegedly went missing earlier in the year along with the borrowed items, and Kyoko reported the matter to police on February 7. Media will be watching for a first public comment from Kyoko on Wednesday, when she is scheduled to hold a PR event for her latest book, “Love & Sex”. Wait a minute…there couldn’t possibly be a connection between the timing of theses two things, could there?!

• Saturday’s live partial broadcast of the wedding between actress Fujiwara Norika (35) and Yoshimoto comedian Jinnai Tomonori (32) managed a high 22% audience rating. It was shown only on Yomiuri TV in the Kansai region, where rain kept many people home. Similarly cold and rainy weather in the capital on Sunday meant good ratings for the first Tokyo Marathon, which reached a peak of 31.3% in the Kanto region. In Kansai, where the weather had cleared up, the figures were less than half.

The big story over the weekend was of course the wedding of actress Fujiwara Norika (35) and Yoshimoto comedian Jinnai Tomonori (32) on Saturday. Ikuta Jinja shrine in Kobe was surrounded by some 425 security personnel, while 2,000 fans turned out hoping for a glimpse of Fujiwara’s spectacular “junihitoe” or twelve-layered kimono, and Jinnai’s “sokutai” or old ceremonial court dress. But the traditional Heian Era outfits were only shown on news and variety shows. The ceremony was attended by 112 family members and close friends. A visibly tense Jinnai hardly had a chance to take it all in before heading back to a hectic work schedule. On Sunday, he had three performances at Yoshimoto’s theater in Tokyo at 1pm, 4pm and 7pm, and even fitted in a guest appearance at the premiere of the movie “Parfum” at NHK Hall in Shibuya between the second and third shows. And Fujiwara is no slouch, either. She heads off to do TV location work in India tomorrow. The couple will move into a new home in the capital next month.

Saturday’s big wedding ceremony will be broadcast “almost” live. Yomiuri TV viewers in the Kansai region will be able to watch live coverage of actress Fujiwara Norika (35) and Yoshimoto comedian Jinnai Tomonori (32) speaking to the media after they tie the knot at Ikuta Jinja shrine in Kobe. But with this being the biggest showbiz wedding of recent years, other stations in the NTV network are busy negotiating for broadcast rights. Fujiwara plans to wear the spectacular “junihitoe” or twelve-layered kimono, while Jinnai will don the “sokutai” or old ceremonial court dress. The traditional ceremony will be shown in pre-recorded segments, following which the couple will hold a live press conference for about half an hour from 4:20pm. About 400 security personnel will be on hand to keep the shrine and surrounding areas clear of fans and unauthorized media.

• Stevie Wonder (56) didn’t seem too upset that only about 10 fans turned out to greet him at Narita Airport. On his 15th visit to Japan, he will play a 6-date tour starting at the Saitama Super Arena on February 17/18. He was over an hour late for a press conference at his Tokyo hotel last night, but made up for it by giving a quick performance on his keyboard. He talked about how much he loved Japan, adding “I think I must have been born in Japan in a previous life”.

K-1 fighter Masato (27) and actress Yazawa Shin (25) announced yesterday that they got married on Sunday. They made the announcement in front of about 150 reporters and 20 TV cameras. Though they had been dating for six years to the day, it was the first time they had been photographed together. They chose to register their marriage in February after consulting with several fortune tellers, and Sunday in particular as it was an auspicious “tai-an” day in the shinto calendar. Masato’s next fight is in the April final qualifiers for the World Max tournament. The middleweight, who has a 43-5-2 record, said, “If I lose, people will say it’s because I got married. So I have to win!” He was the first Japanese to take the world crown in 2003. His good looks have also earned him movie and TV roles. Yazawa, whose given name Shin means “heart”, made her acting debut in 1997’s hit movie “Bounce Ko Gals”. The couple will wait until after the World Max finals in September before having a wedding ceremony.

• Mangaka Sugi Emiko died on Friday of stomach cancer at a Yokohama hospital. She was 47. She made her debut in 1977 and was known for such works as “Gettchu” and “Adam & Eve no Houteishiki”. According to the publisher Shogakkan, her manga sold over 18 million copies.

From Goldfinger 99 to Diet member?! Go Hiromi (51) may be an idol singer well past his prime, but he could have one more surprise up his sleeve. Sources within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) say that Go is considered a prime candidate to help revive the party’s slumping popularity in July’s Upper House election. One of the biggest pop stars of the 1980s, he is seen as drawing votes from middle-aged women, a weak area for the LDP. If he runs, it will be under the proportional representation system. Go has expressed interest in politics in the past, but so far has stuck to mainly supporting the campaigns of showbiz friends. But now that he’s in his 50’s, he has more chance of being seen as a serious candidate. No doubt the LDP are heeding the lesson of the recent gubernatorial election in Miyazaki Prefecture, where comedian Sonomanma Higashi (47) won as an independent. Go has been married twice, to actress Nitani Yurie from 1989 to 1998 and to Nami, the daughter of a New York entrepreneur, from 2000 to 2005. But it was the marriage that never happened, to fellow idol Matsuda Seiko, that many consider his greatest romance. Among his recent endorsements is cosmetic surgeon Takasu Clinic, which helps explain his youthful appearance and why he can still get away with his “Go! Go! Go!” catchphrase. He splits his time between Japan and a home in New York.

No chances are being taken with the security for this weekend’s super showbiz wedding between actress Fujiwara Norika (35) and Yoshimoto comedian Jinnai Tomonori (32). There have been concerns that the original number of 200 security personnel may not be enough, given the huge public and media interest in the event. There’s also the fact that the venue – Ikuta Jinja shrine in Kobe – is in the middle of a commercial district and normally gets a lot of visitors. Yesterday was an auspicious “tai-an” day in the Shinto calendar and over 100 people turned out to watch a regular, non-showbiz couple walk the red carpet from Sakuramon gate to the “honden” or main shrine. So event organizers and police are to sit down again on Tuesday to go over security details. Fujiwara has already said on her official site that the wedding will not be open to the public and the couple won’t be making an appearance.

Yesterday, actress Fujiwara Norika (35) gave fans one last glimpse of that fabulous body before she gets married. Appearing at a PR event at the Shin Takanawa Prince Hotel in Tokyo for new pachinko machines that feature her likeness, she showed up wearing a sexy dominatrix outfit that started an instant buzz among reporters. She wore the shortest of miniskirts, a top that revealed her midriff, and knee-length stiletto boots. It’s been some time since she went for the sexy look, and the timing was clearly chosen to generate maximum publicity. The former Miss Japan is set to marry Yoshimoto comedian Jinnai Tomonori (32) on February 17 at the Ikuta Jinja shrine in their native Kobe. Meanwhile, Jinnai is dealing with a hectic pre-wedding work schedule. He leaves his Tokyo hotel before dawn every morning to catch the first shinkansen to Osaka, where he hosts the Yomiuri TV morning variety show “Narutomo!”. Then he heads back to the capital where he is appearing in Yoshimoto theatrical events and other variety shows.

At 52, actress Akiyoshi Kumiko can still get her man, or should that be boy. The actress famous for her off-the-wall comments revealed yesterday that she re-married her second ex-husband last year. At 26, the Japanese-American graphic creator, named only as A-san, is a year younger than her son from her first marriage. Their marriage at the end of 2004 lasted less than a year. But at a PR event for her latest theatrical production yesterday, Akiyoshi told reporters that they got hitched again a year ago. She admitted that the whole thing was a bit embarrassing for her and she had hoped to keep it secret. She said their first marriage had been based on “passion and instinct”. But when she discovered soon afterwards that her mother had cancer, her priorities changed drastically. A-san supported her even after their split and they decided to get back together shortly before Akiyoshi’s mother died in February 2006. One of the more eccentric characters in Japanese showbiz, Akiyoshi was pregnant when she married for the first time, in 1979 to composer Iwaku Shigeru (57), making her a showbiz pioneer of the term “dekichatta-kon” (shotgun wedding). They had one son but divorced in 1989. In her 34-year career Akiyoshi has appeared in dozens of movies and over 100 TV dramas. She published a book of nude photos in 1991.

• Romance has bloomed between popular singer Kimura Kaera (22) and Rip Slyme MC Su (33), according to the latest issue of weekly magazine “Josei Seven”. They are said to live in separate apartments in the same building. The magazine says they started dating in the autumn of 2005. Apart from music they also share an interest in surfing. Su was married once in 2000 but the couple are not said to be thinking of marriage yet.

The multi-talented Kitano Takeshi (60) has his movie director’s hat on again. Having given up the ultra-violent genre that brought him fame on the world stage, he is getting back to his variety show roots with his latest movie project, titled “Kantoku Banzai”. It is said to include a wide range of styles, ranging from homage to Ozu Yasujiro to horror, romance to science fiction. Producer Mori Masayuki said, “Movies these days are all based on a bestseller or topical story. Kitano’s movies are different. He does his own thing. He’s opening up new frontiers.” It’s Kitano’s 13th movie and the first since the oddball “Takeshis'” in 2005. Mori said that “If that movie was like the moon, this one is the sun. He really enjoyed making it and it will make you laugh out loud.” The film was recently completed and is scheduled to appear in theaters in June.

• Veteran Yoshimoto comedian Miyagawa Daisuke (56) was hospitalized late Monday night following a cerebral hemorrhage. He had experienced numbness in his left arm and leg and will need to be hospitalized for a month. A further couple of months of rehabilitation is expected, but the condition is not thought to be life-threatening. He had been recording a variety show in Osaka on Monday alog with his wife and comic partner Hanako (51) and their daughter Sayumi (28), also a comedienne. The three walked to a local hospital after the filming.

• Actress Sudo Risa (30) recently gave birth to her first child, a baby girl. She married Kawashima Michiyuki (37), vocalist and guitarist of the popular techno-rock duo Boom Boom Satellites, last November. Sudo plans to continue her acting career.

Diminuitive funny man Neko Hiroshi (29) is engaged to be married. During a press conference at his management agency last night the 147cm-tall comedian told reporters his new fiancee is the same age but 12cm taller. He said she works in social welfare. Real name Takizaki Kuniaki, he started out in comedy in 2001 using the name Tarantula. He went through dozens of name changes before settling on Neko (Cat) Hiroshi, despite the fact that he is allergic to cats. Needless to say, given his comedy image as a hyperactive feline, he described his fiancee as looking like a”Siamese cat”, and he proposed to her last autumn by asking her to “Please be my owner.” Her family were said to be unhappy about the fact that he performed topless and the pair even split up as a result. But he changed to wearing a t-shirt, they got back together, and now plan to get hitched within the year. Though the announcement only came yesterday, the couple actually got engaged on December 10, the same day as actress Fujiwara Norika (35) and comedian Jinnai Tomonori (32).

• Police have issued prosecution documents on singer Matsuzaki Shigeru (57) for causing a traffic accident while driving without a license. The perennially-tanned singer passed his driving test in the U.S. in 1989 and had been using an international license ever since. But due to a change in the law made in 2002, he was no longer legally entitled to do so. The accident happened last November, when he opened his car door only to knock a passing motorcyclist off his bike.

• Kansai TV has lost its 9pm Sunday slot on national TV following the recent scandal about faked data on its popular “Hakkutsu ! Aru Aru Daijiten” show. The slot, which earned the network about ¥3 billion in annual ad revenue, will be taken over by the Fuji network Systems production company.