Monthly Archives: February 2008

Talento Roseanna (57) gave a tearful press conference yesterday to apologize for the recent drug arrest of her son. Bowing deeply to reporters and TV cameras, she said she has no desire to see her son and is thinking of disinheriting him. Kato Raimon (29) was arrested on February 3 for possession of marijuana. He got married five years ago and has a 4-year-old son. But following his divorce last July he moved back to the family home, also shared by his sister Marion (26) and her family. It was a late-night quarrel between Raimon and Marion’s husband that led the police to visit the house, which in turn led to the arrest. Roseanna said yesterday that she always believed her late husband Hide (1942-90) was by her side, but couldn’t understand why he didn’t stop their son’s wayward behavior. Last night she performed at a scheduled concert, telling the audience she wanted to “forget about family matters”, but she has canceled a concert in July to mark her 40th anniversary as a singer. She and Hide were a very popular folk duo in the 1970s.

• Talento Yamada Mariya (27) and actor Kusano Toru (40) tied the knot on Valentine’s Day. They went to a Tokyo city office together to register their marriage. They will make their first TV appearance as a married couple of the Fuji TV “Sanma no Manma” variety show tonight.

• Actress Kuriyama Chiaki (23) has made the gossip magazines for the first time. According to today’s issue of “Friday”, she is romantically involved with actor Koshinaka Makoto (27), former vocalist of the defunct visual-kei rock band Λucifer.　 She was spotted visiting his Tokyo apartment earlier in the month. Her agency says she is taking guitar and vocal lessons and has made many musician friends recently, but denies any deeper relationship between the two. Kuriyama made her name as Gogo Yubari in Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill Vol.1” in 2003, and has since established herself as an actress and model. Λucifer (or Lucifer) was formed in 1999 based around the manga “Kaikan Phrase”, with the band members taking their names from the manga’s characters. They released three albums and nine singles before breaking up in January 2003.

Popular movie director Ichikawa Kon died Wednesday of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital. He was 92. The recipient of awards at such international film festivals as Cannes and Venice, he is perhaps best known outside Japan for 1965’s art-documentary “Tokyo Orimpikku” (Tokyo Olympiad) and “Biruma no Tategoto” (The Burmese Harp), which was recognized at the Venice festival in 1956 and nominated for an Oscar the following year. Often photographed with a cigarette in his mouth, he continued to work into his 90s, his final project in 2006 being a remake of his 1976 hit “Inugamike no Ichizoku” (The Inugamis).

Born in Mie Prefecture in 1915, he joined an animation studio straight from high school and made his directorial debut shortly after the end of WWII. In 1948 he married Wada Natto, an assistant at the Toei Studio who also became the screenwriter for most of his works until her death from cancer in 1983. Ichikawa joined the major Toho studio in 1951, and in the mid-1950s made a series of adaptations of literary works. Among these were “Biruma..”, “Kokoro” (The Heart, 1955) and “Kagi” (The Key), which received a Golden Globe and the Jury Award award at Cannes in 1960. His film of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics was a sensation and has been called one of the best sports documentaries ever made. He later moved away from making large-scale projects, returning only in 1976 to make “Inugamike…”, the first feature by Kadokawa Pictures, which had risen from the ashes of the major Daiei studio. Ichikawa’s other notable works include “Ototo” (Younger Brother, 1960) and “Sasame Yuki” (The Makioka Sisters, 1983). He was recognized by the government for his cultural contributions in 1994.

• A lawyer has sued publisher Shogakkan and mangaka Inoura Hideo for stealing the ideas used in a popular manga series. The “Big Comic Original” magazine has been running Inoura’s “Bengoshi no Kuzu” for three series, with a fourth due to start this month. The strip was also adapted into a TBS drama series starring top actor Toyokawa Etsushi in 2006. But lawyer Uchida Masatoshi says that the story has copied major elements from his non-fiction books published in 2001 and 2005, and he filed a suit at the Tokyo District Court ordering Shogakkan to remove the series.

• Former top Takarazuka star Wao Yoka is to make her “Broadway” debut. She was introduced on stage after a performance of “Chicago” in New York on Tuesday, though she will be playing the lead role of Velma Kelly at the Akasaka Act Theater in Tokyo from October. It’s Wao’s first musical role since retiring from the famous all-female theatrical revue in 2006.

Who do you think are Japan’s most persuasive celebrities? A recent online survey shows that people polled overwhelmingly chose comedians with enough gift of the gab to carry their own regular TV shows. Master emcee Shimada Shinsuke (51) topped the rankings, and watching him on TV just about any night of the week it’s hard to argue. His mix of humor and often twisted logic to argue his various theories about life and love leave guests in stitches but also get a lot of heads nodding. In the survey carried out over two weeks in January by Just Systems, Shimada ranked top by a mile over equally verbose comedians and TV regulars Akashiya Sanma and Tamori, with Kitano “Beat” Takeshi, Tokoro Joji and relative newcomer Tamura Atsushi of the duo London Boots also making the Top 10. In fourth place was actor and renowned playboy Ishida Junichi, followed in fifth by Japan’s accomplished Olympic baseball coach Hoshino Senichi. Filling out the Top 10 were former prime minister Koizumi Junichiro and Mino Monta, the busiest man on Japanese TV, who surprisingly only squeaked in at No.9.

Almost a total unknown even in his own country, taiko drummer Nakamura Koji (48) was the only Japanese artist to take an award at the Grammys over the weekend. With most other winners wearing tuxedos, Nakamura stood out in his traditional kimono. A member of the Paul Winter Consort, he shared the Best New Age Album award for “Crestone”. The main recordings for the album were done in the natural acoustics of a lake high in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Colorado. The album features the pow-wow drum and cedar flute of a young singer of Apache heritage, as well as birds and animals native to the region. The photo shows, from the left, members Paul McCandless, Peter May and Nakamura. Formerly with the famous Ondekoza taiko group and a leader of the Shumei Taiko Ensemble, Nakamura moved to the US in 2004. Countryman Kitaro was also nominated in the same category, for the 12th time.

• Freelance announcer Yukino Tomoyo is expecting her first baby baby this summer. And at the age of 44, she says she wants to be an example to other women who decide to give birth later in life. She and the father, a 41-year-old real estate company owner and divorcee, plan to get married around the time of the expected birth in June. The couple met last summer and started dating within a week. They currently live together in Tokyo. Yukino made her name while with TV Asahi in the late 1980s as a presenter on the infamous late-night show “Tonight”.

• The latest single from Johnny’s Jimusho band KAT-TUN has entered the Oricon chart at No.1. “Lips” is the sixth consecutive chart topper from the 6-member band since they debuted in 2006. Meanwhile, Koda Kumi’s “Kingdom” is on top of the album chart for the second week. Despite (or perhaps thanks to) the pop star’s recent gaffe on live radio and the repercussions on her PR appearances, the album has already sold over half a million copies.

Veteran martial arts actor Chiba Shinichi (69) and an associate (49) have been questioned by police following a fight in central Tokyo on Wednesday night. The two were eating in separate restaurants in the Higashi Shimbashi district when Chiba heard from a friend that the other man was spreading rumors about his financial problems. The two got into an argument and then a fight in a nearby public square, and both are said to have suffered injuries. Police are investigating who instigated the violence, but as both men were reportedly drunk at the time a settlement out of court is the most likely result. Chiba was one of the first Japanese actors to find success in Hollywood, and was back in the spotlight again when he appeared in Quentin Tarantino’s 2003 hit movie “Kill Bill, Vol.1”. Last year he changed his stage name to JJ Sonny Chiba.

• Dressed in a black suit and white blouse rather than her usual revealing style, pop singer Koda Kumi (25) made a televised apology to fans yesterday evening (as reported here). In the recorded interview shown on Fuji TV’s “FNN Super News”, a tearful Koda said she had been surprised by the reaction to her flippant comment on live radio last weekend. But online bashing, especially from older female listeners, and the subsequent work-related consequences forced her into a leave of absence at a time when she should be heavily promoting her latest album.

• Artist and Kome Kome Club vocalist Ishii Tatsuya (48) was on stage with dozens of business and industry leaders in Tokyo yesterday. The event was the launch of a campaign to celebrate 150 years of the domestic steel industry, for which Ishii designed the image character Aira. He and science producer Yonemura Denjiro (53) will be the public faces of the campaign throughout the year. “Denjiro Sensei” regularly appears on TV to popularize science for children, and is putting on two days of science shows at the Roppongi Hills complex at the end of July as part of the campaign. Organized by the Japan Iron and Steel Federation, the campaign slogan is “Steel for Life”. Ishii has also written an image song, which will be released on February 26.

• Yesterday fallen talento Haga Kenji (46) and former world boxing champion Watanabe Jiro (52) had their second day in court in their ongoing extortion case. The accused were passive as their alleged victim gave evidence, but Haga had to wipe away tears when his wife Mayu (30) was called to the stand. Married only since October 2006, the couple hadn’t been allowed to see each other since Haga’s arrest last June. Asked about entries in her husband’s bank books, which she kept charge of, Mayu said she didn’t remember. When asked if she planned to stay married to Haga, she replied simply “Yes.”

• Former idol singer Kokusho Sayuri (41) is turning back the clock on Valentine’s Day. She has re-recorded her 1986 hit “Valentine Kiss” and will be supporting it with live appearances on TV and radio shows all over Tokyo. The song was voted the one most people wanted to hear on Valentine’s Day in a survey by chart company Oricon last year. Kokusho was member #8 of the top ’80s idol group Onyanko Club and is now an actress.

• Popular young actor Matsuyama Kenichi (22) was at the Tokyo International Forum last night for the Japan premiere of “L Change the World”, the latest movie spinoff from the “Death Note” manga. The movie, directed by Nakata Hideo, opens on Saturday.

• Kansai TV has submitted a request to be allowed to broadcast again, a year after it was exposed for faking data on a popular TV show. In January 2007, the company was found to have made up data used on the long-running “Hakkutsu! Aru Aru Daijiten II” and was expelled from the National Association of Commercial Broadcasters the following April (that story).

J-pop queen Koda Kumi (25) is to make a videotaped appearance on the Fuji TV show “FNN Super News” this afternoon to apologize for her recent verbal slip on live radio. Last weekend’s comment, an insult to women over the age of 35, has led to a loss of work and a self-imposed home confinement. For the music industry’s current biggest-grossing artist with a new album just hitting the shelves, that’s no laughing matter. Koda and her Avex label management have been busy with damage control, issuing written apologies via the media and online. It can only be hoped that in today’s TV appearance, Koda will avoid the self-indulgent tears that are so often used as a show of repentance. But it’s more likely that we’ll see the usual waterworks.

• Rock singer Ayanokoji Sho, vocalist of the band Kishidan, became a father this week when his wife had a baby girl. The couple, who he met in London, got married in December 2006 and held a large wedding reception last June with Glay and Utada Hikaru among the 300 guests. In the last couple of years, Ayanokoji has been performing mainly as his alter ego, DJ Ozma.

• Actress Tanaka Minako (40) announced this week that she is expecting her first child in June. She married actor Okada Taro (33) last year. Tanaka is currently filming the TBS drama “Mikon Rokushimai 2” and plans to attend a PR event on February 14.

• Former pro wrestler turned actress Noumi Kayo (31) and PaniCrew member Hourii (35), who married last April, are to hold their wedding reception in Tokyo later this month. They will then head off for a weeklong honeymoon in the Maldives. Noumi made the announcement yesterday at a PR event for a B-movie she is making with fellow former wrestlers including Cutie Suzuki (38) and Ozaki Mayumi (39).

• Romance has bloomed once again in the TV world, according to the latest issue of women’s weekly “Josei Seven”. Takeuchi Emi (31), a presenter on the late-night TV Asahi news show “Houdou Station”, and former Fuji TV announcer Sakurai Kenichiro (34) were spotted on a recent date in Tokyo. Both networks refused to comment on the story, saying it was “a private matter.” Sakurai has been working behind the scenes in Fuji’s sports department since he caused a traffic accident back in 2001. He married a company employee in 2002 but they split up last year.

Rock musician Okamura Yasuyuki (42) is the latest celebrity in a recent string of drug arrests. The arrest, his third for drugs, was announced yesterday on his official website. The singer-songwriter made his debut in 1986 and has released some 25 singles. His best-known hits, such as “Ikenai Koto Kai” and “Daisukji” date from the late 1980s. He plays several instruments and has also worked as a producer. Renowned for his vibrant live performances, he says he considers himself a Japanese version of Prince. He was first arrested for drugs in 2002, and while on probation in April 2005 he was arrested again when drug tests proved positive. He admitted he had shot up in a Shibuya record store several days before and he was given an 18-month prison sentence. He started a nationwide tour last October but injured his left calf during a show in November. The tour was due to restart with three concerts scheduled for later this month, but all are now canceled and Okamura’s fan club has been disbanded.

• The next Hollywood project for actor Watanabe Ken (48) was announced yesterday. He’ll be heading to China next month to start filming on “Shanghai”, directed by Mikael Hafstrom. Set on the night before the start of the Pacific War, the movie also stars John Cusack (41) and Gong Li (42). Watanabe will be busy over the next few months – he is also filming the children’s vampire flick “Cirque du Freak” with Salma Hayek and John C. Reilly.

• Sony Computer Entertainment has announced the first in its new “Playstation3 The Best” series of software titles. The five re-released titles, which go on sale March 19 for ¥3,800 each, are: “Ridge Racer 7”, “FolksSoul – Ushinawareta Densho”, “Resistance – Jinrui Botsuraku no Hi”, “Ninja Gaiden Σ”, and “Kidou Senshi Gundam – Target in Sight.”

• Enka singer Mori Masako (49) made her return to work yesterday. After being hospitalized last September with acute pneumonia, she was back on stage for the first time to sing “Ettou Tsubame” in a regular NHK kayou (ballad) concert. She will re-start her national tour on February 22 in Tokyo.

Victor Records and the music industry are expecting big things from rock band Otona Moodo (translates as Adult Mode, but we’ll just call them Otona Mode). The band have three indie-label albums and several TV commercial tie-ups under their belt, but make their major-label debut tomorrow with the release of the single “Kaze ni Natte”. Their label are backing them up with major radio exposure – 32 networks nationwide will have the song as a “power play” this month. The band’s five members, who come from places as far apart as Hokkaido, Kanagawa and Aichi prefectures, met while at music college in Tokyo in 2004. They started performing mainly in the hip district of Shimo-Kitazawa and released their debut single in February 2006. More recently they worked on “Sora”, the debut album by up-and-coming idol Aragaki Yui (19). The coming week will see them perform in-store events at Tower Records in Tokyo and Osaka and a gig at the Liquid Room in Ebisu on February 25. The growth of their fan base has been helped by the boyish good looks of vocalist Takahashi Keita (22) and their melodic musical stylings, which have drawn comparisons to an early Mr. Children.

Another release with big expectations is the first album in two and a half years from Utada Hikaru (25). “Heart Station” is not out until March 19, but media were given a look at the album cover this week. It features a photo that is a bit more natural than Hikki’s usual look and was taken during a 4-hour studio session last Christmas Eve. Now in her mid-20s and a divorcee, she has clearly grown up. Her most recent release, last year’s single “Flavor of Life”, was downloaded some 7.5 million times, as a “chaku-uta” for mobile phones among other things. The first single from the new album, “Heart Station/Stay Gold”, will be her 20th and goes on sale February 20.

• From one queen of J-pop to another. Currently the best-selling J-pop artist, Koda Kumi (25) is biting her tongue the last couple of days. She got herself into trouble at the weekend while hosting the All Night Nippon radio show, making a caustic comment to the effect that once women reach the age of 35, their amniotic fluids go rotten. The throwaway remark drew protests from listeners and Koda and her handlers are taking the criticism seriously. One of her TV commercial sponsors has withdrawn the campaign, and she has canceled a scheduled TV appearance on the “Tetsuko no Heya” talk show. At a time when she should be out promoting her new album “Kingdom”, she’s riding out the storm at home. The album has entered the latest Oricon chart at No.1 anyway.

The main cast members have been announced for the live-action manga adaptation “20th Century Boys”, on which filming started yesterday. Yesterday also saw the first look at the movie’s original poster art (left). Urasawa Naoki’s popular science fiction mystery story, which first appeared in the weekly magazine “Big Comic Spirits” in 1999, is being made into a trilogy of movies directed by Tsutsumi Yukihiko (52). The first two chapters are being shot simultaneously over the next six months, and the first chapter is scheduled to open in theaters on August 30. It’s expected to be the biggest adaptation movie of the year. And with locations in seven countries and a budget estimated at ¥6 billion, some big name actors were expected. Karasawa Toshiaki (44) will play the lead role of Kenji, a man who must search his childhood memories for the secrets of a mysterious cult leader known only as “Friend.” The key roles of Kenji’s childhood friends will be played by Toyokawa Etsushi (48) as Otcho and Tokiwa Takako (35) as Yukiji. The obvious title theme for the movies is T. Rex’s 1973 hit “20th Century Boy”, which Urasawa lists as an inspiration for the story. As children, Kenji and his friends write a “book of revelations” that tells of a hero who stands up to an evil organization bent on destroying the world. 30 years later and those events start to play out in real life, but with Kenji – now a convenience store manager but with hero and rock-star dreams – cast not as the hero but as one of the villains. 20 million copies of the manga have been sold in Japan.

• Musician Kato Raimon (29) has been arrested for possession of marijuana. According to police reports, several grams of the drug were found in a rucksack in his car outside his Meguro Ward, Tokyo home. It is believed that his family turned him in. Kato is best known as the second son of folk duo Hide and Rosanna, made up of the late Demon Hide (1942-90, real name Kato Hideo) and his Italian wife, who were very popular in the 1970s. He is a member of the band Smorgas.

• Management for Iida Kaori (26) announced yesterday that the former Morning Musume leader became a mother last month. She had a baby girl on January 22. Iida married former 7House member Kenji (29) in July of last year. She plans to continue her musical career.

• Fans of Kawamura Ryuichi (37) got a rare treat yesterday at the Nippon Budokan, when the Luna Sea vocalist performed a “marathon live” show that included all 71 songs recorded during his ten years as a solo artist. When Kawamura got to song No.65, “Sunset”, the 12,000 fans went wild when he was joined on stage by Luna Sea guitarist Inoran (37).

A haggard looking Haga Kenji (46, left) and a defiant Watanabe Jiro (52, right) were at the Osaka District Court yesterday for the first hearing in their extortion case. The one-time popular talento and renowned playboy and the former world boxing champion have pleaded not guilty to the charges for which they were arrested last year. Haga is accused of swindling an associate out of some ¥370 million in 2001 by selling shares in a medical consultancy at triple their actual price. When the company failed to go public and went bankrupt, the man came looking for his money back. Haga then enlisted the help of Watanabe and others to use death threats and force the man to relinquish the debt and accept a payment of just ¥10 million. This all played out at a time when Haga was promoting himself as having dug his way out of serious debt by building up a successful jewelry business. In 2006, he held a press conference to announce his engagement to get married in Hawaii, and proudly said he had repaid all his debts. Seeing this on TV, the extortion victim decided to go to the police, and eight months later Haga was arrested. In his first appearance in seven months, he looked much thinner and his permed hair was down to his shoulders. His wife Mayu will appear in court as a witness at the next hearing, scheduled for February 7. Watanabe has a history of similar trouble with the law. In 1995, he was arrested for making death threats against debtors to his import business, but police failed to prosecute the case. In 1999, he was arrested for giving a gun to a friend accused of murder, and he served four and a half years in prison.

• The two teenage daughters of actress Matsuzaka Keiko (55) will make their showbiz debut alongside their mother in an upcoming TV series. The English language education series on NHK will focus on the book “Anne of Green Gables”, which has been popular in Japan for many years. Matsuzaka and her daughters Monet (15) and Marisa (13), who were both born in New York and attend an international school in Tokyo, filmed the series on location on Prince Edward Island in Canada, where the book is set. The series will air on NHK’s education channel on Tuesday nights from April. Matsuzaka is married to jazz guitarist Takauchi Haruhiko.

• Hollywood’s back on top at the Japanese box office. After 2006 saw domestic movies beat out foreign imports for the first time in 21 years, it was business as usual last year. In its data released yesterday, Eiren (the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan) said that total box office receipts fell 2.2% last year to ¥198 billion yen, with local movies bringing in 47.7% of the revenue, down from 2006’s 53.2%. Blockbuster sequels provided the main impetus, with the Top 3 being: “Pirates of the Caribbean: World’s End” (¥10.9 billion), “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” (¥9.4 billion), and “Spiderman 3” (¥7.1 billion). The biggest local hits were the Kimura Takuya vehicle “Hero” (¥8.1 billion), the Pokemon feature “Dialga VS Palkia VS Darkrai” (¥5.0 billion), and the nostalgic “Always: Zoku Sanchome no Yuhi” (¥4.6 billion).