Monthly Archives: March 2008

Actress Hirosue Ryoko (27) yesterday suddenly announced on her website that she and model/designer Okazawa Takahiro (32) are divorced. Following a recent pattern set by such celebs as actress Takeuchi Yuko and talento Chiaki, Hirosue will support herself as a single mother. She has custody of their 3-year-old son and Okazawa will not pay any alimony. Hirosue certainly shouldn’t have any financial worries – she’s appearing in two movies due for release this year, “Okuribito” and “Goemon”; she stars in the Fuji TV drama series “Yume no Mitsukekata wo Oshietaru” and has another role lined up for later in the year; and she currently has four commercial contracts, including Coca Cola and cosmetic maker Shiseido.

Hirosue’s success of the last couple of years mirrors her huge popularity as one of Japan’s top young stars in the late 1990s, though motherhood took her out of the scene for a year and a half in between. She got her start in 1994 by winning a contest sponsored by skin care brand Clearasil. She found success quickly, appearing in dozens of dramas and movies and debuting as a pop singer in 1997. She surprised everyone when she entered Waseda University in 1999 but ended up leaving without graduating after four years. At the end of 2003, she surprised everyone again when she announced that she was five months pregnant and engaged to Okazawa. But rumors of a split appeared in 2006 and they were living apart by the end of that year. One main reason for the divorce is said to be that they both have successful careers. Okazawa is an established fashion model and has been the poster boy for Nike. His own fashion brand CLS is one of the top names in the hip “Ura-Harajuku” area of Tokyo popular among young people. In January he opened a shop in Taipei which he designed himself.

The world of J-pop has yet another new international dimension. New Zealand-born Jay’Ed (26) is to make his major-label debut in May with the single “Superwoman” on the Toys Factory label. With a Japanese father and Kiwi mother, he traveled often between the two countries before settling in Osaka. When he was 17, he decided to get into music after watching American R&B duo K-Ci and Jojo perform at a local live house. He is described as having a unique sense of rhythm and timing. “Superwoman” goes on sale May 21.

• Talento Ohigashi Megumi (36) has been hospitalized after being hit by a minibus. She was on her way to the NHK studio on Tuesday afternoon when she was hit by the bus making a right turn at a junction. She suffered a broken leg and is expected to need three months to recover. Police say that Ohigashi and the 28-year-old driver gave conflicting statements about the color of the traffic signal at the time, and they are looking for witnesses. Ohigashi started her showbiz career as an unsuccessful idol singer. She married former Kintestsu Buffaloes baseball player Ohkubo Hideaki (38) in 1998 and has since worked as an occasional reporter and commentator.

The Hollywood live-action adaptation of “Dragonball” will be in Japanese theaters in March 2009, a month ahead of its U.S. release. Originally planned for an August 15 U.S. opening, it has been pushed back to April 3, 2009. 20th Century Fox, who have given no explanation for the delay, have had the rights to adapt the hugely successful manga since 2002. Creator Toriyama Akira (52) is working on the new adaptation and the movie is directed by James Wong. Canadian actor Justin Chatwin (25) has the lead role of Son Goku, who follows his grandfather’s dying request to find the great Master Roshi (Chow Yun-Fat) and gather all seven Dragon Balls in order to prevent Lord Piccolo (James Marsters) from taking over the world. Japanese actress Tamura Eriko (35) plays the villain Mai. The original manga series ran in Weekly Shonen Jump for almost eleven years from 1984. There were also three anime series, seventeen animated feature films and a wide variety of other spinoffs.

• The government announced yesterday that late movie director Ichikawa Kon is to be posthumously awarded the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold and Silver Star. Ichikawa passed away of pneumonia on February 13 at the age of 92. He was previously awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon (1982), Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Rosette (1988), and in 1994 was recognized as a person who has made outstanding cultural contributions.

• Comedian Shibata Hidetsugu of the duo Untouchable, who spent the last few months in hospital, had some good news yesterday when he became a father for the second time. Shibata was hospitalized with acute pneumonia in December and was only released at the end of February. He and his wife married in October 2005 and had a son the following month.

• Also having a second child is talento Kubo Junko (36). She revealed during yesterday’s recording of the Fuji TV show “Uchikuru!?” that she is expecting a baby in mid-August. The former NHK announcer is now a freelancer and regular on a wide variety of shows. She married an advertising executive in 2000 and had her first child in 2002.

• Oscar winner Javier Bardem (39) was in Tokyo yesterday to promote his latest movie, “No Country for Old Men.” The Spanish star won an Academy Award last month as Best Supporting Actor for his role as a relentless killer in the movie, which opens here on March 15.

Musician and producer Ueda Gen died in Tokyo on Sunday evening of lung cancer. He was just 47. Ueda started rock-ska band LÄ-PPISCH in 1986 along with four of his Meiji University friends, and remained with the band until 2002. In addition to his solo career, he was also a producer and songwriter for many other artists. He wrote the music and lyrics for Hajime Chitose‘s smash hit debut single “Wadatsumi no Ki.” He continued to work after he was diagnosed with cancer and began chemotherapy at the end of 2006. LÄ-PPISCH played a revival concert tour last year, but Ueda only appeared for one show, in Tokyo in October. His condition also forced him to pull out of a planned appearance at the Rising Sun Rock Festival. His final public appearance was playing with punk band Kemuri on the Fuji TV “Bokura no Ongaku” show on November 23.

• Actor Karasawa Toshiaki (44) was among yesterday’s recipients of awards presented by the government. The awards, from the Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, are given out every year in recognition of contributions to the arts. Other winners were screenwriter Mitani Kouki (46), rakugo-ka Tatekawa Shinosuke (54), and movie director Suo Masayuki (51). An established star of TV and movies, Karasawa most recently won acclaim for his lead role in Shakespeare’s “Coriolanus”, directed by Ninagawa Yukio. He described how his wife, actress Yamaguchi Tomoko (43), was so into the play that she flew to London just to watch him on opening night at the Barbican Theatre.

• On their third visit to Japan, American rock band Maroon 5 performed at Nippon Budokan for the first time last night. They performed a 14-song set based mainly around last year’s second album “It Won’t Be Soon Before Long”, which sold about 350,000 copies here. The band is scheduled to play an extra show at the same venue on March 17.

The big news over the weekend was a surprise announcement from Yamaguchi Tatsuya (36) a member of the popular Johnny’s band Tokio. During the opening concert of their tour at Nippon Budokan on Saturday night, Yamaguchi broke a few hearts among the 13,000 fans when he told them that he had just got married. And what’s more, he and his new bride, a former model named only as A-san (31), are expecting a baby in the summer. He said that they had been dating for about eight years and finally registered their marriage at the Kamakura city office on Saturday morning. Known as a rugged outdoors type, Yamaguchi is the face (along with Kane Kosugi) of the long-running macho “Faito!! Ippatsu!!” TV commercials for the Lipovitan energy drink. A keen surfer, he moved to the seaside town of Kamakura in 2003 and invited A-san to live with him. He says he didn’t propose at the time, but the decision to live together was the big step towards marriage. He’s the first member of Tokio to tie the knot. Nagase Tomoya (29) ended a long relationship with J-pop diva Hamasaki Ayumi last year.

• And more news on the baby front. TBS announcer Ogura Hiroko (33) had her first child, a baby girl, on Saturday. She married sportscaster and former J-Leaguer Mizuuchi Takeshi (35) in April 2005. Meanwhile, comedian Tanaka Naoki (36) and actress Kohinata Shie (28) are expecting their second child in May, according to the latest issue of woman’s magazine “Nina’s”. Tanaka, of the duo Cocorico, is said to be happy that they’re expecting a younger brother for their 4-year-old son.

Oscar-nominated actress Kikuchi Rinko (25) is gracing the latest issue of UK fashion and culture mag “i-D Magazine”. She’s the first Japanese on the cover since international exposure in “Kill Bill Vol.1” got Kuriyama Chiaki on the front page in 2004.

• Singer Koda Kumi (25) is finally getting her career back in gear. Since an ill-advised comment on live radio at the end of January and a tearful video-taped apology shown on the news, she has stayed home on a leave of absence that meant she was unable to promote her latest album. But at the weekend, a newsletter sent to members of her fan club was accompanied by a letter of apology and news that she will start a nationwide concert tour as planned in Shizuoka on April 12. She told a friend, veteran singer Wada Akiko, that she felt it was too soon, but that tickets for the shows had already been sold.

• Canadian superstar Celine Dion (39) is in Japan for the first time in nine years and performed two shows at Tokyo Dome over the weekend. She was joined by singer Itoh Yuna (24), with whom she released the local version of the duet “A World to Believe In.” Dion plays two shows at Kyocera Dome Osaka on March 11-12.

Singer-actress Nakashima Mika (25) is to be the first Japanese artist to appear on the cover of “Rolling Stone Japan” magazine. Published in the US since 1967, Rolling Stone launched its Japanese edition in 2007 and the April issue marks its first anniversary. Like its US counterpart, the magazine has featured only top international stars – the March cover is graced by Johnny Depp. But chief editor Ino Takaaki said they chose Nakashima for her “strong rock spirit,” adding that she stands out among leaders of the domestic music scene in that she has maintained her stoic and rarified aura. She made her debut in the 2001 Fuji TV drama “Kizudarake no Love Song”, playing the heroine and singing the title song. “Stars” was a hit and won her the Nippon Record Taisho and Gold Disc Best Newcomer awards in 2002. Her first two albums and a 2005 hits collection were all million-sellers, with “Love” also amassing huge sales in South Korea. In 2006, she released a charity single “All Hands Together” to support the victims of Hurricane Katrina. She has several TV and movie credits, including the title role in the 2005 hit manga adaptation “Nana.” The new Rolling Stone magazine, which also includes a four-page spread on Nakashima, goes on sale March 10.

Master animator Miyazaki Hayao (67) spoke this week for the first time about his latest movie “Gake no Ue no Ponyo” (Ponyo on the Cliff), due for release in July. He described the story as “Hans Christian Anderson’s tale of the Little Mermaid, transposed to modern Japan. Without the Christian subtext, it’s a story of young children’s love and adventure.” Ponyo, the heroine of the title, is a fish child with a stubborn wish to live with the 5-year-old human boy Sosuke. Inspiration for the movie came in 2004, when Miyazaki took his Studio Ghibli staff on a company holiday to a small town on the shores of the Seto Inland Sea. Captivated by the ocean and the town, he later spent two months there alone researching and sketching. The name Sosuke came from a Natsume Soseki novel he read during that time. Visually, he described the “small seaside town and the house on the cliff; just a few people; the ocean, like a living creature; a world where magic appears naturally.” Sousuke’s nursery is located next to an old people’s home, and producer Suzuki Toshio (59) described the movie as appealing to both the young and the elderly. “It’s a movie that can help us face these times of neurosis and anxiety.” The animation is in a freehand style, without the computer graphics of Miyazaki’s recent works.

• Chemistry member Kawabata Kaname (29) announced on his website that he and popular model Takahashi Miki registered their marriage in Tokyo yesterday. The couple started dating last June after Takahashi appeared in the promo video for the single “This Night.” They currently have no plans for a wedding or reception. Kawabata ended a 6-year relationship with talento Anzai Hiroko at the beginning of 2007, saying he wanted to focus on his music career. But he has admitted to being envious of the married life and fatherhood of his Chemistry partner Douchin Yoshikuni (29). His recently revealed on a talk show that he hasn’t seen his own father since he disappeared ten years ago. Takahashi, who works mostly in fashion magazines and TV commercials, is said to be in her late 20s.

• Former talento Haga Kenji (46) was on the witness stand yesterday at the Osaka District Court. He was questioned in court for the first time in his ongoing trial for fraud and attempted blackmail. “I regret it,” he said. “I thought what I was doing was right.” As his lawyer asked, “While you’ve been in custody, your jewelry business has gone bankrupt, hasn’t it? And you are unable to return to your career in showbusiness, aren’t you?” a tearful Haga simply nodded his head.

• In today’s issue of weekly magazine “Friday,” comedian Gekidan Hitori (31) speaks publicly for the first time about his relationship with talento Osawa Akane (22). He says that he’s hoping they’ll be able to tie the knot soon, but can’t yet say when that might be. The two started dating last spring and have since been regularly spotted together around Tokyo. Osawa Keiji (75), Akane’s grandfather and the former manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters baseball team, refused to comment to reporters on their wedding plans.

• Legendary Italian actress Sophia Loren (73) is in Japan for the first time in 33 years. She was in Ginza, central Tokyo yesterday for the opening of a new store by Italian jewelry maker Damiani.

Though they were rumored to be on the verge of marriage, it looks like Exile leader Hiro (38, photo left) and actress Sada Mayumi (30) actually split up a year ago. The LDH management agency, which is run by Hiro and represents Sada, sent out a fax yesterday breaking the news and saying the two remain good friends. The announcement came after the revelation in today’s issue of “Josei Seven” magazine that Sada is now dating Kiriya Kazuaki (39), the ex-husband of singer Utada Hikaru (25). Sada and Hiro first met through a mutual friend and started going out in 2002. The music production company run by Hiro merged with Sada’s management agency, making him her boss and strengthening the rumors that their relationship was serious. Hiro, real name Igarashi Hiroyuki, has been one of the leaders of the R&B scene for more than a decade. He originally found success as a dancer with the band Zoo, which split up in 1996. He formed J Soul Brothers in 1997, with a name change to Exile four years later. They had a breakthrough year in 2003, when their album “Exile Entertainment” became a million-seller. 2005’s “Perfect Best” and last year’s “Exile Love” also broke the million mark. With an American grandfather, Sada is one of several mixed race fashion models to have gained fame beyond the magazine world. She was with the magazine “Vivi” from 1998 to 2003 and has since worked on TV and as an actress. In 2004 she made her second movie appearance, in Kiriya’s “Casshern”. Kiriya and Utada divorced in March 2007, which would be about the time that Sada and Hiro are said to have split. Hmmm…

• Actor Wakabayashi Gou (68) is recovering from emergency surgery in a Nagoya hospital. He collapsed during a performance featuring star Kobayashi Sachiko (54) at the Misonoza theater yesterday and was rushed to hospital. He was diagnosed with a chronic stroke on his left side and underwent three hours of surgery. He is expected to make a full recovery and be home in a week or so. In recent years, Wakabayashi has worked mostly on TV, particularly as a presenter on the home shopping channel.

• On her 28th birthday yesterday, talento Yamada Mariya and actor Kusano Toru (40) held a lavish wedding reception in central Tokyo. 120 guests, including many celebrities were at the event and the happy couple were serenaded by vocal group Gospellers.

R&B singer Crystal Kay (22) has lined up her first anime theme song. Her song “One” will be used as the main theme for this summer’s Pocket Monsters movie. The 11th theatrical release, “Pocket Monsters Diamond and Pearl. Giratina to Sora no Hanataba: Sheimi” (Giratina and the Bouquet of the Sky), opens in theaters on July 19. The production team had wanted to team up with the singer since her song “Lost Child” was used for the 2001 movie “Satorare”. In turn, Kay says she was a fan of the English dub of Pokemon when she was a student at a Tokyo international school. “One” will be released for mobile phone downloads on March 8, when the movie trailer hits cinemas.

• Yesterday pop group Exile were presented with the Gold Disc Award for Artist of the Year. The award goes to the artist with the highest CD sales for the year, and for a change it wasn’t Koda Kumi. The 7-member group sold 2.3 million albums and 1.1 million singles in 2007, and with downloads included they had a sales total of ¥15.4 billion.

• Singer Oishi Madoka (35) announced yesterday that she married a securities company employee (35) on Monday. The date was the anniversary of her arrival in Tokyo from her hometown of Hakodate back in 1991. The couple, who first met in the autumn of 2006, are planning a wedding ceremony this autumn.

Young up-and-coming actress Aragaki Yui (19) looks like having another successful year. She appeared in three movies last year – “Koi Suru Madori”, “Waruboro” and “Koizora” – and got a slew of best newcomer awards. At yesterday’s Golden Arrow awards in Tokyo, given for various media categories, she was the winer in the movie category. Other winners included: Broadcast Award – actor Oguri Shun (25); Newcomer Award – actress Kikuchi Rinko (26) and comedienne Yanagihara Kanako (22). Not attending the show at the Hotel New Otani was young golf sensation Ishikawa Ryo (16), who won the sports category.

• Disney’s princesses, including the first new one in 15 years, were in Tokyo yesterday for the Japan premiere of the movie “Enchanted”. Star Patrick Dempsey (42) joined Giselle, Snow White, Cinderella and Jasmine on stage at the Tokyo International Forum.

• Someone else making an arrival for the first time in 15 years is R&B queen Chaka Khan (54), who recently two Grammys for her latest album “Funk This”. She announced yesterday that she will be visiting in June and performing her first solo shows here since 1993. She’ll play a the Billboard Live venues in Tokyo and Osaka.

• Actress Miyazaki Aoi (22) and actor Takaoka Sousuke (26) caused a mini panic in Tokyo’s Omotesando yesterday as they and their showbiz guests left their wedding party. The couple tied the knot back in June of last year. Among yesterday’s guests were actor Asano Tadanobu (34) recently back from the Oscars; young actors Oguri Shun (25), Sato Ryuta (28), and V6’s Okada Yuichi (27); and actress Aso Kumiko (29).

• Former sumo behemoth Konishiki (44) revealed on his blog yesterday that he had surgery in Hawaii last month to reduce the size of his stomach. The gastric bypass is his latest attempt to shed some of the massive weight he gained on his way to becoming sumo’s heaviest ever wrestler. In his prime he averaged around 264kg (580lbs).

• For tomorrow’s 30th anniversary edition of information show “Zoom In! Super” NTV are bringing back the once-popular Anton Wicky (67), popularly known as Wicky-san, for one day. The Sri Lankan’s one-point English conversation lesson ran on the show from 1979-94, and he was one of the earliest foreign stars on Japanese TV.