Yearly Archives: 2009

On Tuesday, Softbank Mobile announced their lineup of new models and a major new addition to the “White Family” who appear in their commercials. There have been more than 60 commercials in the series since it started in June 2007, based around characters played by Ueto Aya (Daughter, photo center), Dante Carver (Son, photo left), Higuchi Kanako (Mother) and a white dog as the Father. Joining them will be Quentin Tarantino (46), who did some filming while here to promote his latest movie, “Inglourious Basterds.” That movie stars Brad Pitt (45), who was also in town and has appeared in Softbank TV commercials in the past.

Tarantino will play Uncle Tara-chan, with an image based loosely on the legendary Sakamoto Ryoma. The 19th-century samurai was one of the most prominent figures to embrace western culture and famously carried a Smith and Wesson revolver along with his sword. The image seems to suit Tarantino, the man who brought us the “Kill Bill” movies, perfectly. Asked about working with the director, Ueto said, “I was surprised that he was so fired up. He was really into it and ad-libbed a lot of the samurai moves. Maybe I should ask him to make a Hollywood version of the White Family.” The photo also includes Softbank CEO Son Masayoshi.

Veteran actor Morishige Hisaya died of old age yesterday morning after several months at a Tokyo hospital. He was 96. Born to wealthy parents in Osaka, Morishige started acting in amateur dramatics while a student at Waseda University in the mid-1930s. A stage actor for several years, he later became an announcer for NHK, working in Manchuria before the outbreak of WWII. His movie career began in 1947 and spanned more than 165 films. The 1952 hit “Santo Juyaku” led to a popular movie series starring Morishige as a company president and a sequel series called “Ekimae.” A natural comedian, he appeared in many television series and specials, and he headed the Japan Actors Union from 1982. In 1975 he was the first guest on the afternoon talk show hosted by Kuroyanagi Tetsuko, a show which continues 34 years later. Among his many honors, in 1991 Morishige was the first entertainer outside the field of classical Japanese performing arts to receive the Order of Culture from the Emperor. He suffered a heart attack while in Okinawa in 2002 but recovered. His final acting role was in a TV drama in January 2004.

Hollywood star Brad Pitt (45) filmed his first ever guest appearance on a Japanese variety show on his recent PR trip to Tokyo. He and director Quentin Tarantino (46) were in town last week to promote the movie “Inglourious Basterds” and they fitted in a visit to the Fuji TV show “SMAPxSMAP”. The episode will be aired on Monday, November 16. The Hollywood duo appear on the “Bistro SMAP” segment, with members of the pop group preparing dishes ordered by their guests. Katori Shingo (32) joked that when he feels run down, he watches the Pitt movie “Fight Club,” to which Burapi happily quipped, “Me, too!” He and Tarantino talked about their love for Tokyo and Japan. Pitt has appeared in many TV commercials here, for products such as Edwin jeans and the Softbank mobile phone network. Tarantino paid tribute to the Japanese chambara movie style in his “Kill Bill” movies. “Inglorious…” is scheduled for release in Japan on the 20th.

Less than 9 months after her drug trial, former talento Komukai Minako (24) is to release an appropriately titled debut single this week. Arrested in January for use of amphetamines, she received a an 18-month sentence, suspended for three years, at the end of February. The sentence is the same as that handed down yesterday to former top idol singer Sakai Noriko (38), so Komukai’s move back into the showbiz limelight is likely to be watched closely. She had a controversial run at the Rock-za strip theater in June, with her former management agency using the courts in an effort to stop her from appearing. She made her first TV appearance following the scandal on a Beat Takeshi-hosted variety show in August. And tomorrow sees the online release of the single “I Am Scandal.” Sources say Komukai plans to return to the Rock-za and work mainly as a stripper.
Earlier story:
The Fall of the Bikini Model

• Rock band Bon Jovi are the first western act to have five No.1’s on the Oricon album chart. Their 11th original album, “The Circle,” sold 67,000 copies in its first week to top the chart. The band released a short statement thanking their Japanese fans.

Former top idol singer Sakai Noriko (38) received her verdict in the drug case that has gripped the country for the last few months. At the Tokyo District Court this morning, judge Murayama Hiroaki handed her an 18-month sentence, suspended for 3 years for possession and use of amphetamines. The period of the suspended sentence was shorter than the 5 years given to actor Oshio Manabu (31) last week. Sakai’s husband, Takaso Yuichi, is also on trial on the same charges and is due to receive his verdict later this month. Sakai arrived in court today dressed in suitably sober black from head to toe. The judge told her, “You have played various roles in dramas, but unfortunately this case is reality. I hope you will be able to carry the burden (of this crime) and restart your life.” After giving his verdict the judge asked Sakai to repeat it. He prompted once more when she initially hesitated, until she was able to do so clearly.

• Singer Ko Biho died of pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital on Saturday. She was 82. A Chinese national born in Wakayama Prefecture, she became a popular star of the postwar period. She made her showbiz debut in the 1951 movie “Shanghai Gaeri no Riru.” From 1952 on she had a series of hits with reworked versions of songs from during the war. She converted to Christianity in 1974 and became a gospel singer, performing at churches and welfare centers across the country.

With an announcement not quite in keeping with their wild rock image, the band Maximum the Hormone said today they are taking an extended break from performing. The reason? Drummer Nao (33) has been told by doctors that the band’s style and schedule is harmful for both her and her unborn baby. Nao, who got married at the end of last year, found out she was pregnant in early September. At the time she said she wanted to meet previously scheduled performing salicylate-meds.com, but after she was taken by ambulance from a concert on Tuesday doctor’s said that the health of both mother and child was under threat. The band decided it was time to take a break and have indefinitely postponed two shows next week in Saga Prefecture. They have also pulled out of next February’s “Soundwave Festival 2010.”

Management for former soccer star Honda Yasuto (40) announced that he and model Takaoka Yumiko (34) are divorced. Honda initiated the divorce papers, which Takaoka filed at a municipal office yesterday. She has custody of their 7-year-old daughter. The divorce was by mutual consent so there is no alimony involved. A former Japan international who played for Kashima Antlers from the early 1990s, Honda retired in 2006 as the longest serving of the original J-League players. Beloved by Kashima fans, he took pride in the fact that he was widely hated by supporters of other teams and regarded as a dirty player. He is now a soccer commentator and adviser to Kashima. He and Takaoka married in 2000, but she will have to do something about her official blog, which has a prominent photo of her in her bridal dress and is titled “Hondake no Yome” (Bride of the Honda Family). She is the younger sister of popular actress Takaoka Saki (36), who divorced actor Hosaka Naoki (41) in 2004.

Romance has bloomed between actress Hirayama Aya (25, photo top left) and Johnny’s Jimusho singer Takaki Yuya (19, bottom left), according to today’s issue of weekly magazine “Friday.” The two appeared together in the drama series “Gokusen” in the spring of 2008 and are thought to have started dating last autumn. Management for both stars have denied anything other than friendship between the two. Takaki is a member of the group Hey! Say! Jump!

• Singer Kuroki Ken Jr. (43, photo right) and freelance announcer Nakao Miho (38, photo right) got married last month, it was revealed yesterday. Kuroki’s father was a popular ballad singer in the 1960s, who had a major hit with “Kiri ni Musebu Yoru” in 1968.

GReeeeN vocalist Hide has angrily denied media reports that the J-pop group are splitting up. It was reported this week that the upcoming release of a greatest hits album would be the group’s last and that the four members would focus on being full-time dentists. That sounds absurd except for the fact that all four were studying dentistry at university when they met. They completed their studies but also debuted with Universal Music in 2007, and their lives took a wildly different turn. With their catchy tunes and clever marketing the group have achieved world record level sales. They saw solid sales of their major-label debut album, and their second and third albums were million sellers. In July, their single “Kiseki” was recognized by Guinness World Records as the best-selling digital downloaded single of all time, and . But the members’ faces are never seen. On his blog yesterday, Hide (29) explained that this is because they are now practicing dentists and they want to keep that and their pop success separate. Addressing the latest rumor, he said “The media have created smoke where there is no fire, with the aim of taking your money. It stinks. Everyone, don’t worry, we are not breaking up.”

• Joining the million-selling club is the first greatest hits album from young singer-songwriter Ayaka (21). Over the last month and a half “Ayaka’s History 2006-2009” has stayed at or near the top of the Oricon charts. She is the first solo artist to break the million barrier since Amuro Namie last year. The only groups to do it this year are GReeeeN (see above) and Arashi with “All the Best!” Ayaka, who married actor Mizushima Hiro (25) in February, is currently taking a break from music to undergo treatment for Graves’ disease.

One of the most popular samurai dramas of them all is to get the Hollywood treatment. It was announced yesterday that the Warner Brothers studio is to make a movie related to the Chushingura story with acclaimed actor Yakusho Koji (53, profile) in the lead role. The project will be directed by Sugita Shigemichi (66), who is best known for the long-running Fuji TV drama series “Kita no Kuni Kara” (From the Northern Country). Chushingura is a famous tale of samurai vengeance, a story that has been told in countless ways in kabuki, bunraku, stage plays, films, novels, manga, TV shows and other media.

There are gaps in the historical records of the events which took place at the beginning of the 18th century. This has left room for many fictionalized accounts of how the forty-seven ronin (masterless samurai) undertook a mission to avenge the death of their master, the daimyo (territorial lord) Asano Naganori, who was ordered to commit seppuku (ritual suicide) after pulling his sword on a protocol official, Kira Kozukenosuke. The ronin accomplished their mission, turned paxil in and were also ordered to commit seppuku. Because the revenge attack took place on a December night, the story is as much part of the year-end calendar as A Christmas Carol is in the west.

Though names such as Asano, Kira, and ronin leader Oishi Kuranosuke are familiar to all Japanese, Yakusho, perhaps best known overseas for his role in “Babel,” and Sato Koichi will play the roles of two lesser known men. Seo Magozaemon was a retainer to Oishi and escaped the night before the mission, while Terasaka Kichiemon disappeared the after the attack and, as a common foot soldier rather than a samurai, is considered by many not to be included with the ronin. The new movie is based on a novel about the two men’s reunion 16 years later, which was also the basis for an NHK drama special in 2004.

Actor Oshio Manabu (31) received the latest drug-related court verdict at the Tokyo District Court today. Prosecutors had emphasized the fact that Oshio’s drug use at a Tokyo apartment on August 2 was not an isolated incident, and that he had been evasive and misleading in his statements to police. Under questioning, he admitted to using MDMA (ecstasy) for at least the last couple of years and while in the U.S. in March and July of this year. Judge Iguchi Osamu gave Oshio an 18-month prison sentence, suspended for the maximum five years, somewhat harsher than is usual for a first time offense. He said, “The plaintiff has said he will not take drugs again and the court feels it is fitting that he receive one more chance at rehabilitation in society.”

The actor is still not out of the woods yet, however. Police are still investigating Oshio’s involvement in the death of Tanaka Kaori (30). The former Ginza hostess was found naked on a bed in the same Roppongi Hills apartment with the same drug in her system. Police believe she was alive for about 30 minutes after the drugs started having an adverse affect on her. But rather than call for an ambulance or the police at the time, Oshio called his manager before moving to another apartment in the building. The authorities were not called to the scene until about three hours after Tanaka’s death.

Today’s hearing drew about 1200 members of the public looking to get one of the 21 seats in the courtroom’s public gallery. They did not include any members of Tanaka’s family.

The newly crowned Miss International Queen is from Japan and is proud as punch. Oh yes, he is. The last night of the annual pageant, held since 2005 in the Thai resort of Pattaya, saw 18 contestants from such countries as Thailand, China, the Philippines and the U.S. But for the first time the title went to a Japanese, in the form of popular talento Haruna Ai. One of the country’s many “new half” transsexual personalities, Haruna was in shape to enter the contest after undergoing a radical diet program for a variety show earlier this year. And although the pageant’s website gives the eligiblity age range as 18-36, an exception was presumably made for Haruna, who is 37. A successful business owner as well as a bubbly TV natural, Haruna leaped to fame in 2007 with a tongue-in-cheek impersonation of popular pop idol Matsuura Aya.

In addition to the winner’s trophy and tiara, Haruna receives cash prizes totaling $10,000 and gifts from sponsors. Haruna and fellow Japanese Tukishima Beni also won prizes the night before when they took the top and runner-up spots at a talent contest. The weeklong event is produced and organized by Tiffany’s Show Pattaya, the world’s largest transvestite/transgender cabaret show and supported by the Tourism Authority of Thailand.