Yearly Archives: 2011

The body of a man believed to be movie director Ikeda Toshiharu (59, photo right) was found in the Pacific Ocean at the end of last year, it was revealed yesterday. Mie Prefectural police have reported that the body, a short man in his 50s or 60s, was found floating near a lighthouse on the southern Shima Peninsula on December 26. The body was naked apart from a par of black sneakers and the man was believed to have drowned one or two days earlier. The area is remote, although its beaches are popular in summer.

Police are not assuming foul play and think it likely that the man jumped, or fell, from the 20m cliffs near the lighthouse. An associate of Ikeda who lives in the nearby small city of Shima heard about the death and suggested a possible identity to police. They are currently carrying out DNA testing, but the body has already been cremated.

Ikeda became an assistant director for Ishihara Promotions while studying at Waseda University and joined the Nikkatsu movie studio after graduation. He joined at the same time as Negishi Kichitaro (60), with whom he left Nikkatsu in 1984 to set up Director’s Company. Their first project was “Ningyo Densetsu,” and their approach of giving directors full creative control over movie projects shook up the industry. Ikeda left the company in 1991. His recent films include “Hasami Otoko” (2005) and “Akifukaki” (2008, photo).

It’s been a bad start to the year for talento Lasar Ishii (55, photo left). Management for the star have acknowledged media reports that he and his wife of 32 years have divorced. He and his ex-wife are said to have been living apart for the last 15 years. And according to today’s issue of the “Josei Jishin” weekly magazine, around the same time that the couple got formally divorced at the beginning of this month, Lasar was dumped by his 20-something girlfriend. Adding to the upheaval, Lasar was named as a last-minute replacement for ailing kabuki actor Nakamura Kanzaburo (55) for a stage production starting next month. He posted to Twitter, “What happened to my New Year?! Three surprises in a row!”

The magazine report says that Lasar and his now reportedly ex-girlfriend were spotted out at dinner on Christmas Eve, looking very happy. He was even seen presenting her with a ring, but it seems the happiness wasn’t to last.

Lasar formed the comedy trio Conto Akashingo with Watanabe Masayuki (56) and Komiya Takayasu (54) in 1977 and they got their break on the hugely popular and influential TV comedy show “Oretachi Hyokinzoku.” Lasar dropped out of Waseda University to join the Teatro Echo theatrical troupe, and it was there that he met his future wife, with whom he has two daughters. His image of having a solid career and happy family life was damaged in 1997 when an affair with an actress 12 years younger was made public.

NTV Loses Two Announcers
At a regular press conference yesterday, Nippon Terebi chairman Hosokawa Noritada (70) formally announced the departure of two of the network’s popular announcers. He said he was sad to lose “Zoom In! Super” presenter Hatori Shinichi (39, photo right), who will become a freelancer at the end of March, but seemed less upset regarding Natsume Miku (26). A presenter on the quiz show “Ichiokunin Daishitsumon” she will quit NTV at the end of this month. It has been reported that she will go freelance, but when asked Hosokawa simply said, “I have no idea.”

Canadian rock star Avril Lavigne (26) was in Tokyo yesterday to give some of her Japanese fans the world’s first glimpse of her upcoming album. “Goodbye Lullaby” will be released in Japan before anywhere else on March 2. So in order to keep the album master tape secure – and no doubt partly as a publicity stunt – yesterday’s “listening party” was held at the central Tokyo offices of security company Secom. 50 lucky fans were selected by lottery to attend the event, Lavigne’s first appearance in Japan in more than two years. In addition to hearing five tracks from the album (“Push”, “Everybody Hurts”, “Goodbye”, “Smile”, and “Wish You Were Here”), they got the first look at the promo video for the first single release, “What the Hell.”

Lavigne has sold more than five million albums in this country, a good chunk of her global 40 million in sales. Among her Twitter posts about her her latest visit were, “On my way now to my album listening party….so excited to see all my Japanese fans tonight!!!!” and “Nothing like a traditional cup of green tea in Japan to help with the jet lag. Yummy too.” She said she’ll be back in Japan for the album release in March.

The world of manzai comedy has lost one of its pioneers. Kimi Koishi died yesterday of lung cancer. He was 83. According to his management agency, he became ill in January 2010 and spent the last year in and out of hospital, from where he appeared by satellite link on an NHK show last December.

Real name Shinohara Isao, he was just 12 when he formed a “young manzai” comedy duo with his elder brother in 1940. As they matured, and calling themselves Yumeji Itoshi – Kimi Koishi, they went on to become the role models for just about every manzai artist since, in particular the “kamigata manzai” of Osaka and the surrounding region. From 1963-75, they hosted a popular game show on what would later become the TV Asahi network. In 1993, they became the first manzai act to be awarded the Medal with Purple Ribbon, given by the government for contributions to culture and the arts. The elder brother passed away in 2003, and apart from a one-off collaboration with Nishikawa Kiyoshi (64), Itoshi never performed manzai again.

Popular rakugo-ka Hayashiya Sanpei (40) and actress Kokubu Sachiko (34) held a joint press conference yesterday to announce their engagement. The traditional comic storyteller said he first met Kokubu just last November in Kyoto when she appeared as a special guest on the TBS historical drama series “Mito Komon.” He went straight into pursuit, calling her up until she agreed to go out with him. They held their formal engagement ceremony at a Tokyo hotel on Friday, will register their marriage in March, and plan to hold a wedding ceremony in October.

Though she will take on a particular set of duties and expectations as the wife of a traditional performer, Kokubu plans to also continue her acting career. Hayashiya’s mother, essayist Ebina Kayoko (77) gave her seal of approval yesterday, describing her future daughter-in-law as “very kind-hearted.” She also made the predictable request that Kokubu ensure that there will be a second and third generation heirs to the family line.

Real name Ebina Taisuke, Hayashiya entered the world of rakugo as a university student using the stage name Ippei. The the youngest son of a renowned rakugo-ka, he succeeded to his late father’s stage name in March 2009. Kokubu was scouted as a model for the fashion magazine “CanCam” at the age of 18. She joined the crew of the TBS variety show “Wonderful” in 1998. The show is still running and it was presenter Azuma Mikihisa (41) who set up the first dinner date between her and Hayashiya.

Japan Zone takes its hat off to Hazama Kanpei (61), who yesterday completed his mammoth Earth Marathon. The Yoshimoto Kogyo comedian ran and sailed around the entire globe, more than 41,000km in all, over the course of 766 days, and finally crossed the finish line at the Nanba Grand Kagetsu theater. The arrival was televised live and his family and Yoshimoto colleagues – many in tears – were on hand to welcome him. Along the way, Hazama learned that he had been diagnosed with cancer, in what he yesterday described as the most difficult part of his journey. Asked who he would like to dedicate his feat to, he gave the name of musician Iwamano Kiyoshiro, who wrote the theme song for the Earth Marathon but passed away in May 2009, just months after it began.

Hazama, already an experienced endurance athlete, came up with the idea for the Earth Marathon in 2006. He joked at the time that he was going to live as long as it took to complete it. When that joke came back to haunt him and he learned of the cancer a year ago, he said “If I’m going to die, I want to die running!” The following April he traveled to the US with his wife Mitsuyo (53) to undergo radiation therapy. Yesterday, he thanked her profusely for her immense support throughout the journey – she traveled eight times in all to meet him in various parts of the world.

Read more on Japan Zone about this amazing feat

The Matsu Takako revenge flick “Kokuhaku” (Confession) is the only Asian movie to have been shortlisted this year for an Academy Award. The movie was announced yesterday as one of nine candidates for the final five nomination slots that will be announced on January 25. The Oscar award ceremony is scheduled for February 27. If chosen, Kokuhaku will likely be up against the Danish film “In a Better World,” which recently won a Golden Globe. And if it actually takes the Oscar, it will be following in the footsteps of the 2009 winner “Okuribito” (Departures).

Kokuhaku was adapted from the 2009 bestselling mystery novel by Minato Kanae, which won the year’s Honya Taisho award. Released here last June, the movie took in a decent ¥3.8 billion at the box office and has drawn the attention of overseas studios interested in doing a remake. It won a slew of domestic awards, including a Best Actress nod to Matsu (36) at the Japan Academy Awards that further enhanced her reputation as one of the best actresses of her generation. She plays a junior high school teacher who, after her infant daughter is found dead, seeks revenge against the two students that she believes carried out the murder. The plot evolves through a series of confessions and the movie also addresses some heavy social themes such as HIV, “ijime” (bullying) and “hikikomori” (social withdrawal). With Nakashima Tetsuya directing, the movie has the visual flair of his other films, which include “Kamikaze Girls” and “Memories of Matsuko.” In a first for a Japanese production, alternative Brit rockers Radiohead contributed the track “Last Flowers” as the theme song for the movie.

Watch the trailer for Kokuhaku on YouTube.

Hollywood director Sophia Coppola (39) and actor Stephen Dorff (37) were in Tokyo yesterday promoting their latest movie project. “Somewhere” isn’t due for release in Japan until April 2 even though it won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival last September. Coppola says the story, about a self-absorbed movie star (Dorff) whose life changes through his relationship with his daughter (Elle Fanning), was influenced by the birth of her own baby girl shortly before she started writing the script for the project, which she also produced. And of course, the story owes a lot to her relationship with her own father, director Francis Ford Coppola (71).

NHK to Cut Back on Sumo Broadcasts
NHK announced yesterday that after the spring tournament ends in March it will no longer broadcast live sumo on its BS2 satellite channel. From the May tournament, the network will only show sumo on its general channel. The decision is mainly because the current lineup of three satellite channels will be reduced to two (BS1 and BS Premium) from April 1. NHK currently airs live sumo from 1pm to 6pm, allowing it to broadcast the junior bouts all the way up to the grand champion(s) whose bouts round out the day’s schedule. From May only the bouts featuring “makushita,” or upper ranked wrestlers, will be shown.

Beady Eye to Tour Japan
Beady Eye, the rock quartet formed by Oasis vocalist Liam Gallagher (38), are to play their first Japan shows in May, it was announced yesterday. They will play five shows at the Zepp venues in Osaka, Nagoya and Tokyo. The 2,000-capacity live houses are a big step down from the kind of venues Oasis played here before they split in 2009. And making the tickets even more rare is the fact that the band’s tour will only take in 13 shows in the UK and Europe.

Uehara Takako (28, photo left), a member of the J-pop group Speed, has landed her first movie starring role. Though she has appeared on the big screen, with and without her fellow group mates, her role in “Koi Tanibashi – La Vallee de L’Amour” marks a significant change for her. She plays an employee at a Tokyo design firm who returns to her family’s country home after being laid off. Back in the onsen (hot spring resort) town of Misasa in Tottori Prefecture, she dons a kimono to take over the role of “okami” or proprietress of the family inn. During the 3-week location shoot, she had to carry out one local tradition – paying homage at the Nageiredo temple, precariously perched on the 900m cliffs overlooking the town.

Uehara had her first movie role with Speed in 1998, her solo debut was the main supporting role in 1999’s “Dreammaker,” for which she won a Best Newcomer prize at the Japan Academy Awards. She has had a handful of dramatic and narration movie roles since. TV drama parts have been more plentiful and she has also appeared in a couple of stage productions.

Miyagawa Daisuke a Dad At Last
Popular comedian Miyagawa Daisuke (38, photo right) has finally become a father. Married for 13 years, he announced yesterday that his wife gave birth to a baby boy back on December 2. The late announcement was due to the fact that the baby was born premature and Miyagawa waited until he was released from hospital.

Renowned producer and director Wada Ben died of esophageal cancer at an old people’s home in Kawasaki yesterday. He was 80. Known for his hearty laugh, which earned him the nickname “Gahaha no Ojisan,” the Mie Prefecture native joined NHK in 1953 after graduating from Waseda University. He became one of the network’s most successful directors, working on such popular taiga historical drama series as “Ryoma ga Yuku” (1968), “Amagigoe” (1978), and “Ashura no Gotoku” (1979).

Wada’s work was frequently recognized at festivals, to the extent that he was referred to as the “Arts Festival Man.” He retired from NHK in 1987, and went on to make such movies as “Harimao” and the first of the “Kanzen Shiiku” (Perfect Education) series in 2001.

Kuwata Keisuke to Release Solo Album
And speaking of stars battling with esophageal cancer, Southern All Stars vocalist Kuwata Keisuke (54) gave the first glimpse of his upcoming solo album, his first since announcing his cancer last summer. “Music Man” is scheduled for release on February 23 and is being touted as his “kaiki iwai,” or celebrating recovery from illness. The first run of the CD will include a 104-page book and a DVD documenting the recording of the album. The DVD will also include music promo videos for the first time in Kuwata’s career, including his 35 years with SAS.