Category Archives: Entertainment News

Rock singer Otomo Kouhei (51) gave evidence at the Tokyo District Court yesterday on the first day of the complicated case against his former management agency. The dispute between the “Mother Enterprise” agency and the Hound Dog vocalist began in 2005, the band’s 25th anniversary. Otomo was accused of doing deals and “going solo” behind the backs of management and the other band members, while he claimed he was unhappy with their small-scale approach to business. The band had been one of Japan’s most popular in the late 1980s but went into decline in the early 90s. Otomo set up his own agency Iehok, in April 2005. Mother announced that the “Omega” album, released that June, would be the band’s last original recording and that they would split after a Nippon Budokan concert in July. On stage, Otomo insisted the band would continue and he managed to persuade three other members to join him at Iehok. But the following months saw further disputes break out between the members and a series of legal suits and counter-suits.

• Talento Hayasaka Yoshie (32) gave birth to her first child yesterday. She and Super Delphin (40), a former wrestler and now the president of an Osaka wrestling troupe, married in December 2003.

• Actor Kurobe Susumu (68) and actress Hishimi Yuriko (60) attended an event in Tokyo yesterday to celebrate the 41-year history of “Ultraman”. Kurobe played the lead role of Hayata Shin in the original 1966 series, while Hishimi played the heroine Yuri Ann in “Ultraman Seven” the following year. Real name Yoshimoto Takashi, Kurobe is the father of actress Yoshimoto Takami (36), who played the heroine Yanase Lena in the 1996 series “Ultraman Tiga”, though he was originally totally opposed to her entering show business.

• Comedian Himura Yuuki (35) of the duo Bananaman is to undergo throat surgery in the New Year. Last month, he lost his voice on the first day of a stage show starring top comedian Uchimura Teruyoshi.

The lineup for this year’s “Kohaku Uta Gassen” (Red-White Song Battle) was announced at the NHK studio in Shibuya yesterday. Among the 58 pairings are some names that haven’t in the lineup in many years, while eight – comprising 67 people – will be making their debut on the year’s most popular TV show. The Red Team includes a transsexual for the first time, singer-songwriter Nakamura Ataru (22, photo). Japanese family registers include the gender of all family members, so Nakamura is still officially male. But NHK said they are not making a statement or seeking publicity by including Nakamura in the female team, which included a male (comedian Gori in his Gorie-chan character) for the first time in 2005. Nakamura made his indie label debut in 2004 with the song “Tomodachi no Uta”, a song he wrote at the age of 15. He switched to the major Avex label in June 2006. (Watch the video for “Tomodachi no Uta” on our Forum)

Keeping the otaku crowd happy will be idol Nakagawa Shouko (22), the 48-member idol group AKB48, and American Leah Dizon (21), who are being touted as an “Akiba Trio”. Dizon has had a breakthrough year in Japan. She released her CD debut in January and has been in the media spotlight since arriving in Japan in April 2006.

Morning Musume, appearing for the tenth time in a row since their 1997 debut, are among 23 Hello! Project members in the lineup. Among the veteran names making long-awaited returns are: singer/actor Terao Akira (60), who last sang on the show in 1981; female duo Amin, who appeared once in their debut year 1982; and Kome Kome Club, one of the biggest pop acts of the 1980s and early 90s, after an 11-year absence.

• Actress Yoshimura Ryou (29) married her childhood sweetheart in mid-November, it was revealed yesterday. She is best known for her role as Kojima Ai in the long-running family drama “Wataru Sekken wa Oni Bakari”, on which she debuted in 1990.

• Stars in town promoting upcoming movies: Will Smith (39) flew from the Yokota U.S. military base to central Tokyo in a Blackhawk helicopter as part of the PR for “I Am Legend”, which premieres tonight and opens on December 14; Nicholas Cage (43) is here to plug “National Treasure 2”, which opens worldwide on December 21 and has its world premiere in Tokyo on December 6; Rowan Atkinson (52) appeared at an event yesterday to promote “Mr. Bean’s Holiday”, which is in theaters from January 19.

Yesterday saw the annual awards ceremony for the new and popular words and expressions that have defined the last year. Sponsored by U-Can (Japan Correspondence Education Association), the awards get a lot of media attention but can also signal overexposure for an up-and-coming comedian. Kojima Yoshio (27, photo right) will be hoping his shelf life extends beyond that of his “Sonna no Kankei-nee!” and “Oppapii” catchphrases. A total unknown until last May, he’s now a household name, but such sudden success is often short-lived. He and makeup artist Ikko (45), who popularized the word “Dondake!” (No way!) beyond the gay community, were the brightest spots in a lineup of nominees that generally reflected the problems Japan went through this year. They included “kieta nenkin” (disappearing pension funds), “shokuhin gisou” (falsely-labeled food products), “netto cafe nanmin” (Internet cafe refugees), and “moushobi” (extremely hot day). But the awards are primarily meant to give the Japanese people a bit of a lift at the end of the year, so the top award was given to two upbeat stories. “Hanakami Oji” (The Shy Prince) was the nickname given to young golf sensation Ishikawa Ryo, who at the age of 15 became the youngest ever player to win a pro event (see our story. And “(Miyazaki wo) dogenkasen to ikan” was chosen to represent the vitality that former comedian Higashikokubaru Hideo (50, photo left) has shown in his job as governor of Miyazaki Prefecture. Over the last year, he has overcome several crises and used his fame with great effect as a hugely successful salesman for the region. Among his constituents, he has retained a popularity level of over 85%, almost unheard of in political circles.

• At the age of 60 years and 3 months, pop legend Oda Kazumasa is the oldest artist ever to top the Oricon album chart with his hits collection “Jiko Besuto – 2”. He’s also the first artist to have a No.1 hit in his 30’s (with the band Of Course), 40’s, 50’s and 60’s. Meanwhile rock legend Nagabuchi Tsuyoshi (51), who has written a string of No.1 hits over the years, now for the first time has a chart topper performed by someone else. He penned the music and lyrics for Tokio‘s latest single “SEI SYuN”, which is atop the Oricon chart released yesterday.

• Hollywood star Will Smith (39) touched down in Japan for the eighth time yesterday. He’s here this time to promote his new movie “I Am Legend”, which opens in theaters both here and in the U.S. on December 14. He will attend a press conference today and the movie’s Japan premiere tomorrow.

Singer Tamaki Koji (49) just can’t seem to stay married. His third marriage lasted eight years, but he announced on December 1 that he had filed for divorce the same day. He made his name in the 1980s as the lead vocalist of rock band Anzen Chitai. Having become established as the backing band for singer Inoue Yousui, the group had a series of hits following the major label debut in 1982. Tamaki’s first marriage, to a woman not in show business, ended in 1986. Five years later he married top actress Yakushimaru Hiroko in Hawaii. They split in 1998 and the following year Tamaki got married to Ando Satoko (50), a pianist in his touring band.

• Comedian Yoshioka Hironori (36), the “Daikichi” half of the Yoshimoto duo Hakata Hanamaru-Daikichi revealed last Friday hat he got married in mid-November. After a 12-year relationship, he and a 34-year-old Miyazaki Prefecture native tied the knot on November 18. They have been living together in Tokyo since career success led the comedy duo to move from their native Hakata to the capital in 2005.

• Pin-up girl and variety show reporter Ozaki Nana (25) has been fired by her management agency after some nude photos turned up from her past. Weekly gossip magazine “Flash” published the photos in last week’s issue. On her blog, Ozaki said the pictures were taken about three years ago during her first ever photo shoot. She said she had been naive at the time and had been shocked to see the results. She followed up her online apology by asking for fans’ forgiveness, implying she plans to continue her career.

• Semi-retired newscaster Kume Hiroshi (63) is to make his first TV drama appearance in 29 years. The former comedian and variety show host, main anchor for a decade on TV Asahi’s popular News Station, will appear on the final, two-part special episode of “Galileo”, the Fuji TV drama series starring Fukuyama Masaharu and Shibasaki Kou. The episodes will air on December 10 and 17.

• Pop stars SMAP have got their own store in Tokyo, for the season anyway. The SMAP Shop opened in the Omotesando Hills shopping complex in central Tokyo, with the first day’s 2,000 entry tickets being snapped up in an hour. At the front of the line were a family who had lined up from 4am. Other fans came from as far away as Pusan, Korea. The store idea started last year and drew 50,000 fans over the Christmas/New Year season. On display in addition to the licensed goods on sale are stage costumes, illustrations by the five group members and videos of all their various TV commercial appearances. The store will be open until January 7.

The theme tune for the upcoming “Death Note” spinoff movie is to be provided by none other than U.S. rock legend Lenny Kravitz (43). The new song “I’ll Be Waiting” is from Kravitz’s 8th album “Love Revolution”, due for release in Japan on January 30. It will appear on “L Change the World”, in which Matsuyama Kenichi (22) reprises his role as L from last year’s movie adaptations of the hugely popular manga. Those two films made a combined ¥8 billion at the box office and were a hit across East Asia. They featured songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Producer Sato Takahiro said, “When I heard this song I knew this was the one! And the fact the Lenny’s name starts with L just seemed like fate.” Directed by horror master Nakata Hideo, “L…” is scheduled for theatrical release on February 9.

American singer Alicia Keys (26) had Tokyo’s office workers buzzing when she gave a free mini-concert in Marunouchi yesterday. Performing on a piano in the lobby of the Maru Building, a glittering symbol of the rebirth of Tokyo’s business district, she shared the stage with an 8m Christmas tree whose illuminations were changed to champagne pink for the event. She described the show as “an early Christmas present for all the hard working ladies”, and the aisles on the first to sixth floors facing the lobby were packed with an estimated 2,500 people, mostly “office ladies”. The 9-time Grammy Award winner performed three songs, including “No One”, the U.S. chart-topping first single from her latest album “As I Am.”

• Popular actress Matsu Takako (30) is reportedly engaged to marry guitarist and producer Sahashi Yoshiyuki (46), the Sports Houchi newspaper revealed today. The couple first met in 2001, had an on-and-off relationship from 2004, and started dating seriously again last year. They are said to be planning to tie the knot next spring.
Edit: Matsu’s management agency released a statement on November 30 she and Sahashi were dating but denying they have any plans to marry.

• A private funeral was held yesterday for talent agency boss Oguchi Kenji. He was 59. Details of his death were not announced but he was known to have suffered from diabetes, which led to loss of weight and other health problems. As president of the From First Productions agency, he nurtured the careers of such top actors as Takenaka Naoto (51) and Motoki Masahiro (41). Earlier in his career he managed Go Hiromi (52) while he was with the Johnny’s Jimusho agency. He was also president of Tokyo Six Productions, the company that represented disgraced former star Haga Kenji (46), who was arrested on extortion charges this summer.

Anyone who was in Japan in the 1990s can’t have missed the bountiful cleavage of Hosokawa Fumie (36). Known as the “ganso” or originator of that decade’s trend to use busty women for a wide variety of PR purposes, “Fuumin” and her wide-eyed ingenue image were all over the media and the variety show circuit. Well past her heyday and long-since replaced by a long line of younger bathing-suited girls, she has decided to call it a day. Recently married, she has announced that her upcoming photo book release will be her showbiz swan song. “Saipan Truth”, a return to her bathing suit roots, was shot on the Pacific island, where she and former real estate company owner Endoh Hisato (44) held a wedding ceremony back in April. The ceremony was said to be staged just for the book, particularly since Endoh was still married to his first wife at the time, but Hosokawa is said to have taken it “very seriously”. Endoh’s marriage finally ended in divorce in September, and he and Hosokawa registered their marriage in Tokyo on November 1. They are living together in the capital and Hosokawa is expecting a baby in January, but Endoh is currently on trial in Saipan. He is accused of kidnapping and assaulting a Japanese businessman back in August. With a first run of 20,000 copies, “Saipan Truth” goes on sale December 10. We can only hope that next year will bring some true happiness for Fuumin.

• Popular voice actor Yamadera Koichi (46) has been divorced since the spring of 2006, it was revealed yesterday. “Yama-chan”, best known for the role of Ryoga Hibiki in the anime “Ranma 1/2”, and voice actress Kanai Mika (43) had been married since 1994. Yamadera has also worked on several Disney projects and has dubbed for such Hollywood stars as Jim Carrey and Eddie Murphy. He became a household name in 2000 as host of the TV Tokyo kid’s show “Oha-Suta”. Kanai made her acting debut in 1989 and has also released eight albums as a singer. She and Yamadera worked together voicing characters on the Anpanman kid’s anime. She is said to have kept their 4-storey house, while Yamadera lives in an apartment in Tokyo.

• A picture book is the latest spinoff in the “Zo no Senaka” boom. Translated as “The Elephant’s Back”, the 2006 novel by Akimoto Satoshi has been adapted into a hit movie, starring Yakusho Koji and Imai Miki, and an anime DVD. It tells of the final months of a middle-aged salaryman dying of lung cancer. The new book goes on sale December 5 and comes with a CD of tracks featuring whistler Kuchibue Tarou (41). Whistling is also enjoying something of a boom in Japan, since a Japanese university student won the Whistling World Championships in the U.S. in May. Next year’s event will be held in Japan.

Japan-based Korean singer Kye Eun Sook (46) was arrested by Tokyo police on Monday evening for drug possession. According to reports, 0.6g of amphetamines, with a street value of about ¥15,000, and two glass pipes were found in the bedroom of the Minato Ward apartment she shares with her 85-year-old mother. She has admitted to regularly buying and using the drugs. Police had been investigating her for about three months following a tip off. Kye was born in Seoul and was a model before becoming a singer. She first came to Japan in 1984 and worked with songwriter Hama Keisuke (61), making her recording debut the following year. She had a series of hits and, starting in 1988, appeared on NHK’s “Kohaku Uta Gassen” for seven straight years. She won the top prize at the Japan Record Awards in 1994. But she has had a string of troubles over the years. A keen gambler, she went in and out of debt several times, at one point amassing debts of more than ¥400 million. In 2001, the situation led her manager to commit suicide and Kye was out of work for long periods. In April 2006, she settled a court battle with her former management agency, and had been playing concerts across the country from this spring.

• For her tenth single, singer Ito Yuna (24) has recorded a duet with none other than Celine Dion (39). The pair recorded “Anata ga Iru Kagiri/A World to Believe In” and filmed a promo video last month in Las Vegas, where the Canadian diva now lives. The project came about after Ito took part in a tribute album to Dion which was released in September. Born in Los Angeles, raised in Hawaii, and with a Japanese father and Korean-American mother, Ito sings in English and Japanese but the latter is not her mother tongue. This and her strong ballad style are points she has in common with Dion, who suggested the collaboration. A mix of Japanese and English, the ballad will be released in Japan on January 16. Dion is scheduled to tour Japan in March.

• Popular young actress Aragaki Yui (19) has denied media reports that she is to take a 3-month break due to overwork. Some media sources had reported that she was taking the first three months of 2008 off to recover from exhaustion. But on her blog yesterday, she said she had no such plans. Though busy, the Okinawa native says her schedule is less than hectic and she is able to get enough rest. While she is regarded as one of Japan’s most promising young actresses, she says that she may be working more on her music career in the future. Her debut album is due for release next week.

Popular talento Wakatsuki Chinatsu (23) has taken a time out from her website, Japan’s most popular celebrity blog. Prone to revealing more than her management would like, such as how she was penalized for taking off on a backpacking trip to Thailand in May without telling anyone, or the drunken birthday celebrations of her friend, model Higashibara Aki (25), she says her head is a bit messed up right now and she can’t write. Her “Maaboudoufu wa Nomimono Desu” blog is the most popular on the major Ameba hosting service. Yesterday’s entry received over 1,000 comments from worried fans. Wakatsuki has a history of stress-related health problems and had to take two months off work at the end of last year.

• The latest single from Johnny’s group KAT-TUN has come storming out of the gate. With initial sales of 350,000, “Keep the Faith” is the fastest selling single of the year, and naturally shot to No.1 on the Oricon chart. The group has seen all of its first five singles break the 300,000 mark on release, making them only the second group to pull it off. Fellow Johnny’s group Kinki Kids reached that mark almost nine years ago.

• Former Morning Musume member Tsuji Nozomi (20) is now a mother. Husband Sugiura Taiyo (26) was by her side as she gave birth to a baby girl at a Tokyo hospital yesterday. Taking a kanji from Tsuji’s given name, they named the baby Noa. Tsuji is the first active member of the Hello! Project ensemble to become a mother (others have married and had babies after leaving the group) but no plans for her return to work have been announced. Producer Tsunku (39) congratulated Tsuji on his blog, adding that as it’s a baby girl, she’s already earmarked as a future MoMusu cadet. Sugiura, an actor, and Tsuji were criticized in the media for the timing of their wedding and pregnancy announcements earlier in the year.

• Expecting a second child next March is comedian Tamura Ryo (35), the blonde half of duo London Boots. He announced the news on a live NTV variety show last night. He and his wife Arisa married in June 2003 and had a baby boy the following September.

Sakurai Sho (25) of the Johnny’s Jimusho group Arashi is to star in the planned live action movie version of “Yatterman”. In his sixth starring role, the popular singer will play Takada Gan, also known as Yatterman No.1. For the role he will need to master the traditional kendama (cup and ball) toy that the character uses to fell the bad guys. Further casting, including the heroine Yatterman No.2 and villains such as Doronjo, Boyacky and Tonzler, is to be decided in December and January. The buildup to the movie’s release, scheduled for the spring of 2009, begins soon after. The popular anime, which first aired on Saturday evenings from 1977-79, is to be re-shown on NTV from January 14. Nikkatsu Corporation have chosen prolific director Miike Takashi (47) to handle the movie adaptation. His resume ranges from the gory manga adaptation “Ichi the Killer” to this year’s eclectic “Sukiyaki Western Django”.

• Singer Sawada Kenji (59) is to be prosecuted for causing a traffic accident in central Tokyo last week. Sawada was parking his car in Shibuya on Friday evening when he reversed into a passing scooter. The scooter careened off and hit a nearby parked police car. The young female rider suffered minor injuries to her leg.