Category Archives: Entertainment News

Though they have ruled the Japanese airwaves for much of the last 22 years, SMAP have never performed outside Japan. That’s finally about to change, as they are lined up to perform at the Shanghai World Expo in June. The event, to be called the “SMAP Banpaku Fan Tsudoi” (SMAP Expo Fan Gathering) will be held at the 18,000-seat Expo Cultural and Performing Arts Center from 1pm on June 13. Tickets will be free and people can reserve seats using an automated reservation system in the venue on the day.

The last few years have seen more and more Japanese artists, including some of their Johnny’s Jimusho stablemates, expand their horizons across Asia. And there is no doubt that SMAP have a large fan base in the region. They were the only Japanese artists formally invited to the expo’s opening event on May 1. Expo organizers announced, “They are representatives of Japanese popular culture not only at home but in Asia. We are sure they will add to the festive mood of the Expo.”

Essayist and former actress Shishido Yuuko died earlier this month, it was revealed yesterday. She was 77. It is believed that the cause of death was the cancer which she has been battling for the last couple of years. As part of her treatment, she underwent surgery in 2008 to have her stomach removed. Last year the cancer was found to have spread to her lungs and she was regularly in and out of hospital until her condition worsened in March. Her two sons, actor Kai (43) and his manager Hyou, were with her when she died, but her husband, actor Shishido Jo (76) was working. Up until her death Yuuko had been working on the realization of her dream – producing a movie starring her son and with her husband in a main supporting role.

Born in Manchuria in 1933, she met Shishido shortly after she joined the Nikkatsu movie studio in 1956 and they married in 1962. She became a full-time wife and mother but started a writing career in her 40s. Her last work was the novel “Owariyokereba Subeteyoshi” (All’s Well That Ends Well) which was published in January.

Oda Kazumasa’s Mega Long-Seller
Oda Kazumasa’s 2002 greatest hits collection “Jiko Best” has reached a new record milestone with its 400th week in the album charts. The record is based on appearances in the Top 300 of Oricon’s weekly chart. Meanwhile at the top of the same chart this week is “Vocalist 4,” the fourth album of covers by Tokunaga Hideaki (49). Rock band Bump of Chicken are at No.1 on the singles chart with “Mahou no Ryori/Kimikara Kimihe.”

Sawajiri Erika (24, photo left) is rumored to be on the verge of divorce, it was reported yesterday. Last night’s edition of the Fuji TV show “Mr. Sunday” carried the story as its top news. A reporter confronted Sawajiri outside her Tokyo home yesterday evening and asked about the rumor, to which she replied only, “Sorry, I can’t say anything now. Try again in a few days.”

The actress has been married to hypermedia creator Takashiro Tsuyoshi (45, photo right) for only a year and three months, and she has barely worked in showbiz since the infamous “Betsuni” incident in September 2007. She was formally dumped by her management agency last September, but in March she announced that she had opened a management office in Spain and signed a commercial contract with the Takano Yuri beauty clinic chain. She appeared with Takano at a PR event on March 16, and set media tongues wagging yet again with a 6-point privacy agreement that any reporter had to sign before she would speak with them.

Sawajiri and Takashiro are said to be separated and she is staying with her mother. Yesterday’s Fuji TV show speculated that the couple have been having money problems. A source told the Sankei Sports newspaper, “Takashiro has provided almost no financial support to his wife for her showbiz or personal expenses. Since she spent time studying in the U.K. and Spain, she has been stuck for money.” Another source said that while Takashiro is intent on basing himself overseas, his wife wants to take advantage of the many movie and recording offers that she has received in Japan.

Earlier stories:
Showbiz Bad Boys (and Girls) on the Comeback Trail (Mar. 4, 2010)
New Year Wedding for Erika-sama? (Dec. 30, 2008)
Celebrities in Damage Control Mode (Oct. 2, 2007)

Canadian pop sensation Justin Bieber (16) performed for the first time for 1000 of his fans in Japan yesterday. He’s here in support of his album “My World 2.0.” which goes on sale in Japan on May 19. He played six songs, including his hit “Baby.” Tweeting about his initial impressions of the Big Mikan, he wrote “Exclusive kicks everywhere..great food..and heated toilet seats.” Showing a more adventurous side than some visitors, he tweeted, “Just had sushi dinner here in Japan. Food was incredible, but I didn’t know half the stuff I was eating.” After Japan, Bieber will head off for appearances in Australia and New Zealand.

With the 2010 World Expo opening in Shanghai a couple of weeks away, organizers seem to have managed to dilute the scandal surrounding the event’s promo song. Since “Right Here Waiting For You 2010” was announced at the end of March, claims that it was a rip-off of a Japanese 90s hit have spread like wildfire on Chinese websites. Though some people predictably used the opportunity to bash Japan, the vast majority of opinion supported the Japanese artist, popular singer-songwriter Okamoto Mayo (36). Some went so far as to demand the death sentence for Miao Sen, the plagiarizing Chinese songwriter. Expo officials consulted with Okamoto’s management agency and a compromise was reached – “Sonomama no Kimi de ite,” a hit for Okamoto in 1997, would become the official promo song. This decision was officially announced yesterday, with a comment from Okamoto saying “It is wonderful and an honor to be given this chance to cooperate with the Shanghai World Expo, an event known around the world.”

The response from Chinese netizens has been overwhelmingly positive, with calls for Okamoto to visit Shanghai to perform the song. She has been popular in China since the release of a Taiwanese cover of her 1995 debut single “Tomorrow,” which sold 2 million copies in Japan. The scandal surrounding “Sonomama…” has seen the song climb the various charts for the first time in 13 years.

Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ukon (46) announced this morning that his wife gave birth to a baby boy on Sunday. Though he is on his third marriage, the child is the first for Ichikawa.

Someone else getting a late start on fatherhood is former actor and talento Haga Kenji (48). His wife Mayu (32) gave birth to a baby girl yesterday. The couple got married at the end of 2006, shortly before Haga was arrested for fraud and attempted blackmail. A verdict in his favor was appealed by the Osaka District Court, and a decision is due to be handed down by the Osaka High Court next month.

Okada Doubles Up on SP Duty
Okada Yuichi (29), a member of the Johnny’s Jimusho idol group V6, appeared at a PR event yesterday for his latest action movie. It was announced that “SP – The Motion Picture,” the big screen spinoff from his 2007 Fuji TV drama series, will be released in two parts. Directed by Hatano Takafumi, the first episode, “Yabou-hen” will be in theaters from October 30, followed by the release of “Kakumei-hen” next spring. Fuji producer Kameyama Chihiro said, “We originally planned to make just one movie, but we had such an abundance of ideas that we decided we had enough for two.”

The term SP refers to the professional bodyguards who protect VIPs. In the TV drama, Okada played a rookie SP with a special set of skills. The show won several awards, including a Best Actor prize at the TV Drama Academy Awards. During his 10-month preparation before shooting began Okada, who did his own stunts, said he found he was constantly focused on his role. But that take a toll on his private life? After yesterday’s event reporters quizzed him about his recently reported breakup with actress Aoi Yu (24), but Okada declined to comment.

Musician Yukinari (31) and talento Nishida Natsu (27) have formally ended their 6-year marriage. Management for Nishida confirmed yesterday that the divorce was finalized at the Tokyo Family Court on Friday. Yukinari, a former member of the hip hop group Da Pump, will pay ¥2 million in alimony. But in a relatively rare decision, he will have custody of their 5-year-old daughter.

The couple married in February 2004 and their daughter was born the following October. But they were reported to be in divorce arbitration as long ago as December 2007. At the time, Nishida spoke publicly about being the victim of domestic violence. Yukinari quit Da Pump a year later and returned to his native Okinawa. Last year he formed a dance unit with Ken (30), another former member of the group.

Real name Tamaki Miho, Nishida was a popular guravia idol and pro wrestler, but quit showbiz after getting married. She has recently joined a new management agency and plans to resume her career as an actress from this month.

Talento Hazama Kampei (60) is taking a medical break from his mammoth Earth Marathon, it was announced yesterday. Since December 2008, he has been running and sailing almost non-stop in an attempt to circumnavigate the globe. Having crossed the Pacific, North America, the Atlantic and Europe, in January he was discovered to have prostate cancer. After much discussion and deliberation, he decided to keep running while his medical team administered hormonal treatment. He got as far as Turkmenistan yesterday, crossing the border from Turkey on Day 484. But because the country lacks sufficient medical services, it was decided that Hazama would travel to the U.S. tomorrow and spend the next two months undergoing treatment there under a Japanese doctor. He is scheduled to visit the cancer center at the University of California in San Fransisco.

Hazama was quick to reassure his fans and supporters, “My condition hasn’t suddenly got worse, so please don’t worry. I made this ecision so that I will be able to complete the Earth Marathon. And I also made this decision for myself.” But there are concerns about the effect of a 2-month layoff. Even if he starts running again at the end of June as planned, he still has some 4,000km to go.

Earlier stories:
Even Cancer Can’t Stop Kampei’s Earth Marathon (Jan. 14, 2010)

The latest movie from Kitano Takeshi (63, photo left) has been selected to compete at this year’s 63rd Cannes International Film Festival. Kitano is one of Japan’s most successful filmmakers on the international circuit and enjoys huge popularity in Europe. He was recently presented with France’s top honor for the arts and currently has an art exhibition at the Fondation Cartier in Paris. But this is only the second time he’s had a competitive entry at Cannes. The first was “Kikujiro no Natsu” back in 1999.

The Cannes appearance will certainly add to the hype for “Outrage,” which marks Kitano’s return to the action and violence genre that established him as a top moviemaker. 2003’s “Zatoichi” was his last R-15 rating, and that mixed music and dance numbers with a classic samurai tale. “Outrage” is a full-on yakuza flick, with lots of betrayal, mind games, and bloody violence. Kitano said, “It’s my first violent movie in a while, so I think there’s a lot of expectation. I’m looking forward to the audience reaction.” As well as Kitano himself, the strong cast includes Shiina Kippei (photo right), Kase Ryo, and Miura Tomokazu.

The movie is scheduled to open in Japanese theaters on June 12 but the Cannes audience will get to see it a month sooner as the festival runs May 12-23. It will be up against such entries as “Another Year” (Mike Leigh), Poetry (Lee Chang-dong), and “Burnt by the Sun 2” (Nikita Mikhalkov). President of the jury this year is director Tim Burton.
Earlier stories:
Kitano Takeshi Receives Top French Honor (Mar. 11, 2010)

It seems that actress Yoshitaka Yuriko (21, photo left) has split with actor Tamaki Hiroshi (30) and has already moved on. A source close to Tamaki told the Sankei Sports newspaper that the pair split up about a month ago. Meanwhile, today’s issue of the “Josei Seven” weekly magazine includes shots of Yoshitaka on a recent date with Amakawa Genki (25, photo bottom left), bassist with the rock band Flumpool. After enjoying the cherry blossoms and dinner at a local izakaya restaurant, they returned to Amakawa’s apartment. Asked to comment on the relationship, management for Yoshitaka said the pair are just good friends and had stayed up late playing video games!

Yoshitaka and Tamaki started dating after they worked together on the 2009 TBS drama “Love Shuffle.” But their mutually busy TV and movie schedules, and Tamaki’s music career, kept them apart for long periods. In an Oricon poll last year of the most promising actresses for 2010, Yoshitaka was ranked No.1.

Stylist Lashes Out at Yamamoto Taro & His Mother
A former stylist for actor Yamamoto Taro (35) has claimed that she was swindled and physically abused by his mother. An interview in today’s issue of the weekly magazine “Shukan Bunshun,” includes the claim that the woman was ripped off to the tune of ¥18 million in salary deductions and fines. Management for Yamamoto say the claims are false and they are preparing a libel case against the woman, who they say was incompetent.

Kato Noriko on the Verge of Divorce
Talento Kato Noriko (37) and creative director Wakatsuki Kiyoshio (48) are said to be negotiating the terms of their divorce. The couple tied the knot on New Year’s Day 2006 after a romance of just a few months. They have no children, though at the time of their marriage Kato said she wanted to start a family.

Kato started out as a teen aidoru in 1991 and made her solo music debut the following year. She landed her first TV drama starring role in 1997. In her late 20s she spent a few years studying in France before returning to work full-time in Japanese showbiz in 2002.

UPDATE: In a fax sent to the media this afternoon, Kato acknowledged that she and Wakatsuki have formally filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences in their values and lifestyles.