Category Archives: Entertainment News

More tragedy has befallen J-pop star Goto Maki (24), who found her mother dying on the street in front of her home in Edokawa Ward, Tokyo late Saturday night. Goto Tokiko (55) was rushed to hospital but declared dead two hours later. She is reported as having been drinking and fell – or jumped – from a third-floor window. No suicide note was found but police consider it highly likely that the death was not accidental.

“Gomaki,” as the former Morning Musume star is popularly known, told police that she and her elder sister were at home when her mother returned drunk at about 10:30pm on Saturday. She went upstairs mumbling to herself about committing suicide, and less than half an hour later Maki heard a loud noise. Running upstairs she found a window open and her mother’s bloodied body on the street below.

Tokiko raised four children alone after her husband died in a fall while mountaineering on Nantaisan in 1996. She ran a bar near her home, but it was closed in the summer of 2007. Neighbors and friends say she never recovered from the loss of her husband and drank and smoked heavily. The family’s financial support came mainly from Maki, who joined the second lineup of Morning Musume in 1999. Her pop success allowed her to buy a house for her mother in 2002, which they shared with her two elder sisters and a brother-in-law. Her younger brother Yuuki (23), whose own brief pop career was cut short by underage drinking in 2002, was arrested in 2008 for robbery and assault and is currently serving a five-and-a-half-year prison sentence.

• Hyogo police say they have arrested a 37-year-old man for swindling a female former high school classmate out of ¥2.6 million by pretending to be Barbee Boys vocalist Konta. The suspect is said to have known the woman was a fan and claimed he could introduce her to the singer via a friend. He then sent a series of emails to her pretending to be Konta and repeatedly asking her to make bank transfers. Barbee Boys were active from 1983 till they split in 1992. They made a few one-off appearances over the last decade before going on a brief four-city tour last year.

X Japan vocalist Toshi (44, photo left) said yesterday that he was recently on the verge of giving up singing and becoming a company employee. In an interview with the Sports Nippon newspaper, he said that the stress of his long relationship with his estranged wife and the Home of Heart cult had made him lose his voice and driven him to financial ruin. Earlier this week he announced his divorce and bankruptcy, and he apologized to fans and other victims of the cult, which organized self-improvement seminars.

Toshi said that he intended the recent filming of promo videos with X Japan in Los Angeles to be his final work as a musician. But during the course of the weeklong shoot he and Yoshiki discussed the matter in great depth. “There have been a lot of problems. But we decided to get back to our roots and carry on with the two of us at the core of the group. I decided I wanted to continue with music after all.” He has also announced that he will hold a farewell “solo” concert on February 24, though it’s being produced by X Japan drummer and band leader Yoshiki and will be an X show in all but name. “The theme is ‘Samurai’ – I’m in danger and the other members come to my rescue with guitars and piano. That’s the image. It’s a new start for me and then we’ll be ready to take on the world.”

• NHK is to use a celebrity presenter in its Olympic coverage for the first time. For the upcoming Vancouver Winter Olympics they chose Becky (25, photo right), who has a long history of appearing on the public network and has a wide appeal across all ages and sexes. “I love, love, love the Olympics, so this is a huge honor for me,” she said. Chosen as the most popular female TV personality in a survey last August, Becky will appear mainly in the prime time “Best Selection” digest show every evening from February 14-28.

With NHK’s “serious” image in mind, she said, “I tend to get carried away easily, so I hope to keep my emotions under control. I mean, this is NHK so I have to present in a relaxed and grown up way.” Just in case, she’ll be working alongside veteran sports presenter Kudo Saburo (56), though he said, “High tension is fine!” Referring to such young medal hopefuls as 15-year-old speed skater Takagi Miho and popular figure skater Asada Mao (19), Becky said, “It’s amazing to see these athletes younger than me competing on the world stage.”

• Meanwhile, another “haafu” talento has announced that she is getting married. Sheila (37) notified the media yesterday that she and a 35-year-old real estate company president are going to tie the knot on their 11-year relationship. They have already visited her mother’s home of Cuba to break the news. No wedding date has been set.

TBS announced yesterday that popular comedian Kasuga Toshiaki (30, photo right) fractured his leg during a recent variety show shoot. The accident happened on Tuesday during filming for the show “Oretachi! QuizMan” in Sagamihara, near Tokyo. Kasuga was doing some stuntman basic training on a suspension wire when he landed badly on a jump from a small hut. He is expected to bounce back in about a week to 10 days.

Kasuga created a unique comic character as the preening “boke” half of manzai duo Audrey, with his partner and high school friend Wakabayashi Masayasu (31, photo left). With his pink vest and techno-cut hairstyle, his arrogant manner has made him a favorite among recent breathrough acts. Off-stage he is quite different – a penny-pinching bachelor who lives in a small apartment with no bath; high school American football star who was ulled from a game for wearing indoor shos on astroturf; and he won a celebrity free diving competition with a record of 92m.

Actor Matsuyama Kenichi (24, photo left) yesterday acknowledged for the first time his relationship with actress Koyuki (33, photo center). He was appearing at a preview screening of the movie “Darekaga Watashini Kiss Shita.” Though the movie is a domestic Toei Studios project starring Horikita Maki (21), it is directed by Hans Canosa, the director of “Conversations with Other Women,” and already has distribution deals in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Negotiations for Europe and North America are underway. When asked by reporters if his romance with Koyuki was going well, “MatsuKen” nodded and said simply “Yes, yes.” The two worked together on last year’s movie “Kamui Gaiden” and rumors of romance first appeared last spring.

• Members of the legendary idol group Onyanko Club were recently reunited for a TV commercial. Of the more than 50 members of the 1980s all-girl group eleven – including Kokusho Sayuri (43), Watanabe Marina (40), Nitta Eri (41), Jonouchi Sanae (41) and Ikuina Akiko (41) – got together to shoot a commercial for Suntory’s can coffee brand “Boss Zeitaku Bito.” The CM takes place in a bank and features actor Ito Atsushi (26) and, in a move that will drive a lot of middle-aged otaku wild, the Onyanko ladies singing and dancing to their infamous hit “Sailor-fuku wo Nugasanaide” (Don’t Take Off my Sailor Uniform, photo right). The CM will air from January 23.

Onyanko Club (literally “Kitten Club) debuted in 1985 and only lasted for two years, but their huge popularity and ever-changing lineup helped pave the way for the likes of Morning Musume and AKB48. Many members, such as those mentioned above, have gone on to build solid showbiz careers. Kudo Shizuka (39) married SMAP heartthrob Kimura Takuya (37), while Watanabe married comedian Nagura Jun (41).

Expect to see a lot of Iconiq. With her big eyes and shaved head, visually she’s the Sinead O’Connor of J-pop, and she’s so new on the scene that she doesn’t even have a Japanese Wikipedia page yet. But just over a month after her debut single release, she was yesterday announced as the new face of Shiseido. It marks the first time the cosmetics giant has used anyone other than an established actress to promote its MAQuillAGE line. Her first single – a duet with Atsushi of Exile, currently the hottest J-pop act of all – did well on the download charts. And the new single, “Change Myself,” will get lots of exposure as it’s tied up with her new role for Shiseido. So who is she anyway?

Her official website doesn’t give too much away but little investigation shows that Iconiq (25) is the new creation of a Korean pop singer who originally performed under the name Ayumi Lee or Ahyoomee. Though she grew up in Japan as Ito Ayumi, she debuted in her parents’ native country in 2002 as part of the K-pop group Sugar. A couple of solo singles, including a 2006 cover of the classic anime theme “Cutie Honey,” drew criticism for having an overly-Japanese influence. Three years later, and after some time spent in Los Angeles, she reappeared with her flowing locks shaved off and was “reborn” in her adopted country.

Singer Asakawa Maki was found unconscious in a Nagoya hotel room on Sunday evening and declared dead on arrival at a local hospital, it was revealed yesterday. According to Aichi prefectural police, the cause of death was acute heart failure. She was 67. She had performed as scheduled the night before and was found in her room shortly before she was due on stage for the last of three nights.

With her black clothes, long straight hair and blank expression, Asakawa was considered the “queen” of the “angura” avant garde scene in Tokyo in the early 1970s. She was a unique artist who modeled her vocal stylings on Mahalia Jackson and Billy Holliday and collaborated with a wide variety of jazz, blues and rock musicians. One western critic described her “dark clad, nicotine stained and black sugarless coffee drenched female vocals against an avant-jazz backing.” She first appeared on the scene in 1968 when controversial producer Terayama Shuuji (1935-1983) put her in a one-woman stage show at the Sasoriza theater in Shinjuku. Under his tutelage she made her recording debut in 1970 and performed at cabarets and U.S. military camps in and around Tokyo. In recent years she performed mainly at the Pit Inn live house, close to her roots in Shinjuku. She never married and lived alone in Tokyo.

Comedian Haraguchi Akimasa (34) and pin-up girl Fukushita Megumi (25) are engaged. They both updated their blogs with the news yesterday after the story broke on Saturday. The couple have been dating for about a year and a half and are said to be planning to tie the knot in the spring in Yokohama, where they had their first date. Haraguchi is known as one of the country’s top “monomane” (comic impersonator), in particular top comedian Akashiya Sanma. He first hit it off with Fukushita when they both appeared on a “monomane battle” special on NTV five years ago.

Fukushita started out as a “gradol,” or gravure (pin-up) idol, in 2001, later expanding her repertoire to include acting on stage and TV. She made her singing debut in 2008 as a member of the J-pop group BeForU. But what brought her and Haraguchi together was her skill at mimicking J-pop stars such as Koda Kumi and Nakamori Akina.

• X Japan vocalist Toshi (44) announced yesterday that he has declared himself bankrupt and initiated a divorce from his wife of 13 years. He broke the news on his page on Mixi, the top Japanese social media network, saying that he hopes to make a “fresh start in life.” Confirming what has been widely rumored for years, he said that all his earnings over the last 12 years have gone to the self-development seminar business “Home of Heart,” often referred to in terms of a religious cult, led by Kurabuchi Toru (52, aka Masaya). Toshi and his wife Kaori (40), a former idol singer, married in 1997 but have been separated for ten years. During that time she has been living with Masaya in Nasu, Tochigi Prefecture and she performs under the stage name Wanku.

Hori Pro is lining up its stars for a special commemorative movie. Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and in a first for the company, the top talent management agency is producing a movie featuring a cast entirely from its own ranks. Directed by Nakata Hideo and based on an award-winning mystery novel by Yonezawa Honobu, “Inshitemiru” is a “fight to the death” thriller with ten starring roles. Yesterday eight of the names were announced, four actors and four actresses (l-r): Kitaoji Kinya (60), Takeda Shinji (37), Fujiwara Tatsuya (27), and Abe Tsuyoshi (27); Katahira Nagisa (50), Hirayama Aya (26), Ayase Haruka (24), and Ishihara Satomi (23). The movie is due for release in the autumn.

Thirty years after she shocked Japan with her retirement, the legendary Yamaguchi Momoe (50) is finally entering the world of digital downloads. It was announced yesterday that the 12 major digital distributors have reached an agreement to sell the 274 songs she released – 32 singles and 242 album tracks – together with videos of live performances. The files will be released over a period of four weeks from January 17, her 51st birthday. This year is also the 50th anniversary of Hori Pro, the top management agency that represented her. They reached an agreement with the likes of Dwango, NTT Communications and Sony Music to make the files available at prices from ¥105 for mobile phone ringtones to ¥525 for videos.

Even three decades after she retired to marry actor Miura Tomokazu (57 – they appeared together in 14 of her 17 movies), Yamaguchi’s legend is powerful enough to rake in the Yen. To date, six greatest hits albums have been released to commemorate anniversaries of her 1973 debut or 1980 retirement. Last month, a DVD box set featuring her many appearances on the “Best Ten” music show entered the Oricon charts at No.2. In her heyday, she was one of three pop starlets referred to as the “Hana no Naka 3 Trio.” Songs by the other two, Mori Mitsuko (51) and Sakurada Junko (51), are already available online, and Yamaguchi is believed to be the last of the Showa Era legends to go fully digital. Ironically, during her 7-year career, she never had a No.1 album and only four No.1 singles on the Oricon charts. But in 1978 she was popular enough to become the first – and still the only – teenager to be given the “tori” (headliner) position in NHK’s annual “Kohaku Uta Gassen” concert.

Acclaimed young actor Yagira Yuya (19) and actress Ellie Toyota (21) are hitched. They filed their marriage registration forms yesterday, Toyota’s birthday, and will hold their wedding ceremony in Tokyo today. The couple, who are both with the same Stardust Promotions management agency, announced their engagement at the beginning of December. Toyota plans to continue her career, though she has a much lower profile than Yagira. In 2004 he became the youngest ever, and the first Japanese, winner of the Best Actor award at the Cannes International Film Festival. His role in the Koreeda Hirokazu movie “Daremo Shiranai” (Nobody Knows) launched a movie career that seemed destined for great heights. After a drug overdose in August 2008 that derailed his career it seemed that success may have come too early, but Yagira got things back on track and even found time to write his first novel. Last year, he starred in “The Shock Labyrinth,” the first feature-length 3D movie made in Japan. His most recent work is the movie “Subete wa Umi ni Naru,” which co-stars Sato Eriko and opens on January 23. Toyota, whose father is British, got her showbiz start in the idol group Snappeas. She made her big screen debut in the 2006 movie “Youkina Gang ga Chikyu wo Mawasu.”

• Actor Okumura Koen died last month, it was revealed yesterday. He was 79. Known for playing a corpse in the movie “O-Soshiki” (Funeral), a role for which he trained himself to hold his breath for several minutes, he ironically died of respiratory failure at a Tokyo hospital on December 24. He was an acclaimed supporting actor on the big screen, perhaps most notably in the movies of director Itami Juzo, in TV dramas and in the theater.

Actress Kuroki Meisa (21, photo left) is to become the global face of French cosmetics giant L’Oréal Paris. It was announced yesterday that she recently signed a contract to appear in advertisements and TV commercials for the brand around the world, a job that has previously gone to such top Hollywood names as Penelope Cruz, Beyonce Knowles and Jane Fonda. The only other Japanese woman to have landed the gig was model Kawahara Ayako (38). Kuroki will first appear in commercials for the new Damage Care Proex line of products in the spring.

Vianney Derville, L’Oréal’s International General Manager, saw Kuroki in her international big screen debut, last year’s Japanese-Chinese movie “Subaru.” Describing the Okinawa-born actress he said, “Her appeal lies in her natural talent, her elegance and her beauty.” Kuroki had a breakthrough year in Japan in 2009 and is now headed for the world stage. “I hope to become someone who can support Japanese women and be on a par with the other women of the world. I’d like to show the world the beauty of Japanese women.”

• Management for Shaku Yumiko (31, photo right) acknowledged yesterday that she is on the verge of marriage to a handsome Tokyo vet. The popular actress and Sato Takanori (31), head of a veterinary clinic in the posh Tokyo suburb of Shiragane, have been dating since last autumn. Tommy’s Artist Company president Kobayashi Kenji, himself a former Johnny’s Jimuso idol, said “It’s true that (Shaku) is in a serious relationship. She is 31 so any decision about marriage is hers to make. But I think that’s where she’s headed.”

Hazama Kampei isn’t going to let a little thing like cancer stop him from running round the world. The Yoshimoto comedian recently made a hospital visit in Istanbul for a scheduled checkup as part of his Earth Marathon, an attempt to run and sail around the globe. After having sailed across the Pacific and Atlantic, and run across the North American and European continents, he was shocked when test results showed that he has prostate cancer. He revealed the illness for the first time on his blog yesterday.

The shocking news came almost a year after Hazama (60) was diagnosed with high levels of PSA, a protein produced by the cells of the prostate gland, following tests in Los Angeles. Doctors diagnosed it as a prostate infection and he was given antibiotics. Subsequent tests in cities across the U.S. and Europe indicated the problem was under control, though Hazama was still taking the medication. After the test in Istanbul revealed excessive levels of PSA, doctors recommended further tests. But Hazama insisted on continuing to Ankara and reaching the 10,000km mark in his global quest on New Year’s Eve, before returning to Istanbul. He underwent more tests and was given the bad news on January 4.

“For about a week I was really worried,” he said. “Could I finish the Earth Marathon? Could I beat this disease? Would I die? At times I couldn’t sleeping from worrying about it.” But after the test data was shared with doctors in the U.S. and Japan, it was decided that rather than undergo surgery he could be treated with hormone therapy that would keep the cancer in check and allow him to continue his quest. “I was incredibly happy,” he said, announcing that he would resume his journey from tomorrow. He hopes to arrive back in Osaka sometime between this autumn and the spring of 2011.