Latest News from Japan Zone & Japan Store

It seems that the building put up last November in central Tokyo by rocker Yazawa Eikichi (photo, 55) may be illegal. The ¥1.5 billion building in Akasaka includes a private recording studio. There are said to be differences between the actual building and the plans submitted to the Minato Ward Office. officials and Yazawa’s architects are said to be looking into the matter.

• Singer-songwriter Utada Hikaru (22) is to provide the theme song for the upcoming movie “Haru no Yuki” (Spring Snow). Scheduled for general release on October 29, the film will feature “Be My Last,” Utada’s first new release in 17 months. The romance stars two of the hottest young names of the moment, Takeuchi Yuko (25) and Tsumabuki Satoshi (24) and is sure to be a big hit. The main reason Utada took on the job of writing the song was that the movie is based on a novel by the late Mishima Yukio, of whom she’s a big fan. The only movie theme she’s done to date was for “Casshern,” the debut by her husband, Kiriya Kazuaki (38).

• Mr. Children vocalist Sakurai Kazutoshi (35) and producer Kobayashi Takeshi (45) have put together an impressive lineup for their new summer music festival. The “ap bank fes’ 05” is happening in Shizuoka on July 16-18 and will feature nine major acts, including Hamada Shogo (52), Inoue Yosui (56), Nakashima Mika (22), Pornograffitti and Every Little Thing. It will be Hamada’s first outdoor appearance in 21 years. Sakurai and Kobayashi will play in a backing band.

Singer Amuro Namie (27) appeared at the J-Wave radio studio in the Shibuya HMV store yesterday to promote her latest album, “Queen of Hip Hop.” The promo video for the first single “WoWa” features a “cameo” by the Pink Panther cartoon character, as well as an original Namie Panther. It’s the first time that MGM have allowed the character to be used in a music video and it’s also the first time a female version has been created. The new album goes on sale July 13, and Amuro will be playing a 27-city nationwide tour from September 1.

• Former The Yellow Monkey vocalist Yoshii Kazuya (38) played the last gig of his latest solo tour at Zepp Tokyo yesterday. He’s ben playing under the stage name of Yoshii Lovinson since he went solo in October 2003, but announced at last night’s show that he’s planning another name change next year. The Yellow Monkey formed in 1989 and released a slew of albums and singles until their last gig at Tokyo Dome in 2001. They officially broke up last year.

• Talento Tsukitei Hachimitsu (28) became a father yesterday when his wife gave birth to a baby girl at an Osaka hospital. Tsukitei’s father, traditional rakugo storyteller Tsukitei Happo (57), said he was delighted to be a grandfather at last.

• Actor Tanihara Shousuke (32) and singer Kahara Tomomi (30) have the dubious honor of being this year’s “Natto King and Queen.” July 10 can be read as “natto” in Japanese, so that day is used for various PR events for the stinky, slimy but healthy fermented bean food.

“Mister” fans have been welcoming the legendary baseball star back. Nagashima Shigeo is the most popular player ever to have graced the Japanese baseball world and his recent bout with illness had fans, especially Yomiuri Giants fans, pretty worried. He was hospitalized in the spring of 2004 following a stroke that left him with a slight temporary paralysis in the right side of his body. He finally made his first public appearance at a Giants-Hiroshima Carp game at the Tokyo Dome on Sunday. His appearance in a balcony seat was broadcast live on several TV networks. In the showbiz world, Giants fans have been singing his praises. Kabuki star Nakamura Kazaburo (50) and SMAP leader Nakai Masahiro (32) were among those expressing their undying admiration and support. As usual celebrity Tokumitsu Kazuo (64) couldn’t hold back the tears on seeing his old friend.

• Actress Nishida Naomi (33) is planning to get married sometime this month, according to a statement from her agency. Her fiancee is said to be in his 30’s but no name or occupation were given.

• Actress Sugita Kaoru (40) said on the Downtown-hosted show “Hey! Hey! Hey!” last night that she hasn’t seen her husband for three months (the couple only married six months ago!) She added that her husband, the extremely wealthy Ayukawa Junta (44) told her he didn’t want to see her face, kicked her out of his house and changed the locks. Rumors of a divorce have been rampant in the last couple of weeks. And there have been conflicting reports of one kicking the other several months ago while in a restaurant with friends.

News reports on Saturday’s Live8 event in Japan say that only 10,000 fans turned up. This is half of the projected number, despite a lineup that included foreign artists Bjork and Good Charlotte as well as domestic acts such as Dreams Come True and Rize. DCT vocalist Yoshida Miwa (photo) was dressed all in white and had the white-armband-waving fans at the Makuhari Messe convention center singing “bimbou wo nakusou” (let’s get rid of poverty) to the group’s popular hit “Love Love Love.” The amount of money raised by the event is due to be announced on the Japanese Live8 website today.

• Actor Akabane Hideyuki (32) foiled an attempted mugging outside his suburban Tokyo home late Saturday night. He and his wife were watching TV about 1am when they heard a woman screaming for help on the street outside. The actor tackled the 30-year old mugger and held him until police arrived. Akabane is a member of the Mumeijuku theater group and a minor celebrity, but has worked regularly on TV since 1992.

• Tourbillion, the new group formed by former Luna Sea vocalist Kawamura Ryuichi (35), played their first concert at the Nippon Budokan at the weekend. Kawamura put the group together with former bandmate Inoran (34) and D-Loop member Hayama Hiroaki (31) after they played in his backing band at a solo Tokyo concert last December. They played a 20-song set, one each from their various solo careers but all the rest were new compositions. The name of the group means “whirlpool” in French.

Actress Ishino Youko (37) gave a press conference yesterday to reveal that her Tokyo home has been burglarized again. She returned to her home in Meguro Ward from filming a TV drama at about 3am on June 30 to find her living room in a mess. She found about ¥400-500,000 in cash was missing. According to her agency, it is at least the third time she has beeen the victim of burglars.

• The once almighty Yomiuri Giants baseball team can see no end to their declining popularity. Though they’re still the most supported team in the country, viewership of their TV broadcasts continues to reach new lows. The latest is a new record low average of 10.1% for their night games broadcast in June. This follows the trend of record low numbers every month so far this season. The Giants have been wallowing at or near the bottom of the Central League since the season started.

• Rakugo performer Hayashiya Kompei (photo, 67) is to make his comeback no sooner than September. the popular traditional storyteller was admitted to hospital in June of last year with throat problems. He is said to have left hospital in May but is still recuperating. It was rumored that he might appear back in his regular slot in the TV show “Shoten” in August but an NTV spokesperson denied this.

“The Sun” (Taiyo), the Russian movie depicting the Emperor Hirohito in the dying days of World War II, has taken the Grand Prix at the 13th St. Petersburg International Film Festival. Starring versatile actor Issey Ogata (photo, 53), the critically acclaimed film (it has been described as the best Russian film in years) is unlikely to see general release in this country due to its subject matter. Indeed, the identity of the actor playing the lead role was not revealed until after shooting had finished, for fear of what right-wingers might do. The movie is the third in a series by director Alexander Sokurov which has previously included films about Hitler and Lenin.

• Rumors continue of a split between recently married actress Sugita Kaoru (40) and wealthy entrepreneur Ayukawa Junta (44). She is denying the rumors so far, but in a way that has the media even more convined that the marriage is on the rocks. She is scheduled to appear on a live morning show on TBS and may be a bit more forthcoming on the issue. The couple married in January, but have not lived together at Ayukawa’s plush Tokyo home. He is said to be the one pushing for divorce.

• NHK announcer Udo Yumiko (36) was caught on a date with her rumored boyfriend by the weekly gossip magazine “Friday.” The man is described as a 35-year old “ikemen” (handsome) certified public accountant. Udo has been romantically linked with a host of men over the years, including Yokohama Bay Stars player Ishii Takuro (34), but the latest romance is said to be one step away from marriage.

The latest Japanese movie to get the Hollywood treatment is “Sengoku Jieitai 1549,” directed by Tezuka Masaaki and starring Eguchi Yosuke (37) and currently on release here in Japan. The Hollywood version is to be titled “Samurai Commando Mission 1549” and is the brainchild of “Lethal Weapon” producer Jenny Lew Tugend. It will have scenes added, as well as beefed up music and special effects. It will also be made easier to understand for those without a background in Japanese medieval period history. The “sengoku” of the Japanese title refers to the so-called “warring period” when the country was wracked by civil wars before being unified in the Edo Period. The movie tells of a timeslip, with a platoon of modern-day self defense personnel transported back to feudal times. The current movie is itself basically a remake of the 1979 classic “Sengoke Jieitai” (G.I. Samurai), that starred “Sonny” Chiba Shinichi. The original version has drawn a lot of international interest and contracts have been signed for 31 countries, breaking the record of 30 held by “Ringu.”

• And speaking of remakes, “War of the Worlds” is off to a flying start. The Steven Spielberg-Tom Cruise blockbuster opened yesterday – a Wednesday opening is very rare – and pulled in over ¥400 million on its first day. It’s predicted to clear ¥10 billion easily. The only previous major Hollywood flick to open mid-week was “Matrix Revolutions” in 2003. That was an all-nighter, but it still only drew ¥16 million on day one. Before the screening of WotW, there was a sneak preview of Peter ‘Lord of the Rings’ Jackson’s latest, “King Kong,” with a recorded message for his fans in Japan. The giant gorilla is scheduled to hit Japanese screens in December.

Actor Hagiwara Kenichi (54) was found guilty yesterday at the Tokyo District Court on charges of attempted blackmail. He was handed down an 18-month prison sentence, as sought by prosecutors, though it was suspended for three years. Though he earlier challenged the charges, he said by fax that he will abide by the verdict and will not lodge an appeal. “Shoken” was kicked off a movie project last summer and later allegedly made telephone threats against producers, demanding he be paid his full fee of ¥18 million and dropping the name of a yakuza organization. He was arrested at his home four and a half months ago, with TV cameras capturing the scene. He made his name as vocalist of the “group sounds” band The Tempters back in the 1960s. He became a popular TV actor in the early 1970s. He was arrested for drug possession in 1983 and again for drunk driving in 1984.

• Veteran actor Matsumura Tatsuo died of heart failure on June 18, it was revealed yesterday. He was 90. he had been admitted to a Tokyo hospital with breathing difficulties on June 10. A rugby player in his youth, his vigor had allowed him to continue acting until quite recently. But he will be best remembered for his role as Oi-chan, which he played five times in the long-running movie series “Otoko Wa Tsurai Yo.” He also appeared in “Mada Dayo” directed by the late Kurosawa Akira. He is survived by his wife and son.

• Singer-songwriter Tanimura Yumi (36) announced yesterday that she gave birth to her first child, a baby boy, on June 21. She married Nihon McDonalds Holdings CEO Harada Eikou (55) in 2002 – he was head of Apple Computer Japan at the time.

Southern All Stars have set a new record by having 44 singles on the Oricon chart at the same time. Yes, that’s 44 singles out of the Top 100! The previous record was held by Matsutoya Yumi, who had 16 singles in the chart in July 1989. SAS re-released every single between their 1978 debut “Katte ni Sinbad” and 2000’s “Tsunami,” and the highest ranked was “Body Special II” at No.18. Only 2 singles by other artists made it to slots between #18 and #63. “Tsunami,” which made #20, has now reached total sales of 2.92 million copies, putting in third place all time. SAS timed the multiple release to fall on the 27th anniversary of their debut. They will release their 51st single “Bohbo No.5” on July 20.

• Kabuki actor Nakamura Shido (32) and actress Takeuchi Yuko (25) announced via their agencies yesterday that they recently tied the knot. Nakamura is said to have registered their marriage at the local municipal office on June 25, an auspicious “taian” day in the traditional Japanese calendar. Takeuchi is expecting a baby within the year.

• Ken, guitarist with popular rock band L’Arc En Ciel, revealed on a radio show that he broke a toe while playing basketball during filming of a promotion video earlier this month.

• “A,” the NTV variety show hosted by popular newscaster Kume Hiroshi (60) has come to an embarrassing end after just 3 months on the air. The cancellation of the show had already been announced, but the final edition still managed only a 6.7% audience rating, despite its prime Sunday 8pm time slot. The show tried to use the Internet and other modern ideas to create a show based around an Asian theme.

Kabuki actor Nakamura Shido (32) is having a very good year. Not only has he announced his engagement to the beautiful actress Takeuchi Yuko (25), who’s going to have his child within the year, but he is also going to make his international movie debut. He is lined up to star alongside Jet Li (42) in a Chinese film provisionally titled “Fearless.” To be diected by Ronnie Yu, the movie is the story of Fok Yuen Gap, a true Chinese hero who was also the inspiration for Bruce Lee’s 1972 classic “Fist of Fury.” Set for a 2006 release, it will be produced by Bill Kong, the man behind 2000’s Academy Award nominee “Green Destiny.” Nakamura is the grandson of the late Yorozuya Kinnosuke, one of the legends of post-war Japanese cinema who appeared in some 150 movies. He made his debut in the 2002 comedy “Ping Pong” (photo). Nakamura, who will play the hero’s Japanese opponent Tanaka, says he follows his grandfather’s advice to act from the heart rather than the head.

• Pop diva Matsuda Seiko (43) announced at the weekend that the last date in her 25th anniverary “Fairy” tour will be in Taiwan. The August 20 show in will be her first concert overseas. Her stage show will require 20 11-ton trucks to ship everything from Japan. Meanwhile, it was also announced that she will sing the theme song for the Japanese version of the new Nicole Kidman movie. “I’ll Fall in Love” , the theme for the Norah Ephron version of the classic 60s TV comedy “Bewitched,” goes on sale on August 24.

• Record label Avex held its 6th annual shareholders meeting/concert at the Tokyo International Forum on Sunday. Five of the label’s star acts performed, including its biggest earner Hamasaki Ayumi (25). She performed her new single “Fairyland,” which goes on sale on August 3. Others appearing were globe, one of the biggest groups of the 90s and fronted by Komuro Tetsuya (46), Otsuka Ai (22) and Suzuki Ami (23).