Latest News from Japan Zone & Japan Store

Morning Musume leader Yaguchi Mari (22) dramatically announced yesterday that she is going to quit the hugely successful pop group. The latest issue of the weekly gossip magazine Friday published compromising photos of Yaguchi with actor Oguri Shun (22). She issued a statement yesterday saying she was not fit to lead the group and was quitting immediately and going solo. She became the third member to take on the role of leader just two months ago, after the departure of Iida Kaori. She is of course an adult, but with Momus being an “idol” group, Yaguchi in particular is considered a role model for their many young fans and her behaviour is taken very seriously. She confessed her relationship to her agency the morning after they were spotted by paprazzi, and considered quitting showbusiness altogether. But with her popularity and potential as a growing star, the agency decided to put her on the path to a solo career. Yoshizawa Hitomi (20) will take over as Momus leader.

• TBS “News no Mori” presenter Ogura Hiroko (30) married former J-Leaguer Mizuuchi Takeshi (32). The couple met in the summer of 2003, while Ogura was working as a sports announcer on the “News 23” show. Mizuuchi started as a forward for the Urawa Reds in the inaugural J-League season and retired in 1997. He now works as a sportscaster on the Fuji TV show “Suporuto.”

Before today’s news, a shameless plug. Remember the British pop star Leo Sayer? He was huge in the 1970s. Well, on his official web site he says this about Japan Zone – “Fascinated by Japanese culture? I am, and if you are too then this is the place.” (end shameless plug)

Pop duo Puffy, known in the US as Puffy AmiYumi, will be touring again from the end of this month till May. They kick off their latest tour, “Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi ROCK SHOW*** GO WEST!!” supported by Sneaker 2 Bombs, on April 22nd in Portland, Oregon and the tour will continue through May 2nd. The duo, Yoshimura Yumi (30) and Ohnuki Ami (31), became pop icons in the late 1990s with a string of hits started by their 1996 debut “Asia No Junshin” and even their own variety show, “Pa-Pa-Pa-Pa Puffy.” Last year, they launched a hit cartoon/live show on the US Cartoon Network, “Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi.” For more details on tour venues, dates and tickets (as well as ringtones, wallpaper, IM icons), check their website: www.puffyamiyumi.com.

• Talent agency Oscar Pro presented its new stars of the future yesterday. Hoping to enjoy the same huge popularity as other young female pro golfers is high school student Umeda Kisa (16), while Maekawa Yasuyuki (31) is the first male actor with the agency. Also on parade were Taiwanese actress Lin Chiling (30) and pin-up girl Otomo Minami (23). The event is held every spring and has launched such names as Yonekura Ryoko (29), Kikukawa Rei (27) and Ueto Aya (19).

Hollywood star Keanu Reeves (40), in town to promote his latest movie “Constantine” which opens on April 16, complained at a PR event yesterday that he wasn’t able to enjoy the local sights. Co-star Rachel Weiss (34) said she’d been to see Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji fish market, while director Francis Laurence (34) had been to see the fading cherry blossoms. Reeves, on the other hand, had been stuck in his hotel doing PR work. But it’s his 7th trip, so no doubt he’s seen plenty of Japan.

• Also yesterday afternoon, across town, Hong Kong star Andy Lau (photo, 43) gave a packed press conference to promote his new movie “Infernal Affair 3.” The original in the action series is to be re-made in Hollywood, with Leanardo DiCaprio and Matt Damon.

• The funeral was held yesterday for producer Izukuri Yoshimi, who died Sunday at the age of 71. He was famous for such hugely popular TBS shows as “8-ji Da Yo! Zennin Shugo” and “Quiz Derby.” The former starred comedy troupe the Drifters and was an institution.

• Former Takarazuka star Saijo Mie (28) is engaged to nihon buyoka (traditional Japanese dancer) Hanayanagi Noriyuki (35). The actress will retire following their planned July wedding.

Anime film director Miyazaki Hayao (64) is one of just two Japanese to make Time magazine’s latest list of the world’s “most influential people,” published on Sunday. Miyazaki was inluded in the category of “Artists and Entertainers,” while Toyota vice president Katsuaki Watanabe, who will take over as company president in June, is among the “Builders and Titans.” Miyazaki is one of the few Japanese to have won an Oscar – he won for the best animated feature in 2003 with “Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi” (Spirited Away). The film also took the Golden Bear award in the 2002 Berlin International Film Festival.

• Another prominent director, Koreeda Hirokazu (42) has announced the star of his next project. “Hana Yorimo Naho” will have boy band V6 member Okada Shunichi (24) in the lead role. It will be the first period drama for Koreeda, whose film “Dare Mo Shiranai” (nobody Knows) was acclaimed at last year’s Cannes Film Festival.

Popular duo Yuzu will release their first greatest hits album – actually two albums – in June. Since their indie-label debut in 1997, the pop pair have amassed single and album sales of over 8 million. The two albums are “Home,” which will cover the period between 1997 and 2000, and “Going” will bring fans up to date and include some new songs. The duo will also play to 130,000 fans at the outdoor Nissan Stadium in their hometown of Yokohama over two nights at the end of July.

• Comedy star Aoki Sayaka (photo, 32) is better known for her acid tongue than her looks. But her latest project is a new racy photo book, “Ou Voyez Vous?” (What Are You Looking At?), shot on location in tropical Okinawa. Though she has done some pin up photos in the dim and dark past, she rode to fame on last year’s o-warai (comedy) wave. She’s usually seen giving her variety show co-stars a good verbal dressing down. But this time, she’s the one doing the undressing, though not all the way. “Maybe next time…,” she said.

Some big news among the giants of the electronics and entertainment industry. Sony has completed its takeover of the famous Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) Hollywood movie studio for $3 billion. Sony Pictures will take over MGM’s library of about 4,000 movies and 10,000 TV shows, adding to their existing catalog of some 3,500 movies and 35,000 TV shows. Meanwhile Sanyo Electric, the third-largest manufacturer of electronic goods, has appointed a female former TV journalist and a young heir to hopefully reverse a serious decline in revenue. The company hopes former World Business satellite presenter Nonaka Tomoyo (photo, 50) can help turn things around as CEO. A spokesman said outright that the appointment was partly meant to “shock” Sanyo employees. Iue Toshimasa, grandson of the company founder, was promoted from Vice President to COO. At 42, he is the youngest person ever to run the company.

• Heavy metal band Loudness played a rooftop gig in Tokyo at the weekend and announced plans to tour overseas for the first time in 18 years. With their 25th anniversary coming up next year, the band are putting themselves back on the map and pushing the English version of their latest album “Racing”. They’ll kick off a European tour in Germany in July.

Multiple award-winning movie director Nomura Yoshitaro died from pneumonia at a Tokyo hospital yesterday. He was 81. He is remembered for a filmography that was as broad as it was long and included drama, tragedy, thrillers and samrai epics. His most famous film is perhaps “Suna no Utsuwa” (The Castle of Sand, 1974), which won an award at the Moscow International Film Festival. Born in 1919 in Kyoto, he studied art at Keio University and joined the Shochiku movie company after graduation in 1941. He was an assistant director to Kurosawa Akira on his 1951 film “Hakuchi” (The Idiot) and won a Blue Ribbon award as best new director the following year. Two movies in 1978, “Jiken” (The Incident) and “Kichiku” (The Demon) won him a special award from the Cultural Affairs ministry. In 1985, “Kikkenna Onnatachi” (Dangerous Women) was the first Japanese movie adaptation of an Agatha Christie novel.

• Horror director Nakata Hideo (43) gave a press conference yesterday to talk about the US release of his movie “The Ring 2.” The movie made No.1 in the US box office in its opening weekend, bringing in $36 million. It is scheduled to open in Japan on June 18. Nakata also confirmed that the deal for him to remake the Thai horror flick “The Eye” has been finalized. The film is being produced by Tom Cruise, and Sanada Hiroyuki is said to be interested in starring. The pair appeared together in “The Last Samurai” and Sanada also starred in Nakata’s first “Ringu” movie.

Enka songwriter Nakayama Daizaburo died yesterday of cancer at a Tokyo hospital. He was 64. He made his writing debut as a 3rd-year student at Hosei University and achieved fame in 1987 with his song “Yuusuge no Koi”, which was a hit for Mori Shinichi and won him a Japan Songwriter’s Award. The following year, his song “Jinsei Iroiro” was an award-winning hit for Shimakura Chiyoko. His stellar record continued in 1996, when Tendo Yoshimi had a million-selling hit with “Chindo Monogatari.”

• Actress Ikuta Etsuko (57) admitted on a wide show yesterday afternoon that she got married on Wednesday. Her new husband is a year younger and a divorcee. It’s Ikuta’s first marriage.

Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood (74) was in town yesterday to meet with Tokyo Governor Ishihara Shintaro (72). Eastwood’s first visit to Japan in 43 years was to do groundwork for his upcoming movie for Dreamworks about Iwo Jima. “Flags of Our Fathers: Heroes of Iwo Jima” will focus on the famous scene where six US marines raised the stars and stripes on the island following one of the bloodiest battles of the Pacific war. The southern island, though 1,200km away, is part of Tokyo and under Ishihara’s jurisdiction. Eastwood reassured the governor that he would respect the feelings of the Japanese people for what many consider hallowed ground.

• Speaking of WW2 movies, much-hyped submarine drama “Lorelei” looks to have become the big box office success it was expected to be. After just over a month in theaters, it has cleared ¥2 billion, overtaking the ¥1.8 billion brought in by Hollywood flick “U-571” in 2000. Its planned run was until the middle of this month, but that will now be extended. Toho say they have signed contracts for the film to show in Thailand and five European countries and are in negotiations that will bring that number up to about 30. The movie is based on a novel by Fukui Harutoshi and is set at the end of the war. Versatile actor Yakusho Koji plays the submarine captain. The CD single of the haunting theme song, “Mozart’s Lullaby” by 16-year old New Zealand phenom Hayley, has sold over 100,000 copies.

The big news today was the engagement announcement of comedian Nagura Jun (36) and talento Watanabe Marina (34). They plan to give an official announcement on the TV Asahi variety show “Zenigata Kintaro” this evening. Nagura is the leader of the comedy trio Neptune, who have established themselves on the variety circuit over the last few years. Watanabe is the former member #36 of legendary idol group O-nyanko Club. She is the last member of the group (an 80s version of Morning Musume) to get married. The couple first met while working together on the “Zenigata Kintaro” variety show in 2002 and have been serious since last summer. Both have been in serious relationships and on the verge of marriage before. Nagura went out with former talento Yoshino Kimika for five years and Watanabe was seriously involved with musician Ozawa Kenji.

• Another romance revealed this week is between V6 member Inohara Yoshihiko (28) and actress Seto Asaka (28). Inohara admitted the relationship at a book signing in Tokyo. The Johnny’s Jimusho star said they started dating last Christmas.

• It was revealed today that comedian Shinagawa Hiroshi (32) of the popular duo Shinagawa Shoji will be prosecuted for a traffic accident in Tokyo last Sunday afternoon. The car he was driving hit a scooter, causing minor head injuries to the 62-year old male rider.