Latest News from Japan Zone & Japan Store

Actress Yamaguchi Tomoko (39) is to make her variety show debut at long last. She will be the special guest on SMAP’s annual Fuji TV summer special “SMAPxSMAP” on July 19. When I read that she is publishing a new book a few days later, the timing seemed obvious. But it appears she won’t be plugging her book or anything else on the show – a very rare case indeed. One of the most popular stars of the late 1980s-early 90s, she married actor Karasawa Toshiaki (41) in 1995. After that, her only drama role was in the 1996 hit “Long Vacation,” alongside SMAP’s Kimura Takuya (31), until a comeback this January. Otherwise, she has only been seen in TV commercials and has written some books.

Nomura Yojuro (photo, 38) will become the new head of the traditional kyogen family of Nomura Manzo next January. The role had been designated for his elder brother Mannojo, who passed away last month at the age of 44. Their father Nomura Man (74) announced the new successor during a funeral service for Mannojo in Tokyo. Yojuro will become the ninth actor to take on the Manzo name.

• Pop diva Matsuda Seiko (42) sang the national anthem at a stadium for the first time to open the second Sanyo All-Star baseball game yesterday. Accompanied by comedian Ishibashi Takaaki (42), she was clearly very nervous and couldn’t hold back the tears after her rendition of “Kimigayo.”

It seems that the relationship between the Seibu Lions’ star pitcher Matsuzaka Daisuke (22) and Nippon TV announcer Shibata Tomoyo (29) may be getting more serious. After Matsuzaka had been named the MVP for the first All-Star game yesterday, he appeared on the show “Sportsu Urugusu”, on which Shibata is one of the hosts. Both seemed nervous and could hardly look at each other. Asked why he had seemed so calm as starting pitcher, Kintetsu Buffaloes hurler Iwakuma Hisahi (23) quipped “Well, I guess ‘cos I’m married!” The remark was followed by an uncomfortable silence. A relationship between the pair was first rumored by gossip magazine Friday almost 4 years ago.

Comedian Katagiri Jin (photo right, 30), one half of the duo Ramens, has become a father. His wife, former model Murayama Yuki (25), gave birth to a baby boy at a Tokyo hospital yesterday. Katagiri was performing at a stage production but managed to arrive in time for the delivery. The couple married in February of last year.

Actor Nezu Jinpachi (56) collided with a cyclist while driving in Meguro, Tokyo yesterday morning. The 67-year old unemployed man suffered a severe head injury and died later in hospital. Police are investigating Nezu for negligence. Nezu became a successful stage actor in the early 1970s and later moved into movies. He developed a reputation as a talented actor in a host of films, including two by the legendary director Kurosawa Akira. He has won two Japan Academy Awards. The fatal accident is the first involving a showbiz personality since Ohtake Makoto (55) hit a motorcyclist in 1996. Ohtake was back at work two weeks later.

The Japanese entertainment world has a new “hot couple”. Actress Amami Yuki (photo, 36) and musician Kikkawa Koji (38) ongoing romance was revealed today by the Sports Hochi newspaper. It reported that the pair, who have known each other for ten years, started getting serious last autumn. Amami says they are not considering marriage, but reporters predict wedding bells. Kikkawa started as an actor and rock musician in the mid-1980s. He formed the group Complex with guitarist Hotei Tomoyasu in 1988 and pursued a solo career through the 90s. In 1985, Amami graduated top of her class from the school run by the all-female Takarazuka theater troupe. She rose to the rank of top “male” star in record time and quit the troupe at the height of her popularity in 1995. She’s now a regular on TV, stage, movies and commercials.

• Popular young enka singer Hikawa Kiyoshi (26) cancelled recent shows in Tokyo after coming down with a throat infection.

The latest musical offering from Okinawa (that has produced Amuro Namie, Speed, Mongol 800 and current hot act Orange Range) is pop duo D-51. They make their official major debut this week with “Top of the Summer” but have already been featuring on radio and TV “powerplay” spots nationwide thanks to a serious push by their label, Pony Canyon. The tune is being used as the ending of the Fuji TV pop show “Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ. The duo is made up of Yasu (22), who hails from Naha, and Yu (20) from Ginowan. In May they had 17 record labels fighting for them.

D-51 official site

Popular comedy character Gorie has been chosen as the Mascot Girl for the Hawaiian island of Oahu, and last night’s “One Night Rock ‘n’ Roll” was a one-hour special mostly filmed in Hawaii. Created by Gori (32) of the comedy duo Garage Sale and a regular feature on the Wednesday night Fuji TV show, Gorie has become a cult figure particularly among high school girls and young women. “She” has even appeared on the cover of popular teen fashion magazines. The Okinawan duo are one of three comedy pairings on the “One-Nai” team, and play several female characters on the show, despite the fact that both are dark and swarthy. The cross-dressing and other outlandish characters are nothing new in Japanese comedy, but “One-Nai” has managed to anger viewers with their more controversial humor, such as making fun of baseball legend Oh Sadaharu. Of course it’s hard know if the controversy is real or just a publicity stunt.

It was announced yesterday that this year’s Tokyo International Film Festival will award a new Kurosawa Akira Prize, named after one of Japan’s greatest directors. The award will be given to a producer or director active during the preceding year. The prize money will be same as that for the Grand Prix in the main competition, at $10,000. This year’s festival, the 17th, will be held October 23-31. The venues will be expanded from the usual Shibuya theaters to also include the sanky new Roppongi Hills development in central Tokyo. There will also be new international market for films, anime and manga/comics.

Popular author and award-winning screenwriter Nozawa Hisashi (44) was found hanged at his Tokyo office yesterday. Police found what they believe to be a suicide note. Nozawa was the lead writer on an NHK “taiga” drama planned for 2007 and associates were baffled by his sudden suicide. Nozawa made his writing debut in 1985 for Yomiuri TV and wrote several award-winning dramas over the following decades. He is survived by his wife and two children.

• Fuji TV, which has produced box-office hit movies such as “Antarctica” (1983) and “Bayside Shakedown” (1998), is to make its first feature length anime. The company is aiming to make “Brave Story” an international hit. Based on a manga by popular writer Miyabe Miyuki, it tells of a young boy who ventures to a fantasy world to save his dying mother. Teaming up with Fuji will be the new star in Japanese anime, Gonzo Digimation, a company that already enjoys a good reputation in Hollywood.