Latest News from Japan Zone & Japan Store

Actor Kashiwabara Takashi (27) and former TV personality Hatano Hiroko (photo, 28) are said to be on the verge of getting hitched. Their parents were recently seen dining together, a common sign that nuptials are being planned. The couple met while appearing together in the TBS drama “Koi no Kamisama” four years ago. Hatano retired from showbusiness a year and a half ago, the first sign of an impending marriage. They are currently living together in Tokyo.

• Actress Sugita Kaoru (39) is to release a cover of her own 1981 hit “Tori no Uta”, her first new single in 23 years. Sugita has been a variety show regular over the last couple of years, her “selling point” being her image as a straight-talking woman who’s fond of a drink, and destined never to find true love. She started her acting career at the tender age of 8 and had her breakthrough at 15 on the hugely popular TV series “3-nen B-kumi Kimpachi Sensei”.

A series of performances to mark kabuki actor Ichikawa Shinnosuke’s (26) assumption of the title Ichikawa Ebizo XI takes place from today in Osaka’s Shochiku-za theater. Ichikawa is one of the most popular of the current young generation of kabuki stars. A special train, “Ebizo-go”, will run one way between Keihan Tenman and Kourien stations on June 30, on which Ichikawa will “visit” the Narita-san temple of his ancestors to announce his succession.

• Three of the younger groups belonging to the prolific Johnny’s Jimusho agency will take part in a “big top” event this summer. News, Kat-tun and Ya-Ya-Yah will perform songs and show video footage during the “Summary” show, which will run August 8-29 at the Harajuku Big Top.

Showbiz super-couple Sorimachi Takashi (30) and Matsushima Nanako (30) are now proud parents. Matsushima gave birth to a baby girl in a Tokyo hospital on May 31. The pair appeared together in the 1998 drama “GTO” and married in 2001.

• The lineup for The Who’s upcoming Japan dates has been announced. Original members Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend will be joined by Zack Starkey – son of Ringo Starr – and Simon Townshend, joining his brother on guitar. The band, celebrating their 40th year in the business, will join Aerosmith, Red Hot Chili Peppers and other major international and domestic names at the inaugral Rock Odessey festival on July 24-25. The event will be split between Yokohama International Stadium and Osaka Dome.

Actor Eguchi Yosuke (36) and his wife, singer Moritaka Chisato (35) have teamed up to make their first TV appearance together since they married in 1999. They appear in a new commercial for House Java curry, starting today. Over the years, the brand has featured several real-life couples, including Hollywood martial arts star “Sonny” Chiba Shinichi (65) and his wife, Nogiwa Yoko (68). Moritaka was famous for her long legs during a career as an idol singer in the 1990s.

Kitano “Beat” Takeshi has completed his role in the movie “Chi to Hone” (Blood and Bones). It’s the first time in 14 years for the renowned actor, director and comedian to star in a movie that he is not directing himself. The man at the helm for this project is Sai Yoichi (54). Takeshi plays an unpleasant lead character, a heavy drinker who abuses his wife and children. He says he worked harder ton this than any other role he’s ever done.

• Yomiuri TV announcer Nakamoto Ayako (photo, 32) is engaged to be married. She is planning to marry a 38-year old New York-based systems engineer in November. Nakamoto is a familiar face on early weekday morning shows, and is particularly popular among fans of the Hanshin Tigers baseball team, as she appears on the Tora Tora Tigers show at 12:55am on Sundays. Busy girl.

Matsuda Seiko (42) is working hard to promote her new single and upcoming album. One of Japan’s biggest ever “idol” singers, Seiko has a 24-year career behind her but is pulling out all the stops to give it yet another boost. In the past, she has often relied on controversy and publicity stunts to keep herself in the public eye. But this time she is working the TV shows and live events, appearing on early morning TV, seemingly, for the first time in her career. She even showed up for the daily morning assembly of staff at her Sony Music label. The new single “Aitai” is her first ballad in several years and she wrote the lyrics to music composed by the man said to be her latest flame, musician Harada Shinji (45). “Sunshine”, her first original album in three years, goes on sale June 13.

Actress Tanaka Reina (24) is to star in a Chinese TV drama. “Aigami Seikihatsu”, set to air next spring, will be Tanaka’s debut as a leading actress. It will also star Chinese actors Chen Jen Bin (34) and Dan Hao (26) and be directed by award-winning moviemaker Jin Chen (35). Filming will take place between June and August in Dalian and Tokyo.

• Aspiring actress Sato Eriko (22) broke down in tears while addressing the 2,000-strong audience at a PR event for her new movie “Cutie Honey”. She said she was overcome with happiness by the huge turnout of fans. The movie adaptation of the famous TV anime has been widely hyped and is a big career step for the pin-up girl. The tall and slim Sato is one of the high-profile members of the Yellow Cab talent agency that specializes in girls with large to enormous bustlines.

Toei held a pre-production press conference yesterday for the upcoming and final Godzilla movie. “Godzilla: Final Wars” is scheduled to open on December 4, and stars Matsuoka Masahiro (27) of the Johnny’s pop group Tokio and Kikukawa Rei (26). It will also feature Takarada Akira (70), who starred in the very first Godzilla movie. Production starts in Sydney this Friday and is scheduled to finish November 15. It will be the biggest “Gojira” flick ever, with a budget of ¥2 billion, about twice that of recent Toei versions. It will also be the most international, taking the big lizard to New York, Sydney, Paris and Shanghai before he wreaks havoc in Japan. Celebrating his 50th birthday this year, Godzilla is enjoying something of a boom. The original 1954 movie is currently showing in New York and San Fransisco. He made his first appearance in the U.S. in 1956 and got a Hollywood makeover courtesy of Roland Emmerich in 1998. The following year, the Japanese production “Godzilla 2000” opened in 2,000 theaters across the U.S. The 27 previous movies in the series have drawn over 98 million people to the cinema and the target for this project is to smash the 100 million barrier. Just the job for the world’s most famous monster.

Morning Musume leader Iida Kaori (22) and “ace” Ishikawa Rika (photo, 19) are to ‘graduate’ from the group next year. Iida is the only remaining original member. Guru Tsunku (35) says he wants Iida to develop as a multi-talented artist, while Ishikawa will be at the center of a new unit within the Hello! Project. It was announced earlier this year that young members Kago Ai (18) and Tsuji Nozomi (16) will leave the group in August. Auditions for new members are currently being organized.

• Da Pump vocalist Issa (25) turned up for the MYV Video Music Awards Japan with a freshly shaven head, a sign of repentance over his recently publicized womanizing. Hamasaki Ayumi (26) took three awards, including Best Female Artist. Amuro Namie (26) presented the Inspiration Award to a visiting Janet Jackson (38), who managed to keep her cleavage indoors.

14-year old Yagira Yuya was the surprise winner of the Best Actor award at the 57th Cannes Film Festival on Saturday night. Yagira was recognized for his performance in “Daremo Shiranai” (Nobody Knows), loosely based on a true story from the 1980s of four siblings abandoned by their mother. Visually striking, it was criticized as overlong by some reviewers. It was directed by Koreeda Hirokazu, who accepted the award on his star’s behalf. Yagira left Cannes on May 13 after the movie was screened, to go back to mid-term exams at school. He is the first Japanese to win the best actor award at Cannes, and stole the limelight from some more established Japanese stars trying to make an impression at the festival.