Latest News from Japan Zone & Japan Store

Inoue Ami (26) of the up and coming Okinawan reggae duo Amy-N-Ryoo was arrested for shoplifting. She was caught stealing a &yen12,000 bikini from a store in Naha.

• Actress Mizuno Maki (33) says she’s broken up with the advertising executive she had been seeing for the last four years.

• Doing better on the love front is personality Koike Eiko (22) who says she and pro wrestler Sakata Wataru (30) are “love-love.”

• Despite rumors that her partner of 17 years Sasaki Chikara (52) has a mistress, actress Manda Hisako (photo, 45) hinted that the couple may yet marry.

Otake Shinobu (45) became the third Japanese in a row to win the Best Actress award at the Moscow International Film Festival. Otake – ex-wife of comedian Akashiya Sanma – won for her role in the movie “Fukuro” by director Shindo Kaneto (91). This follows wins by Ichikawa Mikako (25) in “Blue” (2001) and Miyazawa Rie (30) in the Hong Kong movie “Yuuen Kyomu” (2002).

• Comedian Shofukutei Tsurube (51) had a bit of unexpected exposure during a late-night segment of Fuji TV’s 27-hour telethon. Around 2am and after a heavy drinking bout, Tsurube was fast asleep on location in Nagasaki. When woken up by presenters in the Tokyo studio, he stood up in his futon, only for his pants to fall down. The Saturday night audience got a brief full frontal exposure before the camera switched back to the studio. The station later issued an apology but still received about 200 calls.

The variety show “Shinkon-san, Irrashai”, hosted by rakugo artist Katsura Sanshi (59), is to enter the Guinness Book of Records. Katsura has hosted the Sunday lunchtime show, on which he interviews newlyweds, for the whole 33 years it’s been on TV Asahi. Yamase Mami, the 33-year old with a six-year old’s voice, is his seventh partner during that time.

The “big” news story of the weekend was the attention given to the Russian teenage pop duo Tatu and their usual publicity-seeking antics. They got some minor headlines with the news that their requests for permission to film a promo video in several trendy areas of Tokyo had been refused. They then appeared at the start of Friday night’s live TV Asahi show “Music Station” hosted by comedian Tamori. But when the time came for them to perform, it was announced that they refused to leave their dressing room. TV Asahi claim to be furious, and have complained to the Universal Music record company, saying they won’t allow their other artists to appear on the station. This would be a big blow for Utada Hikaru (photo, 20), who is due to release her debut US album this autumn. Didn’t know that? Well, now you do. Hey, this publicity/manipulation thing really works…

90s J-pop queen Amuro Namie (25) and Miyake Ken (23) of the Johnny’s Jimusho boy band V6 are “atsu-atsu” – a hot item – according to the weekly magazine Friday. Amuro divorced dancer and trf member Sam (41) last year and they have a son together. She is said to have met Miyake a couple of years back when Sam was V6’s choreographer. He visits her Tokyo apartment a few times a week and they have been seen wearing matching T-shirts, a sure sign in Japan of true romance.

Popular rock band L’Arc En Ciel played a long-awaited “secret live” show at Tokyo’s Akasaka Blitz yesterday. It was their first appearance in two and a half years. Only the 2270 members of their official fan club were invited. They will play a week of shows in early July but are expected to announce the formal breakup of the band on the last night. Vocalist Hyde (photo) is expected to continue his solo singing and acting career.

• Actress Mukai Aki (38), who has already been through two failed attempts to have a baby by a surrogate mother in the US, announced that the third attempt looks to be successful. The woman in her thirties is 9 weeks pregnant. Mukai hadn’t wanted an anouncement until the 12th week but the story was leaked.

Veteran bit actor Nagoya Akira died this week from complications after he was admitted to hospital with pneumonia. As we reported back in your-asthma-info.com, he had been having health problems for some time. He was 72 years old. Nagoya was a popular actor who played everything from comedy roles to villians. He is perhaps best remembered for his part as a leader in the old Ultraman Taro TV series.

Japan Airlines unveiled a new Boeing 747-400 jet emblazoned with a huge portrait of New York Yankees slugger Matsui Hideki at Haneda Airport yesterday as part of its “Go Go Matsui” summer campaign. “Godzilla” signed an endorsement deal with JAL when he signed for the MLB’s most famous team this season.

Singer Saijo Hideki (48) has been hospitalized following a slight cerebral infarction, caused by a blockage of the blood supply to the brain. He is unable to speak clearly and is said to need two weeks of treatment and rest. He had just started doing PR work for a new single “Sodai Gomi Ja ne” (I’m not trash!). Saijo has released 85 singles over a two-decade career. His best known hit was “Young man,” a cover of the Village People song YMCA.

• Morning Musume member Ogawa Makoto (15) suffered a slipped disc during a Tokyo theater performance featuring the pop group. The show “Edo Musume; Chushingura” is based in the historical Edo period and features the group’s hit songs. Ogawa was dancing to the hit “So da, We’re Alive!” when she damaged her back.

• Takamoku Yoshihiko (40) formerly of the pop group Checkers is reported to have had life-saving surgery for cancer last November. The announcement came as part of the PR for a book about his experience.

A new monthly women’s magazine, titled “Ready Go!” has gone on sale. The magazine is based on the concept of Hamasaki Ayumi’s (24) lifestyle. At this point, it’s hard to tell if this is an effort to boost her somewhat flagging sales figures or a sign of undiminished fan interest. Or maybe it’s just another spin-off from an ego out of control. Rumors about Ayu’s less than pleasant personality last year saw her start a regular TV show, “Ayu Ready?” on Saturday nights that was as much about image control as anything.