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The Japanese movie industry said “sayonara” to one of its veteran supporting actors a few days ago. Management for Ikebe Ryo said the actor died from septicemia at a Tokyo hospital on October 8. He was 92. Boyishly handsome and 175cm tall, Ikebe was encouraged to appear on screen rather than work behind the camera when he joined the Toho movie studio in 1941. He made his debut almost straight away in “Betta” (Fighting Fish). In 1965, and with three dozen movies already to his credit, he and Takakura Ken (79, profile) co-starred in the first of the famous “Showa Zankyoden” series of yakuza movies that ran until 1972.

So it was somewhat ironic that Ikebe was a representative director of the Japan Movie Actor’s Association when a major scandal broke out in 1965 that centered around connections between actors and the criminal underworld. And it was Ikebe himself who had the backbone to make a public statement saying all such ties would be broken (though a complete break has never happened).

Ikebe had health problems for the last few years and had been cutting back on cigarettes and alcohol. But he continued working up until the end, and his last appearance was in this month’s issue of the magazine “Ginza Hyakuten.”

Actress Hirosue Ryoko (30, photo left) has re-married, she announced on her official site on Saturday. She and candle artist Candle June (photo far right) tied the knot after a relationship of several months. Hirosue divorced model-designer Okazawa Takahiro (35) in March 2008 and they have a child together.

Hirosue and her new hubby met at a benefit event in March for survivors of the Haiti earthquake. They were spotted out on a date by a weekly gossip magazine in August. He is a bit of a mystery and has not publicly revealed his age but is thought to be in his mid30s. He organizes candle-based peace events throughout Japan and the world.

Former baseball star and manager Osawa Keiji died Thursday from cancer of the gall bladder at a Tokyo hospital. He was 78. His 10-year playing career was pent mainly with the Nankai Hawks (now the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks) – where he won the Japan Series in 1959 and 1964 – and the final year was with the Tokyo Orions (now the Chiba Lotte Marines). After retirement he coached and managed at Lotte before two stints as manager of the Nippon Ham Fighters, with whom he won just one Pacific League pennant.

While his playing and managing career stats were hardly stellar, he was outspoken and widely respected, earning him the nickname “oyabun” (boss). This image (usually of a yakuza boss) was enhanced by the fact that for his TV appearances he usually dressed in a kimono. The TBS network said his final appearance was on September 19. On October 3, his “Sunday Morning” co-host Sekiguchi Hiroshi read out a letter from Osawa apologizing for his failure to appear due to poor health. He also applauded his old team the Hawks for their recent Pacific League championship. His grand-daughter, talento Osawa Akane (25) and comedian Gekidan Hitori (33, photo right) presented him with his first great-grandchild on September 3.

It has been speculated this week that the romance between J-pop star Amuro Namie (33) and comedian Tamura Atsushi (36) may have come to an end. Management for the two refused to make a comment on the media speculation, saying simply that they are in charge of their own private lives. The couple were seen traveling together to Sedona in Arizona in the New Year, and Tamura went so far as to hold a press conference on his return to Japan to acknowledge their relationship. Amuro is a divorcee and has a 12-year-old son from her marriage to TRF dancer Sam (48), while Tamura – one half of the Yoshimoto manzaiduo London Boots #1 #2 – has long been regarded as a playboy.
Related stories:
Tamura Acknowledges Romance With Amuro (Jan. 8, 2010)

They make a slightly unusual couple, but it seems that actress Ueto Aya (25) and Hiro (41), leader of the pop/dance group Exile, are serious. The two have known each other since Ueto was 12 years old, when Hiro’s management agency were in charge of her dance choreography. It seems their teacher-student relationship changed into something more romantic around the beginning of the summer.

It was reported in August that Ueto and Morita Gou (31) of the Johnny’s Jimusho aidoru group V6 had split up in May after an 8-year relationship. There hadn’t been any romantic rumors about Hiro since he broke up with actress Sada Mayumi (33) in March 2008. Management for the two stars said they hadn’t heard anything about the romance, acknowledging only that Ueto was a fan of Exile and good friends with all the group members.

Barcelona medal-winning spiker Yoko Zetterlund (41) has divorced for the second time, according to today’s issue of the weekly magazine “Shuukan Bunshun.” A member of the U.S. bronze-medal-winning volleyball team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Zetterlund has played a wide variety of roles in the Japanese sports industry since the mid-1990s. Her hectic work schedule is said to have led freelance announcer Kusano Hiroshi (41), son of talento Kusano Hitoshi (66), to file for divorce, ending their 4-year marriage in August. Zetterlund divorced her first husband, an American, in 1999.

Born in San Francisco, Zetterlund moved to her mother’s home country of Japan at the age of 6. She began playing volleyball while a junior high student and helped her school win the national championship. With her mother as head coach, her high school team also won a national event, and Zetterlund went on to represent Japan at the junior level. But even after continued success at the college level, fierce competition made it difficult for her to make the national team and she decided to choose American rather than Japanese citizenship. She went to the U.S., where she successfully tried out for the national team, shortly before graduating university in 1991. After graduation she joined the Fuji TV network but soon returned to the U.S. to train for the Olympics. She also participated in the 1996 Atlanta games before coming back to Japan. She led the Daiei Orange Attackers, Japan’s first pro team, to two championships. She retired in 1999.

In addition to her role as a sports commentator, she’s also a writer, public speaker and is on the national administration board for the volleyball, basketball and soccer leagues.

Second Generation Showbiz Marriage
Happier news for two offspring from established showbiz families who are planning to tie the knot. Nishina Masaki (28) is the eldest son of actor Matsukata Hiroki (68) and actress Nishina Akiko (57), while Takigawa Hanako (22) is the daughter of the late actor Achiha Shinsuke (1940-2007) and actress Takigawa Yumi (59). The younger couple’s relationship was first reported in January when they traveled to Guam, and they will hold their wedding ceremony there next January.

J-pop queen Hamasaki Ayumi (32, profile) has set a new record for consecutive No.1 hits on the Oricon chart. Her latest and 50th single release “L” has topped the Oricon weekly chart, making it her 25th No.1 in a row, and breaking Matsuda Seiko’s 22-year-old record. Ayu now holds sales records in seven different categories as a female artist (Rockers B’z top many categories as a group). She has the most consecutive chart toppers and the most Top 10 by any solo artist, and her other records include:

• Most No.1 singles – 37
• Most Top 10 singles – 48
• Most consecutive years with a No.1 single – 12
• Most million-selling singles – 5
• Most singles sold – 21.38 million
• Most singles/albums sold – 49.19 million

Hamasaki is currently in the middle of a seven-day concert run at the Yoyogi National Gynmasium. Commenting on the new record, she said, “It’s a surprise and a huge honor. And it’s all thanks to my fans. I want to thank all the songwriters, arrangers and all the staff who have worked with me.” In the case of “L” her collaborator was Komuro Tetsuya (51). Currently rebuilding his career after a fraud trial, he has a strong track record and is the second-best-selling songwriter ever in Japanese music.

Legal experts were stunned by yesterday’s news that former actor Oshio Manabu (32) has been allowed out on bail. The Tokyo District Court recently handed him a two-and-a-half year prison sentence for four offenses related to his involvement in the August 2009 death of Ginza hostess Tanaka Kaori, a decision Oshio’s lawyers have appealed. Nine separate applications for bail were previously turned down by the district court, but the Tokyo High Court finally ruled in Oshio’s favor. As the public prosecutors didn’t object to the decision, Oshio was released yesterday evening after paying ¥10million (about $120,000).

It was his first taste of freedom after 301 days in detention. With his hair down to his shoulders, and wearing a black jacket, white shirt, jeans and sneakers, he bowed briefly to the 200 reporters gathered outside the detention center before speeding away in a waiting taxi. He is believed to have spent the night at a hotel in Shinjuku and is heading home to his Tama City apartment on the outskirts of the capital today. His lawyer said that Oshio wants to pay his respects at Tanaka’s grave and explain himself to her parents. They declined to make a comment to the media after hearing the news.

Lawyer and former public prosecutor Osawa Takayuki (65) said, “No matter what the crime, when a prison sentence has been given, there is the risk of flight or a repeat offense, so it is customary not to award bail. In this case, prosecutors did not appeal the length of the sentence, and in the appeals court the main charge has been reduced from fatal abandonment to simply abandonment, so the seriousness of the crime has been reduced.”

Nihon University law professor Itakura Hiroshi (76) said, “I can see no reason to award bail. But as it has been given, ¥10 million seems the right amount.”

Popular professional wrestler Kobashi Kenta (43) and enka singer Mizuki Mai (36) finally made their 14-year relationship official on Saturday. The couple tied the knot at a municipal office in Tokyo and held their wedding ceremony at the Imperial Hotel. As they posed for photos after the ceremony, one reporter shouted out, “Mai-san, kiss!” Kobashi seemed bemused at first but was beaming after his bride gave him a peck on the cheek. A demon in the ring, he was momentarily reduced to the ranks of the typical lovestruck male.

Kobashi overcame cancer of the kidneys in 2007, but is currently undergoing rehabilitation for knee and elbow injuries. No doubt thinking of his responsibility as vice-chairman of the Pro Wrestling Noah troupe, he told reporters, “I want to get back in the ring as soon as possible.” But of course he now has added responsibilities, not least of which is his new bride. “Looking after her is the most important thing for me. And I want to have lots of kids!” Mizuki is currently enjoying sales success of her latest single “Nozomizaka Kara Ashitazaka.”

Actress Ikeuchi Junko died on September 26 of lung cancer at a Tokyo hospital, it was reported yesterday. She was 76. Real name Nakagawa Sumiko, she was working for the Mitsukoshi department store in Tokyo in 1954 when a friend persuaded her to audition for cover girl of the Sankei Graph magazine. As a result she was hired by the Shintoho movie company and she made her screen debut the following year. Along with the soon-to-be superstars Takakura Ken and Ishihara Yujiro, she won a best newcomer award at the first ever Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan awards in 1956.

But the breakthrough that made her a household name came on TV. In 1960 she starred in the Fuji TV drama series “Nichinichi no Haishin,” which created her image as the nation’s housewife and also started the boom in TV dramas that continues to this day. With the 1965 TBS series “Onna to Misojiru” she set the standard for an actress who could bring in high audience ratings. She played the role of a geisha in the “Shacho” and “Ekimae” comic movie franchises that were a vehicle for actor Morishige Hisaya, but she also played serious roles such as the heroine in the movie adaptation of Matsumoto Seicho’s novel “Kemonomichi.”

In 1969 she took to the stage for the first time, a move that would see her work a lot in theater. Just this May, she appeared in a production of “Sanbaba” here in Nagoya at the Chunichi Gekijo theater. In the late 1950s she was briefly married to vaudeville actor Yanagisawa Shinichi but she remained single after they divorced in 1958. In 2002, she received the Medal with Purple Ribbon, given to people who have made important contributions to academic fields, arts and sports.