Mochizuki Rumi (33), a former member of the “sexy group” Giri Giri Girls, had her wedding ceremony on Friday. She tied the knot with a 33-year old company employee on Christmas Eve after an 8-year relationship.
• Actor Kashiwabara Takashi (photo, 27) appeared recently at a press conference with a shaven head, a common symbol of repentance. He was apologizing for his involvement in a punch-up that took place at the New Year with a man in his 40s over a parked car blocking the road. The man is pursuing the matter at the Tokyo District Court and it looks like Kashiwabara won’t be back at work for a while.
• Japan got off to a flying start in its World Cup qualifying campaign last week, squeaking out a last-gasp 2-1 win against North Korea. The match, which aired last Wednesday on TV Asahi, drew a very high audience rating of 47.2%, the best number the network has seen in almost 50 years. The best figure in recent years for a soccer game was 66.1% for the Japan-Russia game at the 2002 World Cup, which was shown on NHK.