Yoshida Miwa (39), vocalist with the popular group Dreams Come True, has come down with influenza. The group have had to cancel two Shikoku dates this week on their national tour, one in Kochi and one in Ehime. The venues will be added to the end of the tour in March or April. Yoshida is expected to be back for the Nagoya gig next Tuesday.
• A segment on the NTV late-night quiz show “Coming Doubt” has caused a ruckus. The show featured an 18-year old talent talking about her shoplifting experiences as a junior high school student. There were a lot of complaints that the show was making light of this kind of crime, which has been on the rise in recent years, especially among young girls.