The divorce of actress Sugita Kaoru (40) and wealthy heir Ayukawa Junta (44) doesn’t look like fading from the media glare after all. Early statements suggested that the couple would just put it all behind them. But now it seems that there’s going to be a war of words and a court case. Ayukawa’s lawyers have hinted at a libel suit against Sugita following claims of violence and harassment that she made in last Friday’s edition of a weekly magazine. Sugita certainly seemed to want to have her say on the air on a radio show at the weekend. But time and the show’s producers stopped her. You can expect this story to be around at least until something bigger comes along, like the September 11 election.
• Singer Matsuda Seiko (43) played her first ever overseas concert at the weekend. Seiko, in her 25th year in showbusiness, played for 5,000 fans in Taiwan — including about 600 who had made their way from Japan — to finish off her anniversary concert tour.
• Hollywood star Johnny Depp (42) is to make his first trip to Japan in ten years. Depp will arrive on September 3 to promote “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” his latest collaboration with director Tim Burton. It will be his second trip to Japan.