Young movie director Toyoda Toshiaki (36) was arrested this week for possession of stimulant drugs. Five packets of the drug (about 3.9g) were found by police at his home in Komae, Tokyo. He admitted that the drugs were for his own use. Toyoda’s latest feature, “Kuuchu Teien” (Garden in the Sky) was due for release in October but the date is likely to be extended. Star of the movie, actress Koizumi Kyoko (39) is said to have been shocked by the news. Toyoda made his directorial debut with 1998’s “Porno Star,” winning a newcomer’s award from the Director’s Guild of Japan. Other films such as “Nine Souls” and promo video work for popular band Asian Kung-fu Generation had won him acclaim, making him one of the rising stars of the business.
• A TV company director was arrested in Tokyo on Wednesday for secretly filming up a woman’s skirt. Fukushima Tatsuo (45), an employee of NTV affiliate Nippon Terebi Video, was arrested after a woman noticed he had his mobile phone under her skirt on an escalator at Shimbashi station on the Ginza subway line. Fukushima has admitted and apologized for the incident.
• Yoshimoto comedian Tokui Yoshimi (30) had his briefcase stolen from his car this week while he was enjoying a late dinner. He was downing a bowl of gyudon (rice covered with beef and vegetables) when the window of his Peugeot was broken and the briefcase stolen. In fine comic fashion, he said the only thing he wanted back was his mobile phone, as it had the phone number of a female college student he had recently met. Tokui is one half of the manzai duo Tutorial.