Romance has bloomed between popular actress Fukada Kyoko (22) and actor Uchida Asahi (23), according to the latest edition of weekly magazine Friday. The two, who are both with the major Hori Pro management agency, were spotted on a date in the upmarket Azabu Juban district of central Tokyo. They were photographed wearing “pair look” fashion and holding hands. “Fuka-kyon” has been spotted dining at the restaurant run by Uchida’s family, and Uchida has stayed over at her home, so the romance is hardly a secret. The couple met during filming of the 2000 movie, “Shisha no Gakuensai” (School Festival of the Dead) which marked Fukada’s first lead role and in which Uchida made his showbiz debut. Last year, Fukada was romantically linked with comedian Arita Teppei (34) of the duo Cream Stew, though both denied the rumor.
• Veteran actor Yokouchi Tadashi (64) and his wife, former actress Horikoshi Yoko (54), have separated. The women’s magazine Fujin Koron says they are close to divorce after Yokouchi left suddenly in July and joined another management agency run by a woman he is allegedly romatically involved with.