Actor Watanabe Ken (46) and actress Minami Kaho (41) shocked the media with yesterday’s announcement that they had married last Saturday. The news came as Watanabe was in New York for the US opening of “Memoirs of a Geisha” (“Sayuri” in Japan), his third venture into the world of Hollywood. Minami was originally identified as an “unknown guest” at the premiere, an indication of how secret their romance had been. Watanabe and Minami issued a joint fax statement to the media, saying, “We’ve both been through a lot, but now we can look forward to calm and abundant time ahead.” In September Watanabe finalized his divorce from his wife Yumiko, who built up huge debts while her husband was battling leukemia. Minami divorced musician and award-winning novelist Tsuji Hitonari in 2000.
• Madonna (47) is currently in Japan promoting her latest album “Confessions From a Dancefloor.” It’s her first visit in 12 years, and yesterday at the Tokyo International Forum she gave her first press conference here in 20 years before giving a show for 2,000 fans. She said she planned to visit Kiddyland to buy toys for her two kids back home in the UK. Her new album is atop the Oricon western music chart and has sold over 300,000 copies here.