Popular • Johnny’s Jimusho group News may be disbanded following a second scandal. Last week a 17-year old member of the boy band was suspended for underage drinking, a repeat of a similar case last summer. The group’s planned 12-date concert tour will go ahead in March and April, while their new single, the theme tune for the latest movie version of the hugely popular anime “One Piece”, will be re-recorded by the remaining six members. They are then expected to continue working solo at least through to the end of this year, when the fuss is likely to have died down. Two previously recorded TV shows that feature the suspended group member have been either edited or cancelled altogether. Asked about future plans for the group, a Johnny’s spokesman said they were still looking into the facts of the matter and the situation was still under review, leading the media to speculate that the group’s days may be numbered.
• It was revealed yesterday that NHK announcer Sumiyoshi Miki (32) has been divorced since the spring of last year. The presenter of “Professional – Shigoto no Ryugi” married a fellow NHK employee in 2003, but the marriage lasted only until April of 2005.
• Okamura Takashi (35) of the comedy duo Ninety Nine has said he’s given up hope of romance with pin-up girl Kumada Yoko (23). The weekly magazine Friday recently published photos of Kumada leaving his apartment and he hinted that there was a relationship. But on his regular radio show, Okamura said that while Kumada had been to his place for dinner, things had not turned romanrtic between them.