Popular idol singer Kago Ai has been suspended by her agency for underage smoking. The idol was not named in some media reports as she is still a minor, but was described as an 18-year-old represented by Upfront Agency, which handles Morning Musume among others. Kago is a former MM member who is now one half of the duo W. Her scheduled appearances in TV shows and concerts have been cancelled until further notice. The singer, who turned 18 on February 7, was spotted smoking in a restaurant in the Ebisu area of Tokyo by photographers from the weekly gossip magazine Friday. The agency issued an apology, saying the behavior was inexcusable. The legal age for smoking and drinking is 20.
• Rock band Glay recently performed live for the first time in almost a year. They played for 13,000 fans at the Nippon Budokan, which was surrounded by hundreds more fans without tickets. “Dafuya” ticket touts were selling arena tickets for up to ¥70,000. Vocalist Teru (34) told fans that they can expect some new material in the autumn.