Japan’s most successful soccer star Nakata Hidetoshi (29) shocked the country with the announcement of his retirement yesterday. He issued a statement on his official website, nakata.net, saying “About six months ago, I decided to end my ten-year career in professional football, making the World Cup in Germany my final event before retirement. There was no one particular event that triggered this. And there is no single reason behind my decision.” This was no doubt an effort to dispel speculation that he was devastated by Japan’s lackluster performance at the World Cup. He added, “But what I can say now is that I felt that it was time for me to graduate from the journey of professional football, and set out on a new journey.” The media are already speculating on the chances of a career in the media. Nakata currently has sponsorship contracts with five major companies and is a regular in TV commercials. He is in the same class as Major League baseball stars Ichiro and Matsui Hideki, making ¥50-100 million a year for commercials. While sports stars usually lose commercial value when they retire, Nakata’s World Cup performance and analysis and the timing of his retirement are thought to have sponsors and media outlets coveting him even more.
• Actress Shaku Yumiko (28) is romantically involved with another company president. According to the latest issue of Shuukan Josei women’s magazine, Shaku is dating Nojiri Yoshitaka (33), CEO of bridal planning startup Take and Give – Needs. The company is listed on the first section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Nojiri is considered one of japan’s most eligible bachelors. The pair are said to have met while Shaku was working on a recent drama series and started off as “meerutomo” (e-mail friends). They started dating after filming finished in mid-June, and were spotted together at a kabuki performance in Tokyo on June 24. Shaku was previously involved with Tanigawa Hiroto (35), president of the management agency that represents singer Misia. They are said to have broken up in January 2005. Meanwhile, Nojiri was linked with TV Asahi announcer Takeuchi Emi (29) at the end of last year, but they split up in the spring.
• This year’s Tokyo International Fantastic Film Festival has been cancelled due to financial problems. The festival’s executive committee said they currently have no plans to restart the event, which has been held every autumn since 1985.