The career of comedian Yamamoto Keiichi (photo right, 38) looks to be at an end following a drunken assault on an underage girl. The incident took place earlier this month at a hotel in Hakodate and was reported by the girl to local police. Yamamoto and partner Kato Koji (photo left, 37) make up the duo Gokuraku Tombo (which translates as Dragonfly of Paradise). They are with the major Yoshimoto Kogyo management agency, who immediately announced that they were severing ties with the popular funny man. It was later reported that the duo would be breaking up. A number of scheduled TV shows with scenes including Yamamoto were either cancelled, postponed or edited. Fuji TV found themselves in a bind as their drama “Tokyo Tower” featured him in a prominent role. They decided to reshoot scenes and reschedule the broadcast for the autumn. Kato has also been forced to drop out of several shows that he co-hosted with his former sidekick but is likely to bounce back. Yamamoto was involved in an incident in 2002, when he was charged with indecency after dropping his pants during a performance at Obirin University.
• Kyogen performer Izumi Motoya (32) just can’t seem to stay out of trouble. Scandal has plagued him over the last few years, and the latest incident saw his car collide with a scooter ridden by a Tokyo high school boy. The accident happened as Izumi’s car turned to enter a family restaurant and hit the scooter. The boy suffered minor bruising.
• Former Morning Musume member Tsuji Nozomi (19) fell from the stage during a recent concert performance in Tokyo and suffered minor injuries. She fell from the 1.8m high stage as the assembled Hello! Project members greeted fans at the end of the show. The group’s nationwide tour had just one more show remaining. Tsuji was taken to hospital, and was said to have suffered bruising and a sprained ankle.
• A couple of libel cases were settled recently. The Tokyo District Court ordered publisher Kodansha to pay ¥4.4 million yen to actress Hirosue Ryoko (26) for a magazine article that portrayed her as a neglectful mother. The article in the Shukan Gendai weekly also suggested that she drinks too much at host bars. Meanwhile the Gorgeous Kano Sisters, no strangers to this kind of case, were awarded a payment of ¥660,000. They sued actress Okada Miri (44) for ¥11 million after she suggested on a variety show that they had tried to seduce her new husband. Though she didn’t actually use their names, she referred to them as “those famous sisters”. Okada is the former wife of “Saiyuki” (Monkey) star Sakai Masaaki (59).
• Happier news for a few celebrities. Fuji TV announcer Uchida Kyoko (30) married Yoshimoto Kogyo employee Kimoto Kimitoshi (33) in Tokyo last week. Da Pump member Ken (26) also got married during the week, as his new 30-year old bride’s mother registered their marriage at the local city office. The union puts the seal on a 9-year relationship. Singer/actor Matsudaira Ken is to become a dad for the first time at the age of 52. His second wife Yuriko (38) is expecting a baby in November. Perennially tanned singer Matsuzaki Shigeru has gone even better, announcing that his wife (33) is expecting their third child. Matsuzaki is 56.
(As I’m traveling outside Japan, news updates are sporadic until mid-August)