Young British actor Daniel Radcliffe (17) was welcomed by screaming fans at Narita Airport yesterday as he made his second trip to Japan. This time he’s here to promote the fifth in the Harry Potter movie series, his first visit in December 2002 being to plug “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets”. The world premiere of “Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix” will be held tonight at the Roppongi Hills complex in central Tokyo and a press event will be held tomorrow. The movie will be in theaters from July 20. The series is the only one in which each movie has grossed over ¥10 billion in Japan, but box office totals have been dropping since the first movie made over ¥20 billion in 2001. Warner Brothers is aiming to clear over ¥100 billion in Japan for the entire 7-episode series and are creating maximum hype for the latest movie. It’s the first time for a Harry Potter movie to premiere outside the U.K.
• A couple of showbiz divorces were revealed this week, although both actually took place last year. It turns out that actor Takasugi Kou (42) and actress Takada Shoko (39) have been divorced since April 2006. The couple met while working together on the 1998 NHK drama series “Yanchakure” and married in December 2003. Takasugi tends to play mainly police and soldier supporting roles, such as in the “Odoru Daisosen” (Bayside Shakedown) movie series. Takada works mainly in theater. Also split are actress Toda Keiko (49) and actor Inoue Junichi (48), who also met through their work. The pair divorced last December after more than 16 years of marriage. Toda is a supporting actress best known for her role in the popular Fuji TV comedy drama series “Shomuni”. It is her second divorce.
• Former Morning Musume member Tsuji Nozomi (20) recently tied the knot with actor Sugiura Taiyo (26). A representative submitted their marriage registration documents on their behalf at a Tokyo municipal office. They chose the first taian, the most auspicious day on the Shinto calendar, after Tsuji’s 20th birthday. She is about four months pregnant, a development that forced her to pull out of several showbiz commitments. The couple plan to hold a small wedding ceremony in July, but have no plans for a big reception.
• Also several months pregnant are actress Yada Akiko (28) and singers Sakaki Izumi (38) and Minmi (32). Yada married actor-singer Oshio Manabu (29) in November of last year. She is due to have her baby in late autumn in Los Angeles, where the couple are currently based. Sakaki, who married actor Sakaki Hideo (37) in December 2005, is expecting twins in November. She will take maternity leave after a concert in Tokyo scheduled for July 8. Minmi, a singer with the group Japanese Reggae, announced this week that she’s expecting her first baby in December. The father is Wakadanna (31), a member of popular reggae group Shonan no Kaze. The couple met in 2001 when he was living in Kingston, Jamaica. They have announced no plans to marry but may tie the knot after the baby is born.