Miyazaki Prefecture governor and former comedian Higashikokubaru Hideo (50) has admitted that he paid a former girlfriend hush money, as reported in yesterday’s issue of the weekly magazine “Shukan Shinchou.” When confronted by reporters at Miyazaki Airport, he said “I do know the woman, but when I contacted her (before the story was published) she said she simply wanted to be left in peace.” The magazine described the women as a beautiful office worker in her late 20s. They started dating in May of last year but she says that the popular politician told her that if she got pregnant, she would have to have an abortion. They split in October, and Higashikokubaru paid ¥1.5 million into her bank account. Once a member of the so-called Takeshi Gundan using the stage name Sonomanma Higashi, he has a long history of playing the field. First married to a TV announcer from 1985-89, he married actress Kato Kazuko (50) in 1990 only to split in 2006 as he began his move to a political career. While married to Kato, he was caught having affairs at least twice.
• American rock band Cheap Trick performed yesterday at the Nippon Budokan, the venue where they recorded their career-defining live album 30 years ago. Vocalist Robin Zander (55) again wore a white suit as the band performed the same 11-song set as they did in April, 1978.
• Former Morning Musume member Kago Ai (20) announced on her blog yesterday that she is getting back to work. She says she’s landed a part in a Hong Kong movie and will give more details later. She was suspended from the Hello! Project back in 2006 for underage smoking, and then fired by the Up-Front Agency in 2007 for a repeat offense. She recently started moving back into the media spotlight when she said she was publishing an autobiography. She is now under new management.
• Saitama Prefecture will finally have its day. Tokyo’s northern neighbor has long lived in the shadow of the capital, and carries the demeaning moniker Dasaitama, “dasai” being the Japanese word for uncool. But yesterday NHK announced that it will be the setting for the first of its morning drama series for 2009. Saitama is the only one of the country’s 47 prefectures never to have been used as a location.
• TV Tokyo president Shimada Masayuki announced yesterday that the network is to broadcast the first afternoon drama series in its 44-year history. He said that the modern drama slot will start from the autumn season in October, adding that the move is designed to improve weekday ratings. The network has traditionally shown reruns of samurai dramas or western movies during the afternoons.