Monthly Archives: April 2009

It seems that the frank nature of Kansai comedians just keeps getting them into trouble. Popular talento Kitano Makoto (50, photo left) has been taken off the air indefinitely, according to his Shochiku Geino management agency. The specific reason has not been made clear but it is believed to have been something he said on his long-running radio show “Makoto no Psychic Seinendan.” The show was abruptly taken off the air last month, three weeks earlier than scheduled, after a run of 21 years. A regular on several TV shows, in each case Kitano has either already made his final appearance or will not be renewing his contract. A popular celebrity for the last two decades, his mouth has often gotten him into trouble. One famous incident was in 1993 when his scathing comments about a nude photo book published by Yamamoto Linda (58), a popular singer but well past her prime, led to a ¥100-million slander case.

• Meanwhile, it looks like the “when in Rome” adage doesn’t apply to TV celebrities indulging in drugs. The Ministry of Health and Welfare’s narcotics control department in the Kinki district announced last Friday that it issued a formal warning to the Osaka-based Asahi Housou TV network over a segment aired back in January. The “Sekai no Mura de Hakken!” show featured comedian Chihara Seiji (39, photo right) on a visit to Bolivia. At one point he stopped and asked the lady at a street stall, “Is this coca leaf?” and then tried chewing some. The scene even featured subtitles that made it clear what it was he was chewing on. Though the Bolivian government actively supports the plant’s agriculture – president Evo Morales, a former coca growers union leader, says that “coca is not cocaine” – it is strictly illegal in Japan. A TV Asahi spokeserson said, “We were trying to reflect the different culture of a foreign country, but we should have been more prudent.” The network has checked that none of the program’s staff brought coca leaves back to Japan. And if a repeat of the show is broadcast, the offending scene will be cut.

There has been a furor in the Chinese media about a planned event in the city of Guangzhou featuring some of Japan’s top porn actresses. The problem is that the event itself seems to have been a work of pure Web fiction. Several Chinese newspapers published stories about the heated discussions happening on the Web, with citizens protesting the location and timing of the event. It was to take place near a memorial to Chinese who died in the Sino-Japanese War and on the eve of an important anniversary. Others Web posts talked about how the event, to be held at a bar in the center of the city, was reasonably priced compared to similar events in Hong Kong. The newspapers said that protests against the event has reached such a level that it had to be canceled. Hong Kong’s Singtao Daily named two of the actresses, which only served to bring more attention to the story. But spokespeople for “AV” actresses Aoi Sora (25, photo) and Matsushima Kaede (26) said they had never even heard of the event let alone received an invite to China. Aoi said on her blog that she was furious that her name and photo had been abused on the Web. “But it has taught me that there are the same prejudices against adult entertainment overseas (as in Japan),” she said.

Rock band Mr. Children insist they are not breaking up. The band yesterday issued a statement on their official website denying a recent magazine article that said they were on the verge of calling it a day. The article in the latest issue of the weekly “Shuukan Gendai” on Monday based its speculation on the fact that the band have a completely blank schedule after their current concert tour finishes in May and have announced no plans to release new material. Currently in their 20th year, MisuChiru as they are known to fans are one of Japan’s most popular and successful artists. The last time the band’s future was called into question was in the summer of 2002, when vocalist Sakurai Kazutoshi (39) suffered a stroke and the band’s went on a hiatus for about six months. But they bounced back as strong as ever. Their last single – “Hanabi,” released September 2008 – was their 29th consecutive release to enter the Oricon singles chart at No.1. And their most recent album – “Supermarket Fantasy,” released December 2008 – also topped the chart and was their 12th million seller. After more than a decade of persuasion, national broadcaster NHK managed to get them to appear on its annual “Kohaku Uta Gassen” live concert last New Year’s Eve.

Veteran emcee Mino Monta (64, profile) likes to speak his mind. But a comment he made on a live morning show yesterday drew an apology from the TBS network. The topic was the upcoming visit by former Russian leader Vladimir Putin in May and how the Japanese government may be expected to help support the struggling Russian economy. Mino quipped, “We could just buy the Northern Territories!”, referring to the islands between Hokkaido and Sakhalin. The dispute over their ownership has kept the two countries from ever signing a WWII peace treaty, and is a popular rallying cry for right-wing extremists. Mino’s comment was clearly a joke, but his fellow presenters just stared awkwardly at the floor. A TBS spokesperson said, “The comment was not Mino-san’s true opinion, but it was an inappropriate choice of le kamagra.”

• Movie studio Shochiku has announced that it is bringing an end to the long-running series “Tsuri Baka Nisshi” (Fishing Fool Journal). Starring Nishida Toshiyuki (61) as Hama-chan and Mikuni Rentaro (86) as his equally fishing-mad boss Suu-san, the manga adaptation has been a movie theater institution since 1988. It was first shown as a support feature to the even longer-running “Otoko wa Tsurai Yo,” with which it has much in common. And when that series came to an end following the death of its star Atsumi Kiyoshi, Tsuri Baka took over as Japan’s “kokuminteki” (national) movie. The last movie in the series, the first to be set in Hokkaido, is due for release on December 26 and will be called “Tsuri Baka Nisshi 20, Final.” There will be guest appearances from Matsuzaka Keiko (56), Fukiishi Kazue (26) and Tsukamoto Takashi (26). A Shochiku producer says that the studio decided, along with Nishida and Mikuni, several years ago to wrap up the series at 20. Though both actors have had health problems in recent years, he denied that was behind the decision.

Enka singer Nagayama Yoko (41) revealed on her blog yesterday that she has married an American businessman. She said that she and Skillhouse Staffing Solutions CEO Mark Smith (40) tied the knot on Monday morning. But she reassured fans that she plans to continue her music career. The two first met in September 2006 through the TBS Shimada Shinsuke-hosted variety show “Sekai BariBari Value.” The show sometimes features a segment with single Japanese female celebrities being matched up with wealthy foreign businessmen. Smith, who has been in Japan for 15 years and is a fan of enka, took a liking to Nagayama and they soon hit it off. Their marriage fits neatly under the recently popular heading of “arafo-“, abbreviated from “around forty” and referring to people in that age group. A popular enka star, Nagayama is a rarity in that she started out in 1984 as an idol singer. She switched to the more traditional enka in 1993.

• A couple of popular talentos are in the hospital this week. Comedienne Minowa Haruka (29) of the duo Harisenbon has been hospitalized with pulmonary tuberculosis. She was admitted on April 3 and is expected to be in hospital for about two months. As her condition is highly contagious, Tokyo authorities have been asking anyone who thinks they may have contracted the disease at a TV studio or theater to come forward. Meanwhile “okama” (effeminate gay man or drag queen) beautician Ikko is under doctor’s orders to rest for at least a week after being diagnosed with pneumonia. The cause was said to be her overly hectic work schedule. Several dates on an upcoming concert tour have been postponed until the summer.

Veteran actor Nakamura Masatoshi (58) was in tears as he apologized to reporters yesterday for the arrest of his son. Actor Nakamura Shunta (31) was arrested by Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Saturday when he was found in possession of hash in the western Tokyo suburb of Suginami. He was sitting in his parked car at around 3am when police in a passing patrol car decided he looked suspicious. About 0.3g of hash were found in the car and he was arrested on the spot. His father said yesterday, “I sincerely apologize to the many people imposed upon. When I heard about it, I thought it couldn’t be true. I wanted it to be a lie, but it’s true.” Speaking not only as a father but as president of the agency that manages his son’s career, he said, “He will leave the agency, and he will not work as an actor again. It has to be done. It’s for his own good.” His wife, actress Igarashi Junko (56) also apologized to reporters gathered outside their Tokyo home over the weekend. The elder Nakamura regularly tops polls of people’s ideal father figure. He and Igarashi also have three daughters.

The husband of talento Uehara Sakura was arrested on Saturday night for assaulting a paparazzi. Endo Noriaki (37), founder and president of the Devilock street fashion brand, and his wife were attending the central Tokyo wedding reception of TV producer Ochi Masato (43) and his model/actress wife Chieko (22), who actually got married in July of last year. Endo was trying to take a photo of Uehara and the happy couple outside the Fendi store in Kita Aoyama when a photographer for a weekly gossip magazine tried to push him out of the way. Enraged, Endo’s floored the photographer with a single punch to the solar plexus. And when the man stayed down, police and an ambulance were called. Endo was arrested on the spot and the man taken to a nearby hospital, where he recovered consciousness. Endo and Uehara (32) married in 2003. She was pregnant at the time but later had a miscarriage. Endo has opened several Devilock stores overseas and toured as a DJ in the U.S. last year.

Singer Ayaka (21) and actor Mizushima Hiro (24) announced yesterday that they got married back in February. The couple made the announcement at a joint press conference at the TBS TV studios in Tokyo. Their romance started in August of last year and Mizushima proposed about three months later. They tied the knot on February 22. Despite her youth, Ayaka already has a strong fan base and several hits under her belt, most notably the 2006 ballad “Mikazuki.” She also won several best newcomer awards that debut year. But she revealed yesterday that she plans to take an extended sabbatical as she battles with Graves’ disease. She has suffered from the condition, an immune disorder of the endocrine system known in Japan by the less common name of Basedow’s disease, since shortly after her debut. Mizushima spent much of his early youth in Switzerland because of his father’s work. On his return to Japan, he struggled with the language and faced bullying as a “kikokushijo” (returnee). A talented soccer player, his high school team reached the semi-finals of the national championship. While in university he was scouted to become a fashion model. After a few TV extra roles, he made his acting debut in the popular NTV drama series “Gokusen” in 2005. He landed the role of tokusatsu hero Kamen Rider Kabuto on TV Asahi and the big screen in 2006.

Retired actress Minamida Yoko (76) was hospitalized yesterday after losing consciousness. Her condition is not said to be life threatening but she is expected to spend at least a week in hospital. Her husband, actor Nagato Hiroyuki (75) spoke tearfully to reporters last night as he expressed his fear that his wife might end up in a vegetative state. She retired several years ago after beginning to show signs of dementia, and her husband has been caring for her since. It wasn’t until during filming of a TV Asahi documentary last November that her condition was diagnosed as Alzheimers. The program was the network’s most widely viewed show of last year. Nagato and Minamida were both up and coming stars when they became Japan’s most famous screen couple in the 1955 hit “Taiyo no Kisetsu,” one of the definitive movies of the postwar era.

• Actress Fukada Kyoko (26) and young baseball star Saito Yuki (20) were spotted out together on a dinner date in February, according to today’s issue of women’s weekly magazine “Josei Seven.” Fukuda is one of Japan’s most poipular young actreses, and is currently starring as the sexy villain Doronjo in the big screen adaptation of the “Yatterman” anime. Saito, known as the “handkerchief prince” since becoming an overnight star as a pitcher for his high school team, has almost single-handedly turned Waseda University into a baseball powerhouse in the last couple of years.

Former pop singer Suzuki Sachiko (40) seems a bit embarrassed about yesterday’s media reports of an attempted suicide. One half of the top 80s/90s idol duo Wink, she gave a quickly-arranged press conference last night to address news reports that she had been rushed to hospital after a suspected drug overdose on Sunday. Speaking to reporters at the TV Asahi studios in Tokyo, she started by saying “I was more surprised than anyone by yesterday’s news. As you can see, I’m fine. I apologize for having caused such concern.” She said that she is naturally a night person and has been taking prescription sleeping pills for the last two years. Unable to sleep on Saturday night, even after taking her pills, she stayed up all night. The next morning she had a long telephone conversation with a friend until exhaustion finally caught up with her and she fell asleep while still on the phone. Alarmed, the friend called for an ambulance and Suzuki says she was awoken by the sound of banging on her front door. She let the paramedics in and was able to walk to the ambulance. She was admitted to a hospital, where she was told she was anemic and in need of rest, and put on an I.V. She stayed the night and checked out Monday morning. Suzuki said, “I live alone, so I eat out a lot. From now on I’ll try and look after myself a bit better.” Her former singing partner, Aida Shoko (39) got married to a doctor last July. Wink split up in 1996 and performed together for the first time in a decade last December when they gave a one-off performance at the 50th Nihon Record Taisho awards.

• Renowned supporting actor Kaneda Ryunosuke died of chronic kidney failure late at a Saitama Prefecture hospital on Monday night. He was 80. Kaneda made his stage debut at the age of 5 but didn’t have the first of many movie roles until 1968. In recent years he appeared in such TV dramas as “Tokyo Tower” in 2006 and the “Bayside Shakedown” spinoff movie “Koshounin Mashita Masayoshi” (Negotiator, 2005). He had been suffering from diabetes for the last few years and was admitted to hospital in late March with a leg injury.

• Comedian Akiyama Ryuji (30) of the trio Robert recently got married, it was revealed yesterday. He has been frank about his relationship since it was exposed about a year ago on the comedy show “Haneru no Tobira.” It was during filming of today’s special 300th edition of the show that he announced the happy news.