Monthly Archives: July 2009

Preparations are almost complete for a major Buddhist memorial service for the late legendary actor Ishihara Yujiro, who died in 1987 at the age of 52. As one of the biggest stars of 20th century Japan, he still has legions of fans and tens of thousands are expected to attend the service on Sunday afternoon. The service will be the main event over a weekend that will also feature movies and numerous Ishihara specials on the TV networks. The memorial event will be broadcast live from the National Stadium, originally built for the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, where 100 craftsmen have spent the last week building a reconstruction of the Soujiji temple in Yokohama which holds Ishihara’s remains. The younger brother of writer and politician Ishihara Shintaro (76), current governor of Tokyo, Yujiro became a star with his 1956 movie debut “Taiyo no Kisetsu” (Season of the Sun) based on his brother’s novel.

• Theatrical director Ninogawa Yukio (73) had a minor stroke last month, he revealed yesterday. Best known for his many interpretations of Shakespeare’s works both in Japan and overseas, he canceled a press conference appearance on June 6 after rehearsals for a production of the Bard’s “Twelfth Night,” citing health problems. But he was back at work on June 25, when he attended a PR event for the 9-hour production “Coast of Utopia,” and it wasn’t until yesterday that he publicly announced that he had been in the hospital for a week from June 2. He said he consulted his doctor after experiencing strange feelings in his right leg. Because his condition was treated early, he suffered no serious after effects and was able to make such a speedy recovery.

Guinness World Records yesterday formally recognized “Kiseki,” by J-pop group GReeeeN, as the best-selling digital downloaded single of all time. The single was used as the theme for last year’s hugely popular TBS teen baseball drama “Rookies” and went on sale in May 2008. The application to GWR was made on May 24, at which point the single had been downloaded more than 2.3 million times. But the success of a Rookies spinoff movie gave another boost to digital sales, which are now said to be over 5.9 million. Sato Ryuta (29), star of the drama and the movie, was clearly delighted as he received the official record certificate yesterday from GWR Japan president (and old Japan Zone friend) Russell Willis at the TBS studios in central Tokyo. He said he has yet to meet the four members of GReeeeN (Hide, Navi, 92 and Soh), who hide behind masks in official photos, but hopes he can now finally do so. The group recently saw sales of their 3rd album, “Shio, Kosho” break the million barrier.

Earlier stories:

Another Million Seller for Greeeen (Jun 22, 2009)

She may be a tiny old lady, but it’s hard to believe that the vibrant Mori Mitsuko is 89 years old. Just last month she performed the lead role in the play “Hourouki” for the 2,000th time, a role she’s been playing since 1961! She is such a popular figure that she is sometimes referred to as “Nihon no Okaasan” (Mother of Japan). In recognition of everything she has achieved and her cultural contributions, yesterday she became the 17th recipient of a national honor award. She is the first actress and the oldest person to be recognized, and just the second person (after Kurosawa Akira) to have also received the Order of Cultural Merit. Yesterday’s award was presented by Prime Minister Aso Taro at his official residence, after which Mori gave a press conference. Twisting a familiar Japanese phrase, she joked “I’m so happy I should be punished!” In recent years she has started to show some of the signs of old age – mild hearing loss and the occasionally shakes. But she is looking forward to performing in Hourouki again next spring, at the sprightly age of 90, and celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2011.

Earlier stories:

Nihon no Okaasan to Receive National Honor (May 12, 2009)

Disgraced talento Tashiro Masashi (52, photo right) is on the comeback trail yet again. The former jailbird held a press conference yesterday for an upcoming new talk show on the Mondo21 cable channel. The first show will likely draw a lot of attention, especially as his guest will be the Livedoor founder, and another former jailbird, Horie Takafumi (36). Tashiro is the epitome of the top star whose life and career hit rock bottom when repeated arrests led to a three year prison term that ended in June of last year.

He made his showbiz debut in 1980 as a member of the doo-wop group Chanels, who had a million selling debut with the single “Runaway.” The following years saw a change of name, to Rats & Star, and a string of hits. In the mid-80s, top comedian Shimura Ken took Tashiro under his wing, rebranded him as a comedy/variety performer and helped him become one of the biggest young names in the business. That popularity and success started getting a bit wobbly in 2000 after Tashiro was found to have filmed up a woman’s skirt on a station platform, a story the media tried to bury. But one reporter’s persistence kept the story alive and Tashiro eventually paid a minor fine of ¥50,000 and dropped out of sight for several months. He was back on prime time the following summer but everything suddenly came to a grinding halt at the end of 2001. The relatively minor offense of peeping into a neighbors bathroom led to a police search of his home, where they found stimulant drugs. He received a suspended prison sentence and tried to rebuild his career, making his debut as a porn director. But he caused a traffic accident while on probation and was later arrested again for drugs. This finally landed him in jail. In recent years, the mainstream media have almost totally avoided even mentioning his name, and his face is blurred out on any old video footage. Only his once elevated status offers him any chance at reinstatement into the showbiz firmament.

• Talento Kurusu Atsuko (31) gave a tearful press conference yesterday to address rumors about her private life. The rumors started in mid-June when the former pinup idol wrote on her blog that she was an emotional wreck. This led to the usual online speculation about her becoming the latest showbiz suicide, and indeed it turned out that she had attempted to kill herself. The reason was revealed in one of the weekly gossip magazines to be a romantic breakup with an unnamed younger actor. Yesterday Kurusu talked about the end, in early May, of a two-and-a-half-year relationship with the actor. They had been living together and had talked about marriage. But money problems brought all that to an end. Kurusu said she had lent her former boyfriend millions of yen and that he had lied to her repeatedly about what the money was for. He even went so far as to claim that his grandmother had died and later that his mother had blown all the money borrowed from Kurusu to pay for the funeral. She said he has so far refused to repay any of the debts but she hopes he will do so rather than force her to take legal action.