Talento Hazama Kampei (60) just managed to crossed the EU in time in the latest leg of his Earth Marathon. The veteran Yoshimoto comedian crossed the border from Hungary into Serbia yesterday, having run across eight European countries since landing in France in mid-August. He traversed the EU in 87 days, just under the 90-day limit for visitors without a visa. An experienced endurance runner, Hazama is seeking to be the first man to run and sail his way around the globe. One of the aims of the journey was to support Tokyo’s bid for the 2016 Olympics in Copenhagen last month, but although he made it to the announcement ceremony the bid failed. He said yesterday – Day 331 – that he is now focusing on getting back to Japan by the end of next year.
• Yoshimoto (profile) and another of its comedians, Imada Koji (43), announced yesterday that they have withdrawn a lawsuit against publisher Kodansha. The lawsuit was filed after a story in the magazine “Shuukan Gendai” in April insinuated that Imada had sexually assaulted a woman. But it was dropped after the magazine published an apology on October 26 and paid Imada ¥5.5 million in damages last week.