Takaso Yuichi, the husband of actress/singer Sakai Noriko, was released on Wednesday evening after posting ¥5 million for bail. Dressed in somber gray and black, Takaso (41) left the Shibuya police station wearing a baseball cap with the somewhat inappropriate “Punk” emblazoned on it. He removed the cap and made a brief apology to the gathered reporters for his and his wife’s ongoing drug cases. “This whole matter is entirely my responsibility. I am at fault,” he said. “I apologize to everyone for the trouble I’ve caused.” Takaso has been charged with both possession and use of amphetamines. He is due to appear at Tokyo District Court on October 21.
Sakai’s bail application was approved on Monday but she has yet to leave detention. In a rare case, only half of her ¥5-million bail was paid on Tuesday, the other half expected to be paid prior to her release on Wednesday. There was speculation that she hoped to time her first public appearance since her arrest to coincide with Wednesday’s change in government, but she never showed.
A hot new young showbiz couple is born, according to Sports Hochi. The website says that Yamashita Tomohisa (24) of the Johnny’s Jimusho idol group NEWS has been dating half-Canadian model Kagami Seira (22) for the last three months. NEWS are one of the hottest male acts today, and in typical Johnny’s fashion, its members appear in a wide range of roles. “Yamapi,” as he is known to fans, already has ten years of TV starring roles under his belt but also found time to attend Meiji University. Kagami, whose father is Canadaian and mother Japanese, made her modeling debut at the age of 12. She appeared in teen magazines such as CUTiE, Seventeen, and Zipper and did her first TV commercial in 2001. She took a break from the entertainment industry to enrol in the University of Toronto, returning to Japan and her career in 2006. She has released several singles which have had TV anime tie-ups.