Enka songwriter Nakayama Daizaburo died yesterday of cancer at a Tokyo hospital. He was 64. He made his writing debut as a 3rd-year student at Hosei University and achieved fame in 1987 with his song “Yuusuge no Koi”, which was a hit for Mori Shinichi and won him a Japan Songwriter’s Award. The following year, his song “Jinsei Iroiro” was an award-winning hit for Shimakura Chiyoko. His stellar record continued in 1996, when Tendo Yoshimi had a million-selling hit with “Chindo Monogatari.”
• Actress Ikuta Etsuko (57) admitted on a wide show yesterday afternoon that she got married on Wednesday. Her new husband is a year younger and a divorcee. It’s Ikuta’s first marriage.