Actress Shibasaki Kou (27) has a new man rocking her world, according to today’s issue of weekly magazine “Josei Seven.” The article doesn’t say how or when Shibasaki split up with actor Tsumabuki Satoshi (27) – they had been dating since the spring of 2005 and were thought to be considering marriage. But she and Uverworld vocalist Takuya (28) are said to have moved beyond being friends sometime in the autumn. The couple were spotted out on the town together for three nights running, including a recent visit to see the Christmas illuminations in the trendy Tokyo district of Roppongi. Shibasaki, who also has a musical career, attended Uverworld’s concert at Nippon Budokan on December 5. The rock band debuted with gr8! Recordsin 2005 and have been making bigger waves in the last year or so. Their 12th and most recent single, “Hakanakumo Eikyu no Kanashi,” was their biggest seller so far and the first to reach No.1 on the Oricon chart. It was used as the opening theme for the “Mobile Suit Gundam 00” anime.
• Actor Kase Taishu (38) was all tears and apologies on his first day in court yesterday. He was arrested in October for possession of marijuana and stimulant drugs, which he said he has been using since high school. Appearing at the Tokyo District Court yesterday with his head shaved and wearing a gray suit, he said he has decided to quit show business and wants to return to his family home in Hakodate, Hokkaido. But if prosecutors get their way, he’ll be heading to prison for two and a half years. Kase, real name Kawamoto Nobuhiro, made his debut in 1990 and quickly became known as a “trendy” actor. But the fall came quickly and was followed by a move to Taiwan and a short-lived marriage. His drug use became more serious in 2004.
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J-pop diva Hamasaki Ayumi (30, 
Fuji TV announced yesterday that comedian Tsukaji Muga (37) broke his leg during recent filming of a variety show. He and a group of fellow comedians were filming the popular “All Star Athletic Games” corner for the “Haneru no Tobira” show on December 5. Like many Japanese comedy shows, it features plenty of pratfalls and other physically demanding stunts. Fuji says all possible safety measures had been taken and Tsukaji had attended rehearsals as usual. A full recovery is expected to take two to three months. Tsukaji is one half of the popular duo Drunk Dragon. He has recently been developing a good reputation as an actor, and landed a few major TV and movie roles. In a statement, he apologized to fans and program staff for the “meiwaku” (inconvenience) and promised to make a speedy recovery.
J-pop newcomers Girl Next Door continue to punch way above their weight. The trio (Suzuki Daisuke/keyboards, Chisa/vocals, Inoue Yuji/guitar) have already landed a spot on the prestigious NHK live song contest “Kohaku Uta Gassen” on New Year’s Eve. That highly coveted invitation came just three months after they debuted, the shortest period in the show’s long history. And it came before they’d even released their first album, details of which were announced yesterday. The eponymous album, which goes on sale December 24, has 14 tracks and each and every one of them has a tie-up with a TV show or product commercial. Avex Entertainment are clearly betting the house on this group and the album is described as the first ever debut release to achieve that kind of marketing muscle. The tracks include: debut single “Guuzen no Kakuritsu,” the opening theme for TBS’s music show “CDTV”; “Jonetsu no Daisho,” the most recent single and main theme for the TV Asahi drama “Giragira”; “Winter Game,” the ending theme for Fuji TV’s “Uchikuru?”; and “Power of Love,” the official song to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Tokyo Tower. The group were one of five artists to be named as Best Newcomer at the annual Record Taisho awards, with the overall winner to be announced on a live TBS show December 30. With the new album and two big TV appearances in the space of a week, it’s going to be a massive end of the year for the group known as GaruNeku.
Singer Sawada Kenji held a concert at Tokyo Dome yesterday to celebrate his 60th birthday. The show followed the November 29 concert at Kyocera Dome, Osaka. Yesterday’s performance started at 3 o’clock in the afternoon and continued for six hours and forty minutes, the longest ever solo concert at the dome. Midway through the show Sawada, popularly known by his nickname Julie, broke down in tears saying he was overwhelmed that 32,000 people would take off work or close their businesses to attend a weekday afternoon concert. Repaying their support, he performed a set of 80 songs that covered the span of his long career. During the first part of the show he sang 42 songs, from his time as frontman for 60s band The Tigers, to the hits by 70s rock band PYG, and with many solo hits thrown in too. Among those in the audience were Sawada’s wife, actress Tanaka Yuko (53), Tigers bandmate Kishibe Ittoku (61) and musician Morimoto Taro (60). Sawada’s birthday was actually in June, but in Japan turning 60 is a cause for a special celebration, known as kanreki. He started the show in a white suit and Native American headdress, but according to kanreki tradition, for the second half he wore all red including a red headdress.
Blind rakugoka Shoufukutei Hakkaku (51) was seriously injured at a train station in Osaka late Monday night. He fell against a train that he had just disembarked from as it was pulling out of the station. His leg was caught between the train and the platform and he was dragged for about 15m, causing a brain contusion and breaking both his legs. Shoufukutei was on his way home after a night out on the town in Osaka with a fellow rakugoka. Watching from the train, his friend saw him walk into a pole on the platform as he headed for the exit. He turned and started staggering the other way, which is when he walked into the moving train. The Hankyu Takarazuka line train continued on its way as the driver and conductor didn’t notice the accident. Shofukutei is the only completely blind performer in the rakugo world of traditional comic storytelling.
The eagerly awaited annual awards season is underway. Yesterday saw the announcement of the Shingo-Ryukogo Taisho, awards given for the new and trendy words and phrases that best represent the last year. Comedienne Edo Harumi (photo right), who was one of the biggest breakthrough names of 2008, was a winner for her “Goo!” catchphrase. The other main prize was awarded to actress Amami Yuki (41, photo left), whose TBS spring drama series launched the word “arafo,” an abbreviation of the show’s title “Around Forty.” She was on hand to accept the award, but Edo was nowhere to be seen and had to phone in her acceptance speech. Speaking to reporters after she arrived several hours late, she said, “I didn’t expect to win so I had work scheduled for this afternoon.” Other winners included softball pitching ace Ueno Yukiko (photo center), whose 413 pitches in three consecutive games helped Japan win the gold at the Beijing Olympics.
Higuchi Munetaka (photo right), leader and drummer of the heavy metal band Loudness, died on November 30 of liver cancer at a hospital in Osaka. He was 49. The cancer was discovered in April and Higuchi underwent chemotherapy and surgery, having half his liver removed in June. Higuchi, with school friend Takasaki Akira (47) on guitar, started the idol band Lazy in 1977. A total switch in musical direction came with the formation of Loudness in 1981, centered around Higuchi’s powerful drum sound. A pioneer of the heavy rock scene in Japan, Loudness were a huge influence on the stars of today, including X Japan and B’z. Their second album, “Lightning Strikes,” entered the U.S. Billboard Chart in 1986 at No.64, the highest entry by a Japanese artist. Higuchi left the band for a while before rejoining in 2000. The band are scheduled to perform at the “Super Peace Festival 2008” in Shibuya on Saturday.
Singer songwriter Shiina Ringo finished off a series of concerts to commemorate the tenth anniversary of her career at the Saitama Super Arena last night. The three shows were her first as a solo artist in five years, during which time she has been performing as the vocalist of the band Tokyo Jihen. Yesterday’s concert featured a 26-song set, including “Kabukicho no Jo” and “Koko de Kisushite,” and a personal slide show narrated by her 7-year-old son. One of the most innovative artists in Japanese music, she also tends toward the eccentric. She went through several costume changes such as the bizarre one shown in the photo. She was supported by 69 musicians – a backing band and full orchestra – and given Shiina’s tendency towards sexual innuendo, there may have been some significance to the number of people on stage.
Former talento Haga Kenji (47) and former world boxing champion Watanabe Jiro (53) have both been acquitted on charges of fraud and attempted extortion at the Osaka District Court. The two were arrested a year and five months ago on charges of swindling some ¥370 million from a private investor. They were accused of selling the man shares in a medical consulting company at a hugely inflated price and then threatening him when he tried to get his money back after the company went bankrupt. Prosecutors had sought a sentence of eight years and four months for both the accused. The court case began in January, with both men proclaiming their innocence, and ended in May. But lawyers succeeded in having the case reopened for further examination of witnesses, insisting that the alleged victim had known the true value of the shares he bought. In reading out the “not guilty” verdict on Friday, the judge said there had been reasonable doubt regarding the alleged victim’s testimony. On hearing the verdict, a tearful Haga turned to his wife Mayu (31) – the two were married only eight months at the time of Haga’a arrest. As Haga himself said to reporters after leaving the court, it is extremely rare for a Japanese court case to end in a verdict of not guilty. He is said to be in discussions with his former management agency about a possible return to show business.
It was revealed yesterday that former Morning Musume (