Japan Zone - Entertainment News from Japan
Keep up to date with all the news and developments in Japanese show business.



An Unwelcome Change for Kimura Takuya (May 13)

Any TV drama that stars SMAP member Kimura Takuya (35) is guaranteed to be a hit. But so far Fuji TV's "Change," which on Monday was the last series to launch in the spring season, hasn't quite lived up to expectations. With an audience rating of 23.8%, it ranks second for the season behind NTV's third series of "Gokusen" starring Nakama Yukie (26.4%). That's the first time for a KimuTaku series to miss out on the top spot since "Nemureru Mori" in the autumn of 1998. In the latest series, he plays a school teacher suddenly thrust into the world of politics, reluctantly following in the footsteps of his late father. Even with the solid support of a cast that includes Abe Hiroshi and Fukatsu Eri, and an ending theme song by Madonna, the opening episode was somewhat flat. Despite the hype surrounding it, the series has the usual low production values and is riddled with dramatic cliches. And it lacks the glamor of KimuTaku flying an airliner or driving a racing car.



Prosecutors Seek 8 Years for Goto Yuki (May 12)
Prosecutors at the Tokyo District Court are seeking an eight-year prison sentence for former idol singer Goto Yuuki (21). During the closing argument of the trial yesterday, they said the likelihood of a return to crime was high and that Goto should be put away. He has admitted to the charges of robbery at several construction sites, for which he was arrested last October and again in December. Although he has denied the charge of assault on a security guard, insisting that an accomplice was responsible, he admitted that he paid the guard ¥200 million in an out-of-court settlement. Appearing in the courtroom with his head shaven and a tattoo peeking over the collar of his suit, Goto said "I committed the crime because I needed money for my living costs." In the courtroom were his mother and wife, who is expecting their third child in July. Goto is the younger brother of idol singer and former Morning Musume member Goto Maki (22). The court's verdict will be handed down on May 21.



Happy News for Shinohara Ryoko, Sakai Miki (May 11)

Happy news for a pair of established actresses. Management for Shinohara Ryoko (34, photo left) informed the media by fax yesterday that she gave birth to a baby boy at a Tokyo hospital on Saturday. Her husband, actor Ichimura Masachika (59), was present for the birth and expressed his happiness saying, "God sent us an angel!" The couple have been married since December 2005. Meanwhile, actress Sakai Miki (30, photo right) is engaged to marry a 34-year-old doctor, she informed the media by fax on Friday. She and her fiance first met in New York four years ago and started dating after meeting again last summer. Sakai says they had their formal yuinou (exchange of engagement gifts) in January and plan to hold a wedding and reception in the autumn. She also says that she is not pregnant and plans to continue her career. When she was based in New York in 2004, Sakai was romantically linked with New York Yankees baseball star Matsui Hideki (33), who got married in March.



Haga Kenji, Watanabe Jiro Facing Prison Terms (May 8)

Prosecutors sought an eight-year prison sentence for disgraced actor Haga Kenji (46) at the Osaka District Court yesterday. In the ongoing trial that began in February, Haga is accused of attempted blackmail and fraud of over ¥370 million. Also on trial is former world boxing champion Watanabe Jiro (53), for whom prosecutors are seeking a four-year sentence. Both defendants have pleaded innocent. Haga, real name Toma Mikio, once again turned on the waterworks, shedding tears as he has done at most of the hearings over the last few months. But prosectors said he has shown no sign of repentance and there is no room for taking extenuating circumstances into consideration. The case dates back to 2001, when Haga sold an acquaintance shares in a medical consultancy business at three times their value. When the company went bankrupt in 2006 and the man came looking for his money back, Haga enlisted the help of Watanabe and others. Using threats of violence and worse, they coerced the man...


Oguri Shun, Yamada Yu are a Couple (May 7)

Actor Oguri Shun (25) and actress-model Yamada Yu (23) are the latest young power couple. Though management for both stars refuse to acknowledge their relationship as anything more than good friends, it is widely believed that they are serious. They first worked together on the Japanese dubbing of U.S. animated movie "Surf's Up" last October. And in January they appeared together in the NTV drama series "Binbomen," which was Oguri's first starring role. Both ended romantic relationships last year, Oguri with model Tanaka Miho (25) and Yamada with actor Itoh Hideaki (31).

• Up-and-coming American enka singer Jero (26) has his first TV commercial contract. From May 21 he will appear in...

YMO Provide Movie Theme for Tokyo! (May 6)

Japan's most famous techno trio have teamed up with a trio of international movie directors for the omnibus movie "Tokyo!" The members of HASYMO - Hosono Haruomi (60), Sakamoto Ryuichi (56) and Takahashi Yukihiro (55) - are better known as the pioneering 80s band Yellow Magic Orchestra. They wrote the instrumental "Tokyo Town Pages" between them, mixing in station platform announcements and other sounds familiar to anyone who has been to Tokyo. The song, which features as the movie's ending theme, will be released as a double-A side single with the TBS "News23" theme "The City of Light" on August 6. The trio were chosen for the movie for a variety of reasons, among them being that they are all Tokyo natives, and the fact that their number matches the number of directors - Frenchmen Leos Carax (47) and Michel Gondry (44), and Korean Bong Joon-ho (38). The movie is to have its world premiere later this month in the "Un Certain Regard" category at the Cannes International Film Festiv...