Takeshita Naoko,wife of former prime minister Takeshita Noboru, grandmother to musician/talento DAIGO and mangaka Eiki Eiki, passed away on the morning of September 20. She was 84, originally from Shimane Prefecture. A funeral service will be held on the 22nd at the 2nd Missionary Hall, Tsukiji Hongwanji, 3-15 -1 Tsukiji, Chuo-ku, Tokyo . It will...

Fujimoto Miki  and MEGUMI attended Japan’s biggest Mama festival “Mama Collection” on the 19th. At the venue Fujimoto saw many mothers bring their children to the event, “there’s so many mom’s around…it made my heart skip a beat,” she said excitedly. Fujimoto asked during the talk about childbirth, “When should you start to push?”. MEGUMI,...

The graduation of AKB48 member Erena Ono (16) has been officially set for September 27, during the group’s theater performance on that day. It was first announced in July that Ono was leaving AKB48 in order to study acting overseas. She reportedly decide to pursue that path after appearing in the movie “Sankaku” earlier this...

The list of nominees for the anual BJMAs (Billboard JAPAN Music Awards), which will take place at Tokyo Midtown Hall, Billboard Live TOKYO on February 6th 2011 have been released. The first Billboard Japan Music Awards were held in 2009 and were broadcast live on the TV channel Next Fuji. The live event honors top...

Hirai Ken is currently looking back on 15 years since his debut and for this occasion, he will be releasing his first coupling-best album “Ken Hirai 15th Anniversary c/w Collection ’95-’10 ‘Ura Uta Baka’” on November 11th. It has been five years since his album “Ken Hirai 10th Anniversary Complete Single Collection ’95-’05 ‘Uta Baka’”...

Gravure idol Asuka Hoshino (23) is making her entry into the adult entertainment industry, starting with a hair-nude photobook that goes on sale next week. It will be followed by her first AV release in November. Hoshino launched her career in 2004 when she was chosen as Miss Weekly Shonen Magazine in the annual Miss...

In August, it was announced that Kazune Kawahara’s manga “Koukou Debut” (“High School Debut”) is being turned into a live-action film. Now, the main cast members have been revealed: Junpei Mizobata (21) will co-star with fashion model Ito Ono (15), who is making her acting debut with this movie. Ono will be playing the manga’s...

The PV for Abe Natsumi’s 12th single titled Ameagari no Niji no Youni has been released.Preview inside Like the song the PV follows a somewhat calm theme starting with Abe getting ready for work, after which we see her as an OL (office lady) talking with friends, going to lunch, and basically working, and during...

Hideaki Takizawa (28) and more than 100 Johnny’s Jr. talents will make up the guest list and studio crowd on a popular Japanese game show, reports The Television. Tackey and a team of Jr. members he selects will compete in the next “?????????????II (Hiroshi Sekiguchi’s Tokyo Friend Park II)” special to air on September 20....

At  Wednesday was the press conference for the romantic comedy “Love Come” starring actress Karina (26) in her first movie leading role since 2004. Karina will play the role of a manager of a flower arrangement shop, who has not had a boyfriend in nearly two years. Despite her feminine beauty, she can be described...

As we mention before that four out of five “Ayabie” members had announced their draw-back from the band, leaving vocalist Aoi by himself. Yet, today on September 17th, the official site announced that Yumehito, Takehito, Intetsu and Kenzo will be taking up activities again under the name “AYABIE”. “For the four of us ‘Ayabie’ is...

Ex-Morning Musume member, Yaguchi Mari confessed that she is a hard drinker on the variety show, “Downtown DX.” She said that the best record she had (the record she remembers) was ingesting 30 shots of tequila, and amazingly, she chose champagne as its chaser. After drinking that much alcohol, she mourned that she could not...

Japanese pop group SMAP kicked off an international tour, their first in two years, on Wednesday night at Tokyo Dome. Including those in attendance that night, the performance marked a milestone for the group – 10 million total concert attendees since the group’s founding. This is also the highest number ever recorded for any Japanese...

The official U.S. website of former KAT-TUN member Jin Akanishi has revealed some information about his upcoming U.S. tour, titled “Yellow Gold Tour 3010.” The site lists five concert dates in November. Akanishi performed his first solo concerts in the U.S. this past June. At that time, he stated that he was aiming to perform...

AKB48 member Shinoda Mariko has been given her first solo emcee duties, as she will be hosting an informational show called “LISMO Channel (Video).” The 5-minute program, which is available only on mobile phones, introduces the latest dramas and movies in Japan. During the press announcement for the show, Shinoda commented, “In the future, I...

Looks to be an interesting fall season upcoming with several popular shows (Arakawa, Sora no Otoshimono, Tegami Bachi, Index,Super Robot Wars, Pokemon, Love-Ru) having second seasons or continuations. Studio Gainax’s anticipated show “Panties and Garterbelts” looks to carry some interesting animation (looking like Power Puff Girls to me anyway). Star Driver from BONES looks interesting...