SDN48 has wrapped up its own “senbatsu” election for its first major label single, as announced last month. Former AKB48 member Megumi Ohori (27) ranked #1 by a wide margin, taking the top rank in all three voting categories. As a result, she will have the center position on the upcoming release. The rest of...

In June, it was announced that directors Isshin Inudo and Shinji Higuchi are collaborating on a film adaptation of “Nobou no Shiro,” starring Mansai Nomura (44). It has now been revealed that the movie’s heroine will be played by actress Nana Eikura (22), who has never appeared in a jidaigeki work before. The story casts...

Abe Natsumi, Yasuda Kei, and Kusumi Koharu will be in a stage play titled Abe Naikaku. The play is abot the prime minister and politics. It’s great to see that Abe, Yasuda, and Koha will be appearing in a play together since I can’t recall Koha doing much apart from her TV...

Weekly Shonen Magazine recently released a new manga series, published in favor of the new idol trend in Japan, AKB49 ~ Renai Kinshi Jourei. The title is loosely based on the ever popular AKB48 group. AKB fans will be delighted to find manga versions of their favorite idols drawn into the comic. In this article...

With Girls’ Generation, 4minute, KARA, and Brown Eyed Girls, Korean girl groups seem to be storming Japan. While Japanese K-pop fans are delighted, there are others who criticize this phenomenon, saying that this influx of translated K-pop tunes in Japan is lowering the quality of the Japanese music market*. *Editor’s Note: Before anybody flips out...

Gossip magazine “Shukan Josei“s reported on September 7th that ex-KAT-TUN member, Akanishi Jin, will debut in a Hollywood movie – “Pirates of the Caribbean 4“, to be exact, scheduled for release sometime in 2011. ‘Shukan Josei’ contacted Walt Disney Japan for confirmation on the rumor, and they answered that they have not yet been informed...

This past January Sakurai Sho and Horikita Maki played as rivals in the TBS drama ‘Tokujo Kabachi!!’. It seems that their relationship has gone beyond than just being co-stars in a drama. According to a restaurant manager in Shinjuku, “I don’t have the slightest idea why, but somehow Sakurai-kun and Maki-chan have been appearing frequently...

Actress Eikura Nana will once again star in a CM for  Lotte products. The CM shows Eikura, relaxing in a kotatsu while eating Lotte’s “Yukimi Daifuku”, an ice cream wrapped in a thin layer of mochi (rice cake). Even though the shooting for the CM took place during the early summer, Eikura was very impressed...

Actress Umika Kawashima (16) and actor Aoi Nakamura (19) are co-starring in a BeeTV mobile drama titled “Sekai no Owari ni Saku Hana.” The drama tells of the painful first love between Taiyo and Saki, two youngsters who have been suffering from kidney disease since childhood and are waiting for transplants. Kawashima and Nakamura worked...

Eri Fukatsu won the best actress award at the 2010 Montreal World Film Festival in Canada on Monday for her performance in the Japanese film ‘‘Akunin’’ (Villain), directed by Lee Sang Il, according to the movie’s distributor in Japan. At the award ceremony in Montreal on the closing day of the 34th edition of the...

In August, it was reported that the manga series “Musashino-sen no Shimai” by Yukiwo would be turned into a theatrical film. It has now been confirmed that the movie is live-action, and that it will star actress Natsuki Kato (25) and AKB48 member Chisato Nakata (19). The story is a comedy about the carefree lives...

KinKi Kids member Koichi Domoto will star as the character Kikuchiyo, who was originally played by legendary actor Toshiro Mifunebased on Akira Kurosawa’s famous 1954 film “Shichinin no Samurai” (“Seven Samurai”). Yamamoto has apparently been preparing this production for the past three years. Although it is based on the Kurosawa movie, he explained that it...

Five of the most popular Morning Musume OG, namely Nakazawa Yuko, Iida Kaori, Abe Natsumi, Yasuda Kei and Ogawa Makoto, are forming a new unit named “Afternoon Musume ?”.The new unit will be promoting the new Georgia coffee drinks and the first CM will be available to watch on September 9th at 12 p.m (JST)....

Actor Yoshitaka Yuriko (22), model Sasaki Nozomi (22) and Vivian Sue (35) from Taiwan made an appearance on Japan’s largest fashion event in Saitama Super Arena “11th Tokyo Girls Collection”. They’re featured in the CM for Kao Corporation’s Haircare product “Essential Damage Care” and took to the stage for the campaign stage “Kao Essential “Kyun!Pein”....

Probably by this time, all Arashi’s fans want to be in Japan to ride in this special jet. How cool is that! Arashi will be helping the Japan Airlines which is currently undergoing a reconstruction due to their financial crisis. By the picture of Arashi’s members on the jet, they are hoping to boost up...

A radio preview of Morning Musume’s 1st single titled Appare Kaiten Zushi! has been released. For the most part the general sound of the preview we heard a while ago is the same, but in this preview we can tell a lot more such as the instrumental as well as who sings what, and I...