Maki Horikita plays pilot in new drama

TOKYO — Actress Maki Horikita, 24, will play the main character in Fuji TV’s new drama “Miss Pilot,” which starts in October in the 9 p.m. prime time slot on Tuesdays.

Female pilots are still rare in Japan (only 20 out of 2,500 pilots at ANA are women). “Miss Pilot” depicts the struggles that female pilots are facing everyday, Horikita said.

“Miss Pilot” will be Horikita’s second time to play the lead in TV series since NHK’s morning drama “Ume-chan Sensei” last year, which had an average viewer rating of 20.7%. It was the first time in 9 years for the average rating of a morning TV drama to exceed 20%.

Japan Today

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Has Japan’s K-pop bubble burst? Weakening yen hits major Korean record label hard

TOKYO — It wasn’t so long ago that everywhere you looked in Japan, there were ads for Korean pop groups, cosmetics and health drinks. More people than ever were snapping up Korean language textbooks and, despite territorial squabbles and a few extreme-right noise makers, Japan was positively leaping on anything prefixed by the letter ‘K’.

Recent reports, however, suggest that all is not well in the K-pop music camp in Japan, with major Korean record label and talent agency S.M. Entertainment reporting losses of more than 70% compared to the same period last year. Has the K-pop bubble finally burst in Japan?

Despite boasting sales amounting to some $44 million in the first quarter of 2012, Japan’s Livedoor News reported last week that S.M. Entertainment’s profits fell by more than 70% during the same period this year, prompting industry analysts to wonder whether it’s finally game over for Korean pop idols in Japan.

The K-pop train may not be running at quite the speed it once did, but the real cause of S.M. Entertainment’s sudden dip in financial fortunes may not be Japanese fans’ indifference to their neighbors’ music so much as the fact that their money is worth less than it used to be abroad.

“No matter how you look at it, the cheap yen is very likely the major factor here,” said the editor of a Japan-based Korean entertainment magazine. “According to Korean financial analysts, some 70% of S.M.’s profits come from overseas, with Japan making up close to 50% of that. It’s only natural that, having relied on the [previously] strong yen so much, the company should take a hit now.”

Thanks in part to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s recent ‘Abenomics‘ financial footwork, the cost of the yen has fallen significantly for the first time in years, making life a little easier for Japanese companies trading outside of their homeland, but neighboring countries are feeling the strain as a result.

An S.M. Entertainment spokesperson responded to fears that the Japanese K-pop industry was in trouble, saying that the company had indeed posted much lower profits than in previous years, but stressed that the second financial quarter is set to be far more lucrative, with big names like Girls’ Generation and boy-band SHINee both going on tour and performing at a number of venues in Japan during the summer. Even so, with the yen far cheaper than it was last year, you can be sure that S.M., and many other Korean companies that rely on their Japanese fan base, will be left fondly remembering the days when their Japanese customers’ yen was worth much more back home.

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Tsubasa Masuwaka gives make-up lecture in France

TOKYO — Model Tsubasa Masuwaka, 27, was Japan’s “make-up ambassador” at the Japan Expo 2013 in Paris this week.

Masuwaka gave a lecture to young French women on applying eye make-up. The lecture was presented by Cozy Honpo, which promotes Masuwaka’s make-up brand “Dolly Wink.” Masuwaka demonstrated how to apply “tsukematsuge” (fake eyelashes).

Sankei Sports reported that there were over 1,200 French women in the audience and they were all impressed by Masuwaka’s make-up skills such as making “natural droopy eyes.”

Masuwaka also participated in a product promotion booth and posed for commemorative photos. Some girls burst into tears out of excitement at seeing Masuwaka, Sankei reported.

“This is my second time visiting France. I’ve always loved France. When I first participated in the Japan Expo, I remember I was amazed by French girls’ simple yet sophisticated fashion sense,” she said. “They know how to turn their fashion style on and off for each occasion.”

Japan Today

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Model Moe Oshikiri to publish new book

TOKYO — Model Moe Oshikiri, 33, announced on her blog this week that she will publish a new book.

The blog entry begins with the title: “I have an announcement.” Oshikiri writes that on Aug 7, she will publish her new book titled “Asakiyumemishi,” a fictional work about an unpopular model who pursues her dream.

“I believe that pursuing one’s dreams is a wonderful thing but the journey can be very hard,” she wrote, adding that many of her own experiences overlap with the main character in her book. “I wanted to write about the struggle of a girl who is sincere,” Oshikiri writes on her blog.

Oshikiri says she started writing because the editor of the fashion magazine she regularly appears in, AneCan, recommended that she do so. “I don’t have any writing skills, so I struggled. But for about a year and a half, I focused on my feelings and got the job done.”

Oshikiri released her first book in 2009. Titled “Moderu Shikkaku” or “No Longer a Model,” it tells of how her first modeling agency went bankrupt, and she ended up working day jobs, such as putting strawberries on cakes, and how she suffered from a spinal injury in 2005 after being dumped by a wave in Hawaii.

Japan Today

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TLC and Namie Amuro’s new version of 'Waterfalls' irks Lopes family

TOKYO — When it comes to R&B of the ‘90s in America, TLC were undoubtedly at the top of the heap, winning four Grammy Awards and selling mountains of singles and albums, back when artists used to sell albums.

Meanwhile in Japan, after breaking away from the group she belonged to, Namie Amuro went on to see massive success as a solo artist. A pioneer of ‘90s fashion trends, she was the darling of Japanese TV.

However, on both sides of the Pacific, these musicians would face tragedy. Amuro’s mother was murdered in 1999, and TLC lost member Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes in a car accident in 2002. Now, TLC are celebrating the 20th anniversary of their hit song “Waterfalls” by rerecording it with Namie Amuro filling in for Left Eye. The only problem was they forgot to tell the Lopes family.

According to TMZ, Left Eye Lopes’ sister Reigndrop Lopes expressed her and her mother’s discontent with the move saying that they would have appreciated being told ahead of time.

However, Reigndrop added that if the song was only sold in Japan, she’d be okay with it. It seems as though that’s the plan so far with the single being available only on Amazon Japan and iTunes Japan for 250 yen.

After giving the reworking of “Waterfall” a listen, the addition of Amuro is great in doses but should have been arranged differently. Her singing is very nice and all but the rap parts come across kind of stiff compared to Left Eye’s own. It seems like it would have been better to just use Lopes’ original recorded contribution and added an extra/original verse from Amuro.

Sources: Naver Matome, MSN Topics

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RocketNews24

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Kyary Pamyu Pamyu to sing theme song for Japanese release of 'Star Trek Into Darkness'

TOKYO — Japanese pop singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, 20, has been chosen by director J.J. Abrams to provide the theme song for the Japanese release of his new film, “Star Trek Into Darkness,” which opens in Japan on Aug 23.

The song, “Into Darkness,” was produced by Japanese music producer Yasutaka Nakata, 33, and the director himself (Abrams has experience producing music for the American TV show “Lost”). He said he chose Kyary Pamyu Pamyu because she perfectly fits the song’s image, Sankei Shimbun reported.

The singer, known for her cute fashion style, completed a successful tour across America, Europe and Asia earlier this year.

To promote “Star Trek Into Darkness” internationally, Abrams did similar collaborations with musicians from six countries to produce a different theme song for each version. Nakata said: “It was like exploring an unknown world. As a musician, it was a great experience.”

Japan Today

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Fujiwara receives Nikkei Social Initiative Award

TOKYO — Celebrity Norika Fujiwara, 41, this week received a special award at the Nikkei Social Initiative Awards ceremony held by the Nikkei newspaper.



This award is given to an individual or group who contribute to society. As the PR ambassador for the Japanese Red Cross Society, Fujiwara has been involved in charity activities such as building schools in developing countries. The award was given to Fujiwara for her ongoing contribution to society, Nikkan Sports reported.

“I am very spoiled to be loved by many people,” Fujiwara said.

Although reporters asked about her relationship with a TV program director, Fujiwara dodged the issue and said she hopes to get married again one day.

Japan Today

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'Moe' madness: Gov't realizes selling power of cute 2D girls

TOKYO — “Moe” promotion is in right now. Anything can be “moe-fied,” and a cute persona can help sell anything from regular rice to smelly natto. Recently companies, schools, railways and even government offices have all been getting in on the act. You just can’t get away from it.



The Japanese Companies & Municipal Corporations Moe Characters series video that was recently uploaded to Nico Nico Video is pretty awesome. We started watching from the latest video, which is part 7. If you watch parts 5 and 6 and then watch the newest part 7, you can get a look at all the characters introduced in the series so far. The extra-long part 7 video is 25 minutes long; it’s practically a documentary. I truly admire the creator’s obsession. I mean, dedication.

Part 7 starts with an introduction of “moe” characters shown in the first 4 videos. First up is Hinomoto Ui-chan who was created around 2002 as the character for Tokyo Polytechnic University’s animation department. Then keep watching for a whole array of cute characters. Take, for example, “High School Girl Kimchee.” With her legs drawn up, her gravity-defying skirt somehow clings to her legs, keeping her modestly but flirtily covered, you just can’t resist picking up a pack of kimchee if she’s on the packaging.

Then there’s “Minase & Hina’s Inaniwa Udon.” The idea is that the soup is the characters’ left-over bath water. Mmm, what a delicious image. Definitely makes me want to try it.

And it’s not just companies using “moe” marketing: the government has also been harnessing this power for its own purposes. One of our favorites was Oita Prefecture’s ambitious plan to anthropomorphize every municipality in the region into an irresistible moe character. There’s a girl there to suit everyone. One big happy harem.

Source: NetLab

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Kyoko Hasegawa receives Best Mother Award 2013

TOKYO — Actress Kyoko Hasegawa, 35, who has a 4-year-old son and a 1-year-old daughter, is the recipient of the Best Mother Award 2013 in the Entertainment category.

The annual award was started six years ago by the NPO Nihon Mothers Association, which initiates various activities and events across the nation to support moms.

Winners are voted on through the Internet, mobile phones, surveys and events such as Mother Festa.

Sunday is Mother’s Day.

Japan Today

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Mona Nakanishi makes her return to showbiz - for 3rd time

TOKYO — Mona Nakanishi (formerly Yamamoto), who retired from show business for the second time in 2011, marked a return to the entertainment world this week at the opening event of her new smartphone project “Tellme! Mona’s consultation tour,” in which she chats on her smartphone with users on any topic through Saturday.

In the past, Nakanishi, 37, was forced to retire after two illicit love affairs came to light. “This is my third comeback,” she said with self-deprecating humor at Wednesday night’s event.

“I want to take on new challenges while balancing my time with my family,” she said.

Nakanishi, who is the daughter of a Norwegian father and a Japanese mother, married her husband, the president of a real estate investment company, in 2010.

Nakanishi’s troubles began in September 2006, when she was accused of having an affair with married DPJ bigwig Goshi Hosono and was forced to step down from her position on TBS’s “NEWS23” program, a job which she had only held for five days.

She was fired again in 2008 from her position as an anchor for Fuji TV after news broke of her affair with Yomiuri Giants player Tomohiro Nioka, who was married at the time. The alleged tryst took place on the eve of her comeback from the first scandal.

Japan Today

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Actress Lisa Goto trades legacy of sports drink commercials for career in porn

TOKYO — It can be so difficult watching ones children grow into full-fledged adults. The same feeling can apply to our beloved child actors at times. We always want to remember them from when they were tiny and adorable, even as they mature.

Lisa Goto got an early start in the entertainment industry, modeling for gravure photos at the age of 14 and going on to feature in a popular Pocari Sweat sports drink commercial soon after. She was know by many as “a girl with the beauty of innocence.” In that way, she developed a significant number of fans and went on to do a number of other commercials, TV drama series, and movies, and throughout it all, she maintained that image of purity.

But now, after having left the entertainment industry for a number of years, she’s back and with a brand new sales pitch. It’s time to say goodbye to the sweet and innocent grade-schooler that people grew to love and make way for the straight-talking porn actress here to take her place.

Thanks to good-old Wikipedia, we have a pretty good understanding of Goto’s background and how it took a sudden turn for the risque. Her career in acting was never exactly a steady one, as she retired temporarily in 2002, only to be drawn back into the limelight in 2004. In late 2009 she quit the industry once more, when she married her boyfriend, with whom she’d been living for three years. It should probably be noted that to be unmarried and living with a person of the opposite sex is still not common within Japan, and for celebrities to date at all is often not allowed by their contracts. Still, Goto did make a brief appearance on Fuji Television’s “Super News” the following year, where she admitted to getting a great deal of plastic surgery: liposuction on her abdomen and legs, breast implants, and the removal of blemishes from her face.

Now, barely two years following her marriage and second retirement from work as an actress, Goto has announced that she is divorcing her husband for the sake of reentering the entertainment field as a porn actress. Perhaps the literal image change that came with her plastic surgery should have served as some sort of indicator that a greater change had taken place inside of her, but nevertheless the news of her turn to the adult video industry as shocked many. She is no longer the young and innocent girl we once knew; that purity has been sullied.

Many people commenting on the news of Goto’s move to join the adult film industry have shown varying levels of disappointment, saying things such as “She sure has changed,” and “To think I used to be her fan…” Others seem less than surprised and are calling it the start of a new trend. “When all those famous girls from AKB48 find that they can’t return to the life of a normal person, their paths will turn out just the same,” says one cynical commenter. Of course, not everyone is so down about the news, and many anticipate long, loving nights with Goto on their screens.

Goto’s first adult video is scheduled for release this summer, in mid-June.

Source: Tokyo Sports

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Kuroki reported pregnant 2 weeks after denying relationship with Akanishi

Meisa KurokiJapan Today

TOKYO —

 Popular actress-singer Meisa Kuroki, 23, is two months pregnant and has announced her marriage to former KAT-TUN singer Jin Akanishi, 27, tabloid media reported Thursday.

The news, first reported by Sports Nippon, comes two weeks after the couple denied they were dating. “We’re friends but he is not my boyfriend,” Kuroki said in a statement released last month by her agency, while Akanishi’s agency, Johnny’s Jimusho, released a statement in which he said “We are not going out.”

The gossip started when the pair were spotted together at Tokyo DisneySea on Jan 22, Sankei Shimbun reported. A Johnny’s spokesperson said that Akanishi did go to Tokyo DisneySea, but he wasn’t alone with Kuroki. They were among a group of friends, the spokesperson said.

Besides DisneySea, the pair were also seen in Okinawa on Jan 14 and at Lalaport Toyosu in Tokyo’s Koto Ward on Jan 21.

Akanishi is going to release the album “JAPONICANA” in Japan and the U.S. on March 7, and go on a concert tour of five cities in the U.S. He will also be seen in the Hollywood film “47 RONIN,” alongside Keanu Reeves, to be released in December.

Kuroki has a second album, “UNLOCKED,” due out on Feb 15. Sports Nippon reported that she will continue working after giving birth.

Japan Today

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Masami Nagasawa relishes her role as detective

Masami Nagasaki shows her detective pose.TV ASAHI

TOKYO —

 Masami Nagasawa says she is very happy to play a detective in her newest TV drama, “Toshi Densetsu no Onna,” which will air on TV Asahi on Friday nights from April.

It has been three years since Nagasawa appeared in a TV drama series. “Toshi Densetsu no Onna” is a mixture of comedy and mystery. Nagasawa plays Tsukiko Otonashi, a police detective who is obsessed with urban legends and who works on unsolved cases behind the legends.

Nagasawa said her character is always on the lookout for evidence to link crimes to unexplained urban legends. She even goes so far as to investigate crimes by herself in secret.

The obligatory romance is provided by Junpei Inomata who plays a handsome forensic investigator. He falls in love with Tsukiko at first sight.

Nagasawa told reporters she has wanted to play a detective for a long time. She said that the director was very open to her ad-libbing jokes.

Japan Today

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Kyoko Koizumi to release album containing 30 songs for 30th anniversary

TOKYO — Singer and actress Kyoko Koizumi, 46, will release a 2-disc album containing 30 songs that her celebrity acquaintances and friends have chosen to mark the 30th anniversary of her debut as a singer on March 21. The album also includes a 160-page booklet containing photos of Kyon-kyon (as Koizumi is popularly known) over the past 30 years.

The album is titled “Kyon30 ~Nantettatte (It’s) 30 years!~” (3,900 yen with booklet). Koizumi debuted as a singer in 1982 with the song “Watashi no 16 sai.”

Japan Today

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TV commercial of the week: Staff Service with Cyborg

TOKYO —

 This commercial is for Staff Service which is a big recruiting company.

Staff Service currently shows two kinds of Cyborg commercial series. One features the Cyborg temp worker 022 (the number “022″ refers to the phone number of Staff Service), and stars Mikako Tabe. The other features Cyborg full-time worker 003 (Cyborg 003/Françoise Arnoul) from the famous cartoon/animation “Cyborg 009.”

In this version, featuring Tabe, workers have to clip 50 sets of material together for a presentation in 30 minutes and worry that they cannot make it. Then Cyborg temp worker 022 transforms her right arm into a Gatling gun and does the job in no time at all.

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Kuroki, Akanishi deny they are dating

Meisa KurokiJapan Today

TOKYO — There have been several tabloid reports recently that actress Meisa Kuroki, 23, and former KAT-TUN singer Jin Akanishi, 27, are a couple. But both stars this week denied the couple were in a relationship.

“We’re friends but he is not my boyfriend,” Kuroki said in a statement released by her agency, while Akanishi’s agency, Johnny’s Jimusho, released a statement in which he said “We are not going out.”

The gossip started when the pair were spotted together at Tokyo DisneySea on Jan 22, Sankei Shimbun reported. A Johnny’s spokesperson said that Akanishi did go to Tokyo DisneySea, but he wasn’t alone with Kuroki. They were among a group of friends, the spokesperson said.

Japan Today

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