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Japanese Entertainment News & Info HERE! [part V]
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Post Last Edit by whitedove at 8-9-2011 17:56
Man arrested for trespassing into Johnny Kitagawa’s apartment
Posted on August 17, 2011 by tokyograph
On Wednesday morning, Shibuya police arrested a man on charges of trespassing into the apartment of Johnny's Jimusho president Johnny Kitagawa. The suspect, a 52-year-old male named Unotoro Toshio, entered Kitagawa’s apartment and was inside it for about 30 minutes before being apprehended.
According to the police, Kitagawa came home to his apartment at around 9:40am on August 17. Kitagawa opened his door and Unotoro, who was nearby, rushed into the apartment before Kitagawa and shut the door and locked it. Fortunately, Kitagawa was unharmed, and he went down to the first floor to notify the security guard. Police arrived half an hour later and were able to arrest Unotoro.
Unotoro, who appears to live in the Setagaya ward and whose occupation is unknown, stated that all he did was enter the apartment of his acquaintance. Kitagawa, however, stated that he does not know Unotoro.
Source:
Sports Hochi
Update: According to Sankei Sports, Unotoro bypassed the building’s auto-lock door by entering behind Kitagawa, then pushed past Kitagawa and entered his unlocked apartment.
Source: www.tokyograph.com
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Kanjani8 moves to golden time, announces 4-dome tour
Posted on August 17, 2011 by tokyograph
Kanjani8 has just made two big announcements: starting in September they will have a television show during golden time, and starting in November they will go on a concert tour to 4 of the major domes.
Since this past April, Kanjani8 has been hosting the local show “Kanjani no Shiwake 8” late on Wednesday nights on TV Asahi (1:21am-1:51am). As of August 10, the show has averaged 3.5% ratings in the Kanto region, currently the highest for its time slot.
In September, that show will go national and move to an hour-long time slot on Saturdays at 7:58pm, making it their first program during the prized “golden time” (7:00pm-10:00pm). The first two episodes, scheduled to air on September 10 and 17, will both be 2-hour specials starting at 6:58pm.
The group also announced that they will do a dome tour of Sapporo, Fukuoka, Tokyo, and Osaka, starting on November 23. The tour will consist of 7 concerts with a maximum total capacity of 330,000 people. This will be their first time to perform at the domes in Sapporo and Fukuoka.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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“Himizu,” “Kokurikozaka Kara,” and more join Toronto International Film Festival lineup
Posted on August 17, 2011 by tokyograph
The 36th Toronto International Film Festival has announced many more of the films in this year’s lineup. It was already announced a couple weeks ago that the festival will screen Ishii Katsuhito’s “Smuggler” (starring Tsumabuki Satoshi) and Okiura Hiroyuki’s animated “Momo e no Tegami.” The festival recently added 5 more films from Japan, along with one from Iran featuring Japanese stars.
The newly announced films are:
“Kotoko” – Tsukamoto Shinya – the first film starring singer Cocco
“Himizu” – Sono Sion – based on Furuya Minoru’s manga of the same name and starring Sometani Shota and Nikaido Fumi
“Kokurikozaka Kara” (“From Up on Poppy Hill”) – Miyazaki Goro – the latest full-length work from Studio Ghibli
“Monsters Club” – Toyoda Toshiaki – starring Eita and Kubozuka Yosuke
“Space is the Place” – Sonoda Eriko – a 6-minute silent short film
“CUT” – Amir Naderi – starring Nishijima Hidetoshi and Tokiwa Takako
The 36th Toronto International Film Festival runs from September 8 to September 18, 2011.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Sawamura Ikki returns for “Keishichou Shissounin Sousaka” special
Posted on August 17, 2011 by tokyograph
The detective drama series “Keishichou Shissounin Sousaka,” starring Sawamura Ikki (44), will return to television for a special episode this coming winter. During the show’s original run in spring 2010, it averaged 11.6% ratings and reached as high as 16.4%.
The special takes place 1 year after the end of the series. Many of the original cast members are returning, including Mori Kanna, Kitamura Yukiya, Kikawada Masaya, Ukaji Takashi, Endo Kenichi, Takahata Atsuko, and Kohinata Fumiyo.
One new addition to the investigative team is being played by actress Ichikawa Yui, while a key character in the story will be played by Kimura Fumino, who has recently been attracting attention in commercials for NTT DoCoMo.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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“101st Proposal” being revived as stage play with same stars Takeda Tetsuya, Asano Atsuko
Posted on August 17, 2011 by tokyograph
It’s been 20 years since the original broadcast of the drama series “101 Kaime no Propose” (“101st Proposal”), one of the most famous of Fuji TV’s popular “Getsu 9” dramas from the 1990s. The show is being revived in the form of a stage play, starring the same couple from the drama – Takeda Tetsuya (62) and Asano Atsuko (50).
During its original run in the summer of 1991, the series averaged a 23.6% rating, with the finale reaching 36.7%. The show was also known for its theme song – CHAGE & ASKA’s “SAY YES” – which was #1 on the charts for 13 straight weeks and is currently the 6th best-selling single in Oricon history.
The stage version of the story, titled “Jidaigeki-ban 101 Kaime no Propose,” will be a historical drama set during the time of the Kumamoto Domain. The plot will be very different, but the love story between Takeda and Asano’s characters will essentially remain the same.
The script is said to still be in the works. At the moment, there are only plans to perform the play at the Hakataza theater in Fukuoka in March 2012, but the production staff are hoping to perform it nationwide after that.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Uchino Masaaki, Ichiro Maki divorce
Posted on August 18, 2011 by tokyograph
It was announced on Thursday that actor Uchino Masaaki (42) and actress Ichiro Maki (46) have officially divorced. In a joint fax sent to the media, they stated that they submitted their divorce paperwork that same day.
In the statement, Uchino and Ichiro said that they extensively discussed their family and their futures, and in the end they decided to part ways.
Ichiro, a former Takarazuka top star, acted together with Uchino for the first time in a 2000 production of the musical “Elisabeth.” They married in July 2006 and gave birth to a daughter 3 months later.
Later on, it was reported that the two had started living separately. In September of last year, the magazine FRIDAY alleged that Uchino was guilty of drunk driving. The magazine also reported that Uchino was having an affair, evidenced by photos of him kissing a woman inside his car.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Sakurai Sho, Kitagawa Keiko to star in “Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de” drama series
Posted on August 18, 2011 by tokyograph
 
“Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de,” a bestselling novel published last year by author Higashigawa Tokuya, is being turned into a Fuji TV drama series this fall. The show will star Arashi member Sakurai Sho (29) and actress Kitagawa Keiko (24).
“Nazotoki wa Dinner no Ato de” won this year’s Honya Taisho (an award voted on by bookstore employees nationwide) and has so far sold 1.4 million copies. The novel is a comical mystery whose main character is Kageyama (Sakurai), a sharp-tongued butler and chauffeur for Hosho Reiko (Kitagawa), the well-bred daughter of an internationally famous corporation.
However, Kageyama is no ordinary butler. Reiko also happens to be a novice detective, though she lacks in deductive skills. While serving her refined meals, Kageyama listens to the details of her cases and helps her deduce the mysteries while verbally abusing her with “polite” insults.
The series will include even more comedy than the original work. One of the highlights of the show will likely be the disguises that Kageyama wears to accompany Reiko to the crime scenes, keeping an eye on her investigations.
Fuji TV will broadcast the series on Tuesdays at 9:00pm, starting in October.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Miyazaki Aoi to star as Madame Butterfly in drama special
Posted on August 18, 2011 by tokyograph
Actress Miyazaki Aoi (25) will make her first appearance in a television drama since the hit taiga drama “Atsuhime” three years ago. She will play the starring role in an NHK’s “Doyo Drama Special Chouchou-san,” based on the Puccini opera “Madame Butterfly.”
The drama is actually adapted from Ichikawa Shinichi’s novel “Chouchou-san,” which was in turn adapted from “Madame Butterfly.” Ichikawa will be handling the screenplay for the drama as well.
Like the opera, the story is set in Nagasaki in the early 1900s. It portrays the ups and downs of a young woman known as Butterfly (Miyazak), who lost her parents at a young age and has become an apprentice geisha. She later meets a naval officer and gets married, though the officer intends for the marriage to last only while he is stationed in Nagasaki.
The impressive cast includes Ito Atsushi, Noda Hideki, Nishida Toshiyuki, Toda Keiko, Tomosaka Rie, Yo Kimiko, Ikewaki Chizuru, and Ibu Masato.
Filming starts on August 22 and is expected to take until October. NHK plans to air the drama on November 19 and 26.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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D-BOYS to stage Agatha Christie’s “Witness for the Prosecution” (Corrected)
Posted on August 18, 2011 by tokyograph
Acting troupe D-BOYS will test their skills with a mystery as their next stage production. The group will perform an adaptation of Agatha Christie’s famous story “The Witness for the Prosecution” (“Kensatsugawa no Shounin” in Japanese), with the setting moved to Showa-era Japan.
D-BOYS started performing their “D-BOYS STAGE” productions in 2007. This will be their 9th one, though it is their first mystery. This past spring, they performed “The Merchant of Venice.”
Seto Koji (23) and Igarashi Shunji (25) play a mismatched pair of novice lawyers who have been asked to defend a young man (Yanagishita Tomo) on trial for the murder of an elderly widow. However, the only person who can verify his alibi is his wife (Mabuchi Erika), and the defense is up against an elite prosecutor (Araki Hirofumi).
Performances will be held at the Aoyama Theatre in Tokyo on October 15-23 and at the Theater BRAVA! in Osaka on November 3-6.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Mai Satoda releases book on best ways to eat rice
ENTERTAINMENT AUG. 20, 2011 - 04:07AM JST ( 24 )
TOKYO —
“Talent” Mai Satoda, 27, is now an author. She has just released a book, “How to Eat the Best Rice in the World,” which features recipes of rice dishes that she cooked in Sado, Niigata Prefecture.
Reporters at the book launch were more interested in her love life and asked Satoda about her boyfriend, baseball player Masahiro Tanaka, 22. Satoda said he hasn’t complained about her cooking. But she said the couple have no wedding plans just yet.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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NHK among 8 nominees up for International Emmys for news
ENTERTAINMENT AUG. 20, 2011 - 02:00PM JST ( 2 )
NEW YORK —
Television productions that took viewers inside a Somali pirate stronghold and a Taliban unit fighting in Afghanistan were among the nominees for International Emmy awards in the current affairs and news categories.
The eight nominees from six countries and the United Nations include “Unter Piraten” on Germany’s Infonetwork GmbH in the current affairs category and Britain’s “Sky News Live at Five: Inside the Taliban” in the news category.
Brazil had two nominations—Discovery Networks Latin America’s “The Assassination of Jean Charles Meneses” (current affairs), about the fatal shooting of a Brazilian immigrant mistaken for a suicide bomber in London, and TV Globo’s “Jornal Nacional: War on Drugs” (news), about a November 2010 raid by security forces on a drug dealer’s stronghold in Rio de Janeiro.
There were also first-time nominations for the United Nations in current affairs for UNTV’s “21st Century: Cambodia—A Quest for Justice” on the international tribunal trying perpetrators of the Khmer Rouge reign of terror, and for Iceland in news for “RUV News: Volcano Eruption at Eyjafjallajokull” about the impact caused by the massive 2010 volcanic eruption.
The other nominees announced by the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences were Japan’s NHK for “Back from the Brink: Inside the Chilean Mine Disaster” (current affairs) and “TV Patrol: Manila Hostage Crisis” by the Philippines” ABS-CBN Broadcasting Corp covering an August 2010 hostage drama in which eight Hong Kong tourists were killed after their tour bus was hijacked by a disgruntled former police officer.
“The Academy is proud to be bringing these riveting shows to the global stage,” said Bruce L Paisner, the academy’s president and CEO, in a statement accompanying a news release. “The 2011 nominees offer unique perspectives from all parts of the world on the events that have shaped the year and touched audiences.”
The winners will be announced at a Sept. 28 ceremony at the Frederick P Rose Hall of Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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“Tempest” drama series to be turned into 3-D movie
Posted on August 19, 2011 by tokyograph
The NHK historical drama “Tempest” is going to get a 3-D movie in theaters next year. Nakama Yukie (31) will remain in the starring role, along with fellow cast members such as Tanihara Shosuke, Tsukamoto Takashi, Takaoka Saki, GACKT, and Okuda Eiji.
Based on Ikegami Eiichi’s novel of the same name, “Tempest” is set in the Ryukyu Kingdom during the 19th century. Nakama plays a woman who hides her gender as she attempts to gain influence as a government official for the sake of protecting her country. The drama series currently airs on NHK BS-Premium and will end on September 18.
The movie is reported to be a two-and-a-half-hour edit of the drama series, with no plans for new footage to be shot.
Amuro Namie’s song “Tempest” will still be the theme song.
“Gekijoban Tempest 3D” is scheduled to open in theaters on January 28, 2012.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Arimura Kasumi’s first starring movie role in “Gal Basara”
Posted on August 19, 2011 by tokyograph
This winter, actress Arimura Kasumi (18) will have her first starring role on the big screen. The movie is titled “Gal Basara ~Sengoku Jidai wa Kengai Desu~” and is directed by Sato Futoshi (“Girl’s BOX,” “Majisuka Gakuen”).
Arimura just made her acting debut last year and has appeared in dramas such as “Hagane no Onna” and “SPEC.” She also appeared in the movie “Hankyu Densha” earlier this year.
“Gal Basara” is about a group of high school girls who suddenly travel back in time to the Sengoku period, where they are forced to grow up as they come face-to-face with a society in the midst of war. Arimura’s role will have her doing a sword fighting scene for the first time.
Besides “Gal Basara,” it has also been revealed that Arimura has a role in a drama series this fall, as well as another lead role for an untitled film that will begin shooting this winter.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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“Shinya Shokudo” live-action drama gets new series this fall
Posted on August 21, 2011 by tokyograph
The 2009 television drama series “Shinya Shokudo” is returning for a second season this fall. The main cast will reprise their roles, including lead actor Kobayashi Kaoru.
“Shinya Shokudo” was based on Abe Yaro’s manga of the same name about an unusual restaurant that’s only open at night. The first series aired in a late-night time slot between October and December 2009, and ratings reached as high as 2.7%. The show was also recommended for the 47th Galaxy Awards.
New cast members include Ayata Toshiki, Fuwa Mansaku, Matsushige Yutaka, and Mitsuishi Ken.
The production staff will mostly stay the same, though Kobayashi Shotaro (“Mainichi Kaasan”) has been added to the team of directors and Arai Haruhiko (“W no Higeki”) has been added as a screenwriter.
TBS and MBS will air the new series in a late-night time slot again, though the specific day and time have not yet been announced. The show is scheduled to last 10 episodes, starting in October.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Eguchi Yosuke to star in third “Pandora” drama series
Posted on August 21, 2011 by tokyograph
WOWOW’s popular drama series “Pandora” has been green-lit for a third season, titled “Pandora III: Kakumei Zenya.” The cast this time will feature actor Eguchi Yosuke as the main character.
Written by well-known screenwriter Inoue Yumiko, “Pandora” started as an 8-episode series in 2008 and got a second 7-episode series in 2010. The first series revolved around a miracle treatment for cancer, while the second involved a food development that could eliminate world hunger.
Following in the same theme of dangerous discoveries, the “Pandora’s box” for the new series will be a medical treatment invented to prevent suicides. Eguchi plays Suzuki, a neuroscience researcher in a wheelchair who develops the treatment out of his desire to counter Japan’s high suicide rate.
“Pandora III” will run for 8 episodes. Unlike the previous seasons, the plot will unfold over a span of 8 days, with each episode covering one day. There are also said to be 8 main characters, including Suzuki. The others are being played by Uchino Masaaki, Ozawa Yukiyoshi, Kamikawa Takaya, Yamamoto Koji, Itaya Yuka, Fukuda Mayuko, and Izumiya Shigeru.
“Pandora III: Kakumei Zenya” will air on Sundays at 10:00pm, beginning October 2.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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NTV’s “24 Hour Television” raises 243 million yen during broadcast
Posted on August 21, 2011 by tokyograph
NTV’s 34th annual “24 Hour Television” charity program ended successfully on Sunday night. During the show’s broadcast, which officially ran from 6:30pm on August 20 to 8:54pm on August 21, a total of 243,091,607 yen was raised for charity.
This year’s hosts were announcers Hatori Shinichi and Nishio Yukari, with boy band Kanjani8 as the main personalities and actress Horikita Maki as the main charity personality. The members of Kanjani8 also appeared in this year’s drama special, titled “Ikiteru Dake de Nankurunaisa.”
The marathon runner this year was announcer Tokumitsu Kazuo, who became the oldest runner in the show’s history at 70 years old. He ran a total of 63.2 kilometers.
“24 Hour Television” officially began its fundraising activities for this year’s show on June 30 and will continue collecting donations until August 28. Last year, a total of 974 million yen was raised.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Nogizaka46 chooses first 36 members, concerts to begin this year
Posted on August 21, 2011 by tokyograph
Nogizaka46, the “official rival group” to AKB48, has chosen its first 36 members. The final round of auditions were held over the weekend of August 20-21 at Sony Music Entertainment’s Nogizaka Building, with 56 girls in the running for the 36 spots.
Nogizaka46 was created by AKB48's producer Akimoto Yasushi, in collaboration with Sony Music Entertainment. Akimoto has billed the group as a rival to the popular AKB48, and the number 46 was chosen with the meaning of “Even with fewer members than AKB48, we won’t lose.”
A total of 38,934 young women around the country applied for the Nogizaka46 auditions. Out of the 56 remaining in the final round, Akimoto selected a group of 36, with an average age of just over 16 years old. Akimoto also announced the 16 provisional “senbatsu” members, which came as a surprise to the girls as well.
The members are listed below, in Japanese alphabetical order. Profiles are available on the official Nogizaka46 website.
Akimoto Manatsu (senbatsu)
Aso Ririko
Ando Mikumo
Ikuta Erika (senbatsu)
Ikoma Rina (senbatsu)
Ichiki Rena (senbatsu)
Ito Nene
Ito Marika
Inoue Sayuri
Iwase Yumiko
Eto Misa
Kashiwa Yukina
Kawai Hina
Kawamura Mahiro
Saito Asuka
Saito Chiharu
Saito Yuri
Sakurai Reika (senbatsu)
Shiraishi Mai (senbatsu)
Takayama Kazumi (senbatsu)
Nakada Kana (senbatsu)
Nakamoto Himeka
Nagashima Seira
Nishino Nanase
Hashimoto Nanami (senbatsu)
Hatanaka Seira (senbatsu)
Higuchi Hina
Fukagawa Mai
Hoshino Minami (senbatsu)
Matsumura Sayuri (senbatsu)
Miyazawa Seira (senbatsu)
Yamato Rina (senbatsu)
Yamamoto Honoka
Yoshimoto Ayaka (senbatsu, center)
Wakatsuki Yumi
Wada Maaya (senbatsu)
Akimoto also revealed that the group will begin holding concerts before the end of this year. The concerts will have a first half and a second half, separated by a break. During the break, the audience will vote on which members will perform during the second half. Akimoto commented that it will “feel like holding a senbatsu election every day.”
As previously announced, the group will also have their own variety show on television starting in October.
Source: www.tokyograph.com |
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Ex-Morning Musume member Natsumi Abe comments on public kiss claims
ENTERTAINMENT AUG. 23, 2011 - 05:01AM JST ( 14 )
TOKYO —
Former Morning Musume member Natsumi Abe, 30, attended a publicity event for her musical “Dracula” at the Tokyo International Forum on Sunday night, but the tabloid reporters were more interested in who she has been kissing recently than the musical.
According to the gossip press, Abe attended an after-performance party with costars Yoka Wao, 43, Mari Hanafusa, 38, and actor Soma Suzuki, 50. At the party, several people reportedly saw Abe publicly kissing 25-year-old costar Ikusaburo Yamazaki.
When asked if they were dating, Abe replied, “We’re just good friends.” Although she didn’t confirm that there had been a kiss, Abe did say, “I was a bit drunk. I’m a lightweight, so I don’t have to drink much to get drunk.”
The musical “Dracula” runs until Sept 11 at the Tokyo International Forum.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Ebi-chan, 2 other models star in Samantha Thavasa ad
ENTERTAINMENT AUG. 24, 2011 - 06:09AM JST ( 10 )
TOKYO —
Popular models Yuri Ebihara, 31, Mizuki Yamamoto, 20, and Hazuki Tsuchiya, 17, will star in a forthcoming TV commercial campaign for luxury handbag maker Samantha Tavasa named, “Samantha Muse All Stars Commercial.”
Ebihara, popularly known as Ebi-chan, said, “We packed the commercial with the kinds of things that girls love.”
Five-member all-girl group Dream were also recruited to perform the song “Dreaming Girls” used in the commercial. Yamamoto said, “The song is a sparkling, girly tune. It suits the commercial perfectly.”
“Samantha Muse All Stars Commercial” started airing on TV on Tuesday.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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Comedian Shimada quits show business over reported ties to yakuza
ENTERTAINMENT AUG. 24, 2011 - 01:49PM JST ( 72 )
TOKYO —
TV personality Shinsuke Shimada, one of the most familiar faces on variety programs, shocked the entertainment world on Tuesday when he announced that he would be retiring from show business due to his reported close ties to a yakuza gang member. At a hastily arranged news conference in Tokyo at 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Shimada, 55, along with the president of his talent management agency, Yoshimoto Kogyo, Nobuhiro Mizutani, personally made the announcement.
According to Yoshimoto, an email exchange between Shimada and a gang member had been uncovered and its existence subsequently confirmed by Shimada. Shimada claimed that a friend of 10 years or so, with whom he still had regular contact, became part of a gang. It has also been alleged that this gang-member friend visited Shimada’s restaurant.
On his blog, Japan Subculture Research Center, yakuza expert and author Jake Adelstein claims that for several years Shimada was close to Tadamasa Goto, the former head of the Yamaguchi-gumi, until he was forced to retire in October 2008. He also alleges that Shimada subsequently became close to a senior member of the Yamaguchi-gumi Kyokushinrengo. He reports a rumor that several months ago, Shimada made the mistake of making derogatory remarks and referred to Goto without any honorifics at all, an act in Japanese society referred to as “yobisute” (dispensing with honorifics). Adelstein claims that this so offended Goto that he leaked information to the press about Shimada’s friendly relations with organized crime.
If evidence of Shimada’s yakuza ties did surface out of revenge for his disrespectful language, it would be especially ironic. Shimada himself has been in trouble before, after a female employee tried to speak to him without showing the proper deference in 2004. Shimada allegedly locked the woman in a room, beat her and spat on her for her perceived insolence. Shimada admitted the charge, was fined an estimated 10 million yen and was put on a 2-month probation. It is one of several assault cases in which Shimada has been embroiled.
Responding to his reported ties with a yakuza member, Shimada commented, “I didn’t think that I was doing anything wrong. Personally I thought it was fine, but I found out the day before yesterday that it was considered unacceptable.”
Yoshimoto Kogyo has released a statement saying that Shimada’s ties with the yakuza had not involved any illegal activity and there was no evidence of financial involvement. But the statement added: “Regardless of the reason, it is not permissible for a performer who exerts such a strong social influence on mainstream TV to have these ties.”
Shimada himself is believed to have brought up the idea of retiring from the industry. On behalf of his agency, Mizutani stated, “I deeply apologize to fans and members of the media for this betrayal of trust.”
Shimada is currently involved with several variety programs on different TV networks, such as “Gyoretsu no Dekiru Horitsu Soudanjo” (Nihon TV), “Quiz Hexagon II” (Fuji TV), “Kaiun! Nandemo Kantei-dan” (TV Tokyo), “Shinsuke Shacho no Produce Daisakusen” (TBS), and “Quiz! Shinsuke-kun” (ABC TV). It is yet to be confirmed how the networks will respond to the sudden absence of a man seen almost nightly on prime-time Japanese TV for decades.
Source: www.japantoday.com |
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