The following page is Japanese Entertainment News in English. The J-ENT News English start up page begins on Late December 1997. To access the latest month, please click on the following link below. Sorry, due to space limitations, unlike the previous year, we will not be using large pictures for the stories. The J-ENT news have been translated from various Japanese newspapers, entertainment magazine and ZAK ZAK news. Some J-ENT information are from the Asunaro Club as well. You have our permission to use the information from our J-ENT News Site as long as the information is not misconstrued in any way. Thank you for visiting our J-ENT NEWS SITE and if you have any opinions, please feel free to e-mail us at: asunaro@inreach.com

Go back to J!-ENT | Go to SPY! NET | LATE DECEMBER `97 | JANUARY `98 | FEBRUARY `98 | MARCH `98 | April `98 | May `98
June `98 | July `98

MARCH 1998

• Congratulations to the new newlyweds
• What's in the cards for Tetsuya Komuro?
• Hazuki Riona to be nude???
• MAX warns teens to shun knives
• Performer Mariko Koda listens to inner voice
• Spring brings drama smorgasbord
• Matsuyuki Yasuko gets married
• Music Industry strikes a sour note
  

Congratulations to the new newlyweds

On March 19, Producer/singer Hotei Tomoyasu (33) and singer, Imai Miki (36) were married. Hotei a member of the rock band, BOOWY, produced Imai's "PRIDE" album. Imai releases a new album this month.

  A new gig, an old touch from pop's King Midas
By STEVE McCLURE
   Special to Asahi Evening News

The king of Japan's pop music scene Tetsuya Komuro gambles his hit-making formula on a new record label for Sony.      What's in the cards for Tetsuya Komuro? That was the question my editors put to me. Will 1998 see the Wunderkind of Japan's pop world reach new career heights, including breakthroughs in Asia and America, or is his star destined to fade in the fickle pop firmament?    I pondered this question, and decided the only thing to do was to seek out The Man With All The Answers (well, most of them): freelance trend consultant Wayne O. Cohen. If anyone could accurately predict what's in store for Komuro and his Midas touch, it was Wayne.    It was before noon when I knocked tentatively on the frosted-glass door of his Kabukicho pied-a-terre-cum-office. (Editor's note: Don't try to find it--the office and Mr. Cohen are products of the writer's warped imagination.) I heard some shuffling about inside before a somewhat disheveled-looking trendmeister opened the door.    "Good morning, afternoon and/or evening," Wayne mumbled. I apologized for the intrusion and explained my assignment.    "Tetsuya Komuro? Hey, 1998 could be the turning point in his career," Wayne said.    "The big news is that he's going to be working under his old mentor, Shigeo Maruyama, who's the new boss at Sony Music Entertainment (Japan), on a new label project at Sony. Everybody in Japanese showbiz has been talking about this, and it'll be very interesting to see whether Komuro's hit-making formula, which has been so successful at dance label Avex, will work at Sony, too."    "Just what exactly is that formula?" I asked.    "Do I have to explain everything to you?" Wayne whined. "OK, it's like this. Komuro's success has been built on combining Eurobeat dance rhythms with karaoke-friendly melodic phrases.    "The formula may seem obvious now, but at the time, it was a real stroke of genius. And it doesn't hurt to have good-looking girls like Yuki of TRF or Keiko of globe doing the singing--even if they're not exactly Aretha Franklin."    "Some people think Komuro has spread himself too thin..." I said.    "True, but as one of my close personal showbiz friends pointed out to me the other day, every time you think Komuro's going to burn out, he comes back with something new."    "Why do you think he relocated to Los Angeles?" I asked.    "To cut down on his tax bill--he was the No. 4 individual taxpayer in Japan last year, remember?--and to save money on studio time, which is really expensive in Japan," Wayne said. "And I think it's part of his attempt to break out of Japan and become a mover and shaker on the international music scene."    "How does he propose to do that?" I asked as Wayne stretched out on the divan.    "In late 1996, Komuro set up a company called TK News with Rupert Murdoch's News Corp. to find and develop new Asian singers," Wayne noted. "The idea was to first conquer Asia, and then move on to the big enchilada: America.    "But so far we haven't really heard anything from TK News. Komuro's been busy producing Japanese newcomers like female vocalist Toko, whose debut single `Bad Luck On Love--Blues On Life' came out in January."    "What's the story on globe, the pop trio whose members include Komuro himself?"    "Well, it seems as if he's disbanding it. He is also no longer working as TRF's producer so he can spend more time on projects like his new band, Museum--which may be one of the acts on the new record label he's putting together for Sony," Wayne said.    "I think we'll see Komuro work with Namie Amuro next year, after she has her baby."    "Wayne, why is it that Komuro spends all his time producing
female singers?"    "In case you hadn't noticed, they dominate the Japanese pop charts, although these days they're more overtly sexy and less asexually cute than they used to be," Wayne said.    "I understand why Komuro keeps churning out the same stuff, but I wonder how long it'll be before he changes his musical direction. I'm not one to argue with success, but I'd like to see him use his talents in a more interesting, more creative way. I think he'll have to do that if he really wants to break into the American market." "Wayne, thanks for sharing your time," I said.    "If you've had half as much fun talking about this stuff as I've had, then I've had twice as much fun as you."        

The author is Japan bureau chief of Billboard magazine.

First, Miyazawa Rie....then Kanno Miho and now Hazuki Riona to do a hair
nude photobook??????

Unlike the Kanno which she announced...so far, this is just a rumor. Many people that work around Hazuki Riona (an actress for many dramas) have been talking about the actress to do a nude photobooks.  One of the best known photographers, Shinoyama Kishin is rumored to be the photographer.  He usually takes the photos of nude female actress (like Miyazawa Rie for her
Santa Fe nude book) and there is a rumor that there will be a nude photobook for Fujitani Miwako (an actress and singer/ popular for the song a few years ago "Aiga Umareta Hi").

Again, this is only a rumor but what is up with actresses doing these nude photobooks or being nude in movies.  It was not long ago that Kanno Miho shocked people by posing nude in a photobook, Uchida Yuki saying she will be nude in her upcoming movie and possibly now it maybe Hazuki Riona and Fujitani Miwako.  I'm sure some guys won't complain and are quite happy. Personally, I think it's kinda sad they resort to this but I wonder what drives them to do this.  Lack of popularity of their career?  (Well, in Kanno Miho's case...she was doing pretty good at the time...so, I'm not sure why she did it).  Anyways, in the upcoming weeks, we will be sure to find out if this is a rumor or fact.

MAX warns teens to shun knives

The Metropolitan Police Department has turned to the pop group MAX to get its message against knives across to teenagers.
Alarmed by the rapid increase in the number of crimes committed by teenagers using knives, the MPD has printed 9,000 copies of a poster featuring MAX and distributed them to middle and high schools and subway stations in Tokyo.
In the poster, the four members of MAX appeal to young people with the message, "Please do not ruin your lives with knives."
The MPD has also produced 850,000 business card-sized copies of the design, which will be provided to all middle and high school students in Tokyo. A similar message is contained in MPD flyers and posters featuring Nobuo Yana, a member of the actors group Akuyaku Shokai (Bad Guy Character Co.). In contrast with MAX's gentle approach, Yana delivers a no-nonsense warning in a poster saying, "Don't carry knives!"

TOP

Performer Mariko Koda listens to inner voice
Satoshi Tanaka Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer
From Yomiuri Shinbun 3/19/98

Mariko Koda displayed a postcard she had just received. "Take a look at this," the voice actor said with a smile. It was after 9 p.m. on Monday in a conference room at Nippon Cultural Broadcasting Inc. in Yotsuya, Tokyo. Koda was busy talking about a director and a scriptwriter three hours before she would go on the air with her "Come On! Funky Lips" program. Attached to the postcard from a listener was a clip from a sports daily, headlined, "Popular persona performs her first TV drama." The sender underlined a portion of the article that read, "Mariko Koda, age unknown." "I am often referred to in this way," she said, saying a television program referred to her as "an ageless woman." Many people in her position are reluctant to disclose their age for fear of
disappointing children, who tend to believe that anyone doing the voice of a cute animation character must be a child. Koda said, however, that she does not care if listeners know she is 28 years old. "I talk a lot and receive many inquiries. If listeners are kept in the dark about my age, they may find it difficult to write to me," she said. "One merit of radio is that the announcer and listeners can feel very close to each other. Therefore, the more they know about me, the better." The popularity of voice actors has grown thanks to the success of animated television series and films of "New Century Evangelion." Koda is now counted among top voice actors, such as Megumi Hayashibara and Emi Ogata. In recent years, Koda has provided the voice of a character in TV Asahi's
animated series "GS (Ghost Sweeper) Mikami." She has also made several appearances in the Japanese music scene as a singer and made a name for herself as a radio personality. Recently, Koda played a role in the film "Looking For." Starting from April, she will appear on-screen in the series, "Setsunai" (Feeling Lonely), on the TV Asahi network. "I am a kind of born actress," the versatile Koda said. "But I have wanted to sing since I was a child. "I am someone who wants to express her thoughts. I do voice work and sing as a way of expressing myself." However, she said some people do not see that unifying determination in her
work. When she began singing professionally, she was accused of dabbling by having a multifaceted career. "'I envy voice actors like you,' someone said at a local entertainment event. 'You can sing, dance and act when you like. You have many side jobs,
all half-hearted,'" she recalled. However, Koda added that critics usually change their views if they work
with her. "(They then notice that) I have put equal effort into voice acting, singing and radio work. I guess many voice actors feel the same way," she said. Despite her wide-ranging success, Koda said she still had one unfulfilled ambition: to share a stage with legendary blues guitarist B. B. King. "I never saw anyone singing on a stage so happily," she said, recalling King's performance at the closing ceremony of the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. "I believed instantly that he was the right person to change me," she said.
She had the opportunity to meet him recently when he visited Japan on a tour. "He told me that I might stand with him onstage on the next album," she said. Koda recounted the bittersweet day at the age of 19 when she made up her mind to enter show business after failing college entrance exams. "I lost my life's goal," she said. "I thought, 'What am I?' And I started looking for the career I was born to," she said. Ten years later, she has found her place and her identity.

TOP

Spring brings drama smorgasbord
Yomiuri Shimbun

In the lead-up to spring dramas, commercial stations plan to air special one-shot programs from the middle of this month through the beginning of April. There are more than 100 special programs on the interim schedule, such as special episodes of quiz and comedy shows and real-life police investigation programs. Most noteworthy are dramas with major stars and stories by well-known
suspense writers. Television star Takuya Kimura of SMAP will appear on TBS as Oda Nobunaga (1534-1582) at 9 p.m. on March 25. Oda, the first of Japan's great unifiers, conquered most of Japan in the Sengoku Jidai civil war period (1467-1568). Kimura will portray the young Oda, a free-spirited but sensitive young warrior. Kimura will portray Oda in several legendary exploits, including battles with bandits and practicing with a rifle on his wedding day. Ayumi Ishida will play Oda's mother, Tsuchida Gozen, and Toshiyuki Nishida will take the role of Nobunaga's father-in-law and one of the main figures of the age, Saito Dosan. Producer Jiro Shono said he wanted to illustrate the many anxieties of young people by portraying the development of Oda's character through a modern directing style. Kimura has another show coming up, a special version of "Love Generation," Fuji TV's autumn hit. The whole love story played by Kimura and Takako Matsu will be condensed to two-and-a-half hours and aired at 9 p.m. on April 6. Mysteries and suspense Also due to hit the airwaves are dramatizations of favorite stories by famous suspense writers. NTV network stations will air Seicho Matsumoto's "Atsui Kinu" (Hot Silk) at 9:03 p.m. on March 24, commemorating the sixth anniversary of his death. Kyoka Suzuki and Hiroaki Murakami try to find a former Japanese soldier who disappeared in the Malaysian jungle. TBS will present another installment from the Kosuke Kindaichi series of stories by Seishi Yokomizo. Ikko Furuya plays the astute private detective Kindaichi in the most recent episode of "Akuma no Kamen" (Mask of Evil), at 9 p.m. on March 30. Kindaichi investigates a murder in an old and respectable family from Okayama Prefecture. The show also features Kyoko Mano and Kei Tani. TV Asahi will dramatize Seiichi Morimura's "Shuchakueki" (The Last Station) series in an episode titled "Mado" (Window) at 9 p.m. on March 28. Tsurutaro Kataoka plays a detective investigating murders that occurred
simultaneously in Tokyo's Shinjuku and Meguro wards. School stories without knives Dramas depicting heartwarming human relationships are an important consideration during a real-life series of brutal knife crimes by juveniles. TV Asahi's "Shonen 15-Sai" (Boys at 15) looks at relations between a couple who supervise a dormitory in a reform institution and boys who live there.
The show will air at 9 p.m. on April 7. The story is taken from Hideyoshi Kobayashi's book, "Ai to Kanashimi no Shonentachi" (Boys With Love and Sadness), and is based on his actual experiences. The story is a stark look at young boys, from dysfunctional families, who committed crimes and learn to adjust through contact with the couple. The show features Tomokazu Miura and Kayoko Kishimoto. Perennial favorite "3-Nen B-Gumi Kinpachi Sensei (Kinpachi: Teacher of Third-Year Class B)" is back. A one-shot episode of the popular TBS school drama that first aired in 1978 will run at 9 p.m. on April 2. Tetsuya Takeda will return in the title role of Kinpachi Sensei. In addition to students seen in the 1995 version of the show, alumni
Masahiko Kondo, Yoshio Nomura, Junko Miura and Kaoru Sugita will appear. The story will feature such recent social problems as students mugging salarymen and the homeless, and threatening suicide. Fuji TV will rerun So Kuramoto's popular series "Kita no Kunikara" (From the Northern Country). Prior to broadcasting its latest show, "Kita no Kunikara '98 Jidai," this summer, the television station will show "'87 Hatsukoi" (First Love), "'89 Kikyo" (Coming Home), and the two-part "'92 Sudachi" (Leaving the Nest) at 9 p.m. on March 13, 20, 27 and 28, respectively. Through the rerun, the history of Goro, Jun and Hotaru--portrayed by Kunie Tanaka, Hidetaka Yoshioka and Tomoko Nakajima--can be reviewed. Left after death Other than dramas, TV Asahi will feature the late actor Kiyoshi Atsumi, well-known as "Tora-san", at 7 p.m. on March 19. Atsumi's popularity established through the famous movie series, "Otoko wa Tsuraiyo" (It's Hard to Be a Man), has not declined since his death. TV Tokyo will show festivals from around the world in which participants risk their lives in dangerous activities, such as the Danjiri Festival of Kishiwada, Osaka Prefecture, and a British festival in which people carry burning casks. The show will air at 9 p.m. on April 4.
NTV will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its popular morning show in a special program aired at 7 p.m. on March 21.

TOP

MATSUYUKI YASUKO GETS MARRIED

TOP

Music industry strikes sour note (Daily Yomiuri: 3/31/98)



By Hiroshi Nishida
Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer

Hard times don't seem to be affecting the music industry--at least not yet. The industry continued to thrive even after the economic bubble burst, and many began to think it was immune. Today, the music industry is still a frequent source of interesting news, eye-catching videos and exciting new sounds. On the surface, everything seems to be going well.   Take for example, sales of "Review," the album released last October by popular rockers Glay. According to figures compiled by an industry marketing company, sales hit a record 4.15 million in mid-February, surpassing the 4.14 million chalked up by Globe's 1996 debut album.
It is only recently that sales of an album topped 2 million in Japan. The record was "Tree," released by Chage & Aska in 1991. It is a good indicator of how rapidly the market has expanded over the past couple of years. A number of big-name Western musicians came to Japan in March, including U2, Aerosmith, The Rolling Stones and Elton John with Billy Joel. They gave a total of nine concerts in the Tokyo Dome, attracting 350,000 spectators. The overall situation, however, is not so great. According to a survey by the Japan Phonograph Record Association, 1997 sales of recorded music (compact discs, analog discs and cassettes) posted a 1 percent year-on-year decline, totaling 575.6 billion yen. It was the first time in 13 years that sales had dropped.   Nevertheless, big hits are coming out on a steady basis. In 1997, 27 albums enjoyed sales of more than 1 million, compared to 17 the previous year. While Glay, Namie Amuro, Mr. Children and several others are doing extremely well, second-tier musicians are struggling. The gap between popular and unpopular musicians is widening, creating a chasm in the industry.  Big stars who used to enjoy massive sales are also fighting uphill battles. Yumi Matsutoya and Dreams Come True, for example, released new albums late last year. But the marketing company's statistics show that neither sold 1 million. Compared with the remarkably brisk sales of their previous albums, the latest figures come as a shock. My Little Lover, a group whose debut single was a big hit with sales of 2.8 million, released the album "Presents" in early March. But the album is not flying off the shelves, with sales of only slightly more than 500,000.
The setback is especially conspicuous in the Western-music sector. In 1997, total sales in that category fell by 10 percent. With the exception of Mariah Carey's latest album and Elton John's single "Candle in the Wind," dedicated to the late Princess Diana, there has been an absence of major hits, and that has been a factor behind shrinking sales.   There is something else at work--the changing tastes of teenagers.   Although major buyers of recorded music before, they have begun spending money on other things, such as portable phones and computer games.  In addition, they are tired of the music tie-ups with television commercials and dramas, something they used to enjoy.  Recording companies seem to be in a rut, concentrating on one type of music and advertising in a uniform way. Now they must pay the consequences.  Ironically, an album released in February by Boowy, a Japanese rock group that disbanded 10 years ago, is selling extremely well, with sales topping 1 million in a matter of a month or so. This signifies that Japanese music fans are dissatisfied with the current music scene. Unless musicians and music companies reconsider the situation, the industry could find its bubble collapsing. 

TOP