Six months ago, Shinsuke Shimada, a comic who hosted several big primetime shows on Japanese TV, admitted ties to organized crime and resigned from showbiz. His abrupt departure caused a media sensation as it shone a harsh light on the mobs influence on the industry, and new ordinances went into effect in Tokyo and Okinawa in October making it a crime to pay off the yakuza — Japans mafia — or profit from dealing with them.But if anyone expected these “startling” events to bring significant changes, theyve since been disappointed.”The …

The AKB48 pop group and actor Tomohiro Sekiguchi have been named goodwill ambassadors for events commemorating the 40th anniversary of bilateral relations between Japan and China.
Hiromasa Yonekura, chairman of the Keidanren business association and head of the commemoration planning committee, appointed them Monday.
Read the rest of the story: AKB48, Sekiguchi goodwill envoys | The Japan Times Online.

In Japan, its women who usually give presents to men on Valentines Day, typically chocolates.
However, CBS News correspondent Lucy Craft reports that some husbands in this traditionally reserved society are learning to express their love with their lungs.
Dozens of men climbed the stage at this “shout your love” event in a downtown Tokyo park, yelling in public what they cant seem to say, in private.
One man stepped up to the microphone in front of the crowd and screamed: “I skipped work to come here, honey! You dont know how much …

The recent arrest of the mother of a Japanese pop idol for sex with a minor raises questions on how the media here handles such high-profile cases.Caught in the middle: Minami Takahashi center poses with fellow members of the AKB48 spinoff group No Sleeves, Haruna Kojima left and Minami Minegishi right. Takahashis mother was recently fined for having sex with a 15-year-old boy.
Usually, if someone who is related to a tarento TV personality, or other type of celebrity, is arrested in Japan, the shukanshi weekly gossip magazines almost always report …

What if the vice president of your university were a genius producer who had put together an insanely successful pop group of 90 singers and then approved the creation of identical doll versions of them?
Weird? Not for Kyoto University of Art and Design and Yasushi Akimoto, the Steve Jobs of otaku (supergeeks) in Japan. The school just hosted a hit exhibition of dolls based on the gals in the band he produces, AKB48.
At 90 members, AKB48 is the Guinness-certified world’s largest pop band. Its members are all females in their …

Prosecutors say Taiwanese-Japanese starlet Makiyo has been barred from leaving Taiwan pending an investigation into her alleged involvement in the beating of a taxi driver in Taipei.
The Taipei Prosecutors Office said Tuesday the 27-year-old singer is accused of kicking a taxi door after her companion, who allegedly was drunk, dragged the driver out and beat him.
Makiyo was released on NT$30,000 (S$1,263) bail after being questioned by the Taipei District Prosecutors Office overnight about the alleged assault of the taxi driver.
Makiyo was listed as a defendant in the case on suspicion …

It was revealed yesterday that actor Tsumabuki Satoshi (31) is starring in a new movie from director Izutsu Kazuyuki (“Pacchigi!”), titled “Ogon wo Daite Tobe.” The movie is based on a novel by Takamura Kaoru, who won the Naoki Prize in 1993 with “Marks no Yama.”
“Ogon wo Daite Tobe” is a bank heist story set in Osaka. Tsumabuki plays Koda, who works as a supplier for criminals and extremists. His friend from university, Kitagawa (played by Asano Tadanobu), has a plan to steal 1.5 billion yen worth of gold bars …

Comedian Kimura Yuichi (48) and actress Nishikata Ryo (31) have decided on a marriage date. During a taping of the variety show “Oh! Doyagao Summit,” he revealed that they plan to register their marriage on May 8 of this year.
Kimura and Nishikata’s relationship was first discovered in 2009. The two met when Nishikata made her acting debut in “Nisesatsu,” Kimura’s first film as a director. Last November, it was reported that they got engaged.
Kimura said they chose the May 8 date because it fell between the marriage date of Kimura’s …

Police wiretapped mobile phones in 10 investigations last year and the eavesdropping led to the arrest of 22 people, a Justice Ministry report to the Diet showed Friday. The 10 investigations involved narcotics trafficking, underworld-conspired murder and gun possession, three of the four areas in which courts issue wiretapping warrants. All 22 arrests involved drug-trafficking cases, according to the report.The police obtained warrants for each instance of cellphone-tapping, allowing them to listen to conversations and read text messages.
Read the rest of the story: Cellphone taps resulted in 22 arrests last …

Multiple hot dog eating champion Takeru Kobayashi has won an annual chicken wing eating contest in Philadelphia, downing a record 337 wings in 30 minutes.
At Wing Bowl XX, the 33-year-old Kobayashi on Friday smashed the previous record of 255 wings set last year by local champ Jonathan Squibb to win a $20,000 cash prize, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported on its website.
Read the rest of the story: Kobayashi wins chicken wing crown.