Top 10 single celebrities regarded as "the last fortress" (Oricon)

Oricon conducted a survey in October this year where they asked 1,200 people as to which big-name single celebrity they regarded as the "last fortress". In Japanese, there is this phrase "最後の砦" (read as saigo no toride and literally translated as the last fortress before all hope is lost in a battle) which has an alternative meaning nowdays to refer to single celebrities seen as unlikely to get married anytime soon thus allowing fans to continue feeling OK about their own single status or allow them to continue fantasizing about their idols since they are still available in the dating market (although it is unlikely that the fans will ever get to date or meet them). Fukuyama Masaharu used to be called one of the most unlikely "fortresses" to get married but with his recent marriage to Fukiishi Kazue, Oricon's survey aims to find out who is now considered as "the last fortress" in the eyes of the public i.e. whose marriage will cause the fans to react strongly like what happened in Fukuyama's case.

Top 10 male artistes (ages of the celebrities in brackets and comments from survey respondents in italics)
1) Sasaki Kuranosuke (47)
Sasaki can be seen everywhere from TV dramas to movies and stage plays. Being tall and slim with a bright personality that wins him fans from both genders. Due to his image of being absorbed in his work and having few romance scandals to date, he seems to be leading a very mysterious life.

2) Takenouchi Yutaka (44)
As he ages, his masculine charm seems to increase by the day thus attracting many female fans. There have been rumours of his impending marriage to current girlfriend Kurashina Kana but it would be a shock if it does happen.

3) Nakai Masahiro (43)
As the leader of a nation's symbolic idol group, Nakai keeps saying on TV that he is not suited for marriage but in actual fact, it might not be the case.

4) Shimura Ken (65)

5) Imada Koji (49)

6) Okamura Takashi (45)

7) Osawa Takao (47)

8) Akashiya Sanma (60)

9) Ariyoshi Hiroyuki (41)

10) Sakata Toshio (74)

Top 10 female artistes (ages of the celebrities in brackets and comments from survey respondents in italics)

1) Amami Yuki (48)
With her Takarazuka background and beautiful looks, she is very charming and is a fan of variety shows and comedy despite her cool image. Even from a woman's perspective, she is the perfect example of a good woman. However, due to her actress image, it's hard to picture her being married to someone.

2) Hisamoto Masami (57)
Keeps poking fun at her own single status on her TV shows. Although I hope for her to be happy, on the other hand I still wish that she will continue to be single.

3) Fukatsu Eri (42)
Has a lot of male fans so if she ever gets married, these guys will probably be quite depressed over it

4) Suzuki Kyoka (47)

5) Kuroyanagi Tetsuko (82)

6) Ishida Yuriko (46)

7) Shimazaki Wakako (42)

8) Sawaguchi Yasuko (50)

9) Imori Miyuki (47)

10) Nakamori Akina (50)

Source: Oricon