Top 10 celebrities appearing most in the news for the first half of 2017 (Oricon)

Oricon counted the number of times a celebrity appeared in articles on Yahoo! topics and LINE NEWS between 1 January and 30 June this year but there are a few exceptions in the counting method:
- Sports athletes and deceased celebrities
- Mention of the celebrity's group name only
- News related to criminal cases
- Mention of TV programmes bearing the person's name but the article is not about the person

* Number in brackets reflect the number of articles which the person appeared in. The main reasons/topics why the person was in the news appear behind the numbers.

1) Shimizu Fumika (226) - Her retirement, affair with KANA-BOON's Iida Yuma and the publication of her tell-all book

2) Suda Masaki (181) - The dramas and movies which he appeared in and his alleged romance with Honda Tsubasa

3) Hoshino Gen (180) - His drama "Nigeru wa haji daga yaku ni tatsu", TV appearances and the release of his new song

4) Nakai Masahiro (166) - SMAP's disband, his joint appearance with Katori Shingo on "SmaStation" and his alleged romance with a dancer

5) Arimura Kasumi (159) - Her drama "Hiyokko" and her posts on Instagram

6) Sashihara Rino (153) - The AKB48 election and her appearances on variety programmes

7) Kimura Takuya (148) - SMAP's disband and the drama and movie which he appeared in

8) Matsumoto Hitoshi (146) - Comments on various issues while on TV programmes

9) Buruzon Chiemi (136) - Her TV appearances and acting debut as well as other celebrities who try to dress up like her

10) Hirose Suzu (135) - The movies which she appeared in and her alleged romance with Narita Ryo

Source: Oricon