Handover ceremony for NHK Taiga dramas "Onna Joshu Naotora" & "Segodon"

The handover ceremony for NHK Taiga dramas "Onna Joshu Naotora" and "Segodon" was held at the TV station's HQ in Tokyo on 30 November which was attended by the dramas' leads Shibasaki Kou and Suzuki Ryohei. "Onna Joshu Naotora" will air its final episode on 17 December while "Segodon" begins its run from 7 January next year. During the customary gift exchange ceremony, Shibasaki presented Suzuki with oranges from Hamamatsu, Shizuoka while Suzuki did the same with a red and gold Satsuma kiriko glass from Kagoshima.

Top 10 music artists who had made a breakthrough in 2017 (Oricon)

Oricon conducted a survey on 1,000 people in their teens to 50s where they chose the music artists who they felt had achieved a breakthrough in this year. Yonezu Kenshi was a clear favourite across all age groups while those in their teens to 30s chose TWICE as their No.2. Suchmos was ranked No.2 by those in their 40s while those in their 50s chose SHISHAMO as their No.2:

Winners of the 42nd Hochi Movie Awards (2017)

Best Movie: Aa, Kouya

Best Director: Mishima Yukiko (Osanako warera ni umare)

Best Leading Actor: Suda Masaki (Kiseki Ano hi no sobito / Teiichi no Kuni / Aa, Kouya / Hibana)

Best Leading Actress: Aoi Yu (Kanojo ga sono na wo shiranai toritachi)

Best Supporting Actor: Yakusho Koji (Sekigahara / Sandome no Satsujin)

Best Supporting Actress: Tanaka Rena (Osanako warera ni umare)

Best Newcomer: Kitamura Takumi & Hamabe Minami (Kimi no suizou wo tabetai)

Best Foreign Movie: Beauty & The Beast

Best Anime Movie: SING

Special Award: The "Outrage" trilogy (Kitano Takeshi) & Ryuichi Sakamoto: CODA (Stephen Nomura Schible)

Source: Yomiuri Hochi

Yoshioka Riho to star in new TBS Winter 2018 drama "Kimi ga kokoro ni sumitsuita"

Yoshioka Riho will be starring in the new TBS Winter 2018 drama "Kimi ga kokoro ni sumitsuita" (You always inhabit my heart) which will begin its run from January 2018 in the Tuesdays 10pm timeslot. This will be her first leading role in a drama series. The drama which is based on the same-titled manga by Tendou Kirin, will feature her in a "horror" love triangle with Kiritani Kenta and Mukai Osamu.

Supporting cast announcement press conference for 2019 Taiga drama "Idaten Tokyo Olympic Hanashi"

The supporting cast announcement press conference for 2019 Taiga drama "Idaten Tokyo Olympic Hanashi" was held on 1 November which was attended by the leads Nakamura Kankuro and Abe Sadao along with Ayase Haruka, Ootake Shinobu, Ikuta Toma, Takenouchi Yutaka, Yakusho Koji, Sugimoto Tetta, Sugisaki Hana, Nagayama Kento, Katsuji Ryo, Charlotte Kate Fox, Furutachi Kanji and Pierre Taki. Nakamura Shido was absent from the press conference due to other work commitments.

First-day-screening event of new movie "Hyouka"

The first-day-screening event of new movie "Hyouka" was held at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku on 3 November which was attended by the director Asato Mari and cast members Yamazaki Kento, Hirose Arisu, Kojima Fujiko, Okayama Amane, Amano Nazuki and Hongo Kanata. The film is based on the same-titled debut novel by mystery writer Yonezawa Honobu that sold more than 2.5 million copies and had been made into a manga and TV anime series previously.

Johnny's WEST Fujii Ryuusei & Hamada Takahiro to star in new NTV Winter 2018 drama "Sotsugyou Bakamentari"

Johnny's WEST members Fujii Ryuusei and Hamada Takahiro will be double leads in the new NTV Winter 2018 drama "Sotsugyou Bakamentari" which will begin its run from January 2018 in the Mondays 12.59am timeslot. The original story is written by comedian duo Sissonne's Jirou about the romance diary of four unpopular male university students until they graduate.

Yamazaki Kento to star in new NTV Winter 2018 drama "Todome no Kiss"

Yamazaki Kento will be starring in the new NTV Winter 2018 drama "Todome no Kiss" (The kiss which deals the final blow) which will begin its run from January 2018 in the Sundays 10.30pm timeslot. This will be Yamazaki's first leading role in a drama series.

Screening event of new movie "Nijuurokuya Machi" during the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival

The screening event of new movie "Nijuurokuya Machi" during the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival was held at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills on 27 October which was attended by the director Koshikawa Michio and cast members Iura Arata and Kurokawa Mei. The movie will be shown in cinemas from 23 December.

Top 10 favourite celebrity mothers (Oricon)

Oricon conducted a survey in November involving 1,000 men and women from their teens to 50s where they chose the celebrity mothers who they like. The No.1s for the age groups were quite varied with the teens choosing Kinoshita Yukina, those in their 20s and 30s choosing Ogura Yuko, those in their 40s choosing Kimura Yoshino and the 50s picking Hokuto Akira as their No.1:

Top 10 movies box office ranking for the weekend of 25th & 26th Nov 2017

Numbers in brackets indicate the number of cinemas showing the movie:

1) Justice League (347)

2) It  (202)

3) Hibana (317)

4) HiGH & LOW THE MOVIE 3 FINAL MISSION (319)

5) Last Recipe Kirin no shita no kioku (312)

6) GODZILLA Kaijuu Wakusei (157)

7) Dorobo Yakusha (228)

8) Eiga Kaiketsu Zorori ZZ no Himitsu (113)

9) Eiga Kira Kira Puri Kyua Ala Mode Paritto! Omoide no Mille-feuille (216)

10) Gochuumon wa usagi desuka?? Dear My Sister (40)

Source: Eiga.com

2017's Top 10 female fashion icons as chosen by women (Oricon)

500 women in their teens to 50s were asked to choose who among the female celebrities they consider to be fashion icons via an Internet poll conducted by Oricon. The numbers in the brackets indicate the positions held by the celebrity in the 2016 ranking so those with a dash were not in the top 10 last year.

4 new names appeared in this year's ranking while Nakamura An, Nishiuchi Mariya, Peko and Sato Arisa from last year's top 10 were left out. In terms of the results for each age group, Ishihara Satomi swept the No.1 title across the board while Kiritani Mirei was No.2 for those in their teens and 20s, Rola was No.2among those in their 30s and 40s and Watanabe Naomi was No.2 for those in their 50s:

Preview of "Orphan Black ~ Nanatsu no Idenshi ~" - Autumn 2017

Title: Orphan Black ~ Nanatsu no Idenshi ~ オーファン・ブラック ~ 七つの遺伝子 ~ (Orphan Black ~ 7 Genes ~)
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 2 December 2017
Timeslot: Saturdays 11.40pm
Broadcast by: Tokai TV
Theme Song: "MY ID" by Jiyoung
Cast: Jiyoung, Yamazaki Ikusaburo, Takenaka Naoto, Asou Yumi, Takizawa Saori, Okada Koki, Nishime Shun and Yamazaki Tsutomu

Supporting cast line-up of Tokai TV Autumn 2017 drama "Orphan Black ~ Nanatsu no Idenshi ~" announced

The supporting cast line-up of Tokai TV Autumn 2017 drama "Orphan Black ~ Nanatsu no Idenshi~" had been announced. The drama which will begin its run from 2 December in the Saturdays 11.40pm timeslot and stars Jiyoung, is the first remake of the hit BBC suspense drama "Orphan Black" which has 5 installments to date since its launch in 2013. The drama features Jiyoung as the lead character Aoyama Sara who is a 27-year-old single mother with a 6-year-old daughter. Her mother-in-law turns up suddenly to snatch away her daughter as Sara is crumbling from the stress and fatigue of working day and night to make ends meet and fails to notice that her daughter is sick. One day, Sara happens to witness a woman named Shiina Maoko (also played by Jiyoung), a police detective who looks exactly like her, jump onto the railway tracks in front of her so as to commit suicide. When Sara comes to know about Maoko's rich background after picking up the latter's bag, she decides to impersonate Maoko so as to lay hands on her fortune and be able to live with her daughter in future. However, Sara starts to come across various women from different backgrounds who look exactly like her for some strange reason and the people around Maoko notice something strange with Sara and start to suspect her.

First-day-screening event of new movie "Poncho ni yoake no kaze haramasete"

The first-day-screening event of new movie "Poncho ni yoake no kaze haramasete" was held at Shinjuku Musashinokan on 28 October which was attended by the director Hirohara Satoru, original novel's author Hayami Kazumasa and cast members Taiga, Nakamura Aoi, Yamoto Yuma and Satsukawa Aimi. The story describes how three senior high school boys Matahachi (Taiga), Jin (Nakamura) and Jumbo (Yamoto) lead meaningless lives and wants to do something to change their situations. They hatch a plan with their friend Nakata (Sometani Shota) to hijack the upcoming graduation ceremony with an impromptu live performance and decide to head out for the last trip of their senior high school days. Things do not progress as they expect but this makes them grow up and they seem to be guided to find their respective paths in life. As Nakata waits for the trio to return before the graduation ceremony, the boys are in for a surprise as to what lies at the end of their journey. Satsukawa Aimi will be playing a gravure idol Ai while Abe Junko plays a sex worker Maria.

Hirose Suzu to star in new NTV Winter 2018 drama "anone"

Hirose Suzu will be starring in the new NTV Winter 2018 drama "anone" which will be shown from January in the Wednesdays 10pm timeslot and is her last leading role in a drama in her teens. The drama's script will be written by Sakamoto Yuji and directed by Mizuta Nobuo and has the theme of asking the viewers what it means to live.

Completion press conference of new WOWOW & Hulu drama "Cote d'Azur Number 10"

The completion press conference of new WOWOW & Hulu drama "Cote d'Azur Number 10" was held on 13 November which was attended by cast members Kobayashi Satomi, Katagiri Hairi and Motai Masako. The other leading lady Oshima Yuko was absent from the event as she has been studying in New York since August but she sent a letter expressing her thoughts about this drama which was read out during the event. The first 5 episodes of the drama begins its run from 20 November at 12 midnight on Mondays via WOWOW while the remaining 4 episodes are to be shown from 28 November via Hulu and updated every Tuesday.  Each episode will be 30 minutes-long and Kobayashi and Oshima playing different characters every time such as friends who meet at another friend's funeral, a pair of private detectives, a social dance teacher and student and a guitar player and regular customer at a bar. Katagiri and Motai appear as guests in one of the stories respectively.

Top 10 actresses who had made a breakthrough in 2017 (Oricon)

Oricon conducted a survey on 1,000 people from their teens to 50s where the respondents chose the actress who they felt had made a breakthrough this year. Yoshioka Riho swept through all the age groups as they chose her as their No.1 thus earning her the title easily. In last year's ranking, Yoshioka was No.8:

1) Yoshioka Riho

2) Kawaei Rina

3) Tsuchiya Tao

4) Buruzon Chiemi

5) Nagano Mei

6) Matsuoka Mayu

7) Araki Yuuko

8) Ishida Yuriko

9) Sugisaki Hana

10) Haru

Source: Oricon

Miyaji Mao announces her marriage to her boyfriend of 14 years

Miyaji Mao announced through her agency on 23 November that she had married her boyfriend of 14 years on the same day which also happened to be her day off. The couple went to a ward office in Tokyo to submit their marriage application together. Although they have yet to decide on when to hold their wedding, the couple is already living together. Miyaji is not pregnant at the moment and will continue working after marriage.

Winners of VOGUE Japan's Women of the Year 2017

Here is the list of winners in VOGUE Japan's Women of the Year 2017 with their occupations in the brackets:

Buruzon Chiemi (comedian)

Mikiko (choreographer)

Yoshioka Riho (actress)

Mizuno Sonoya (actress)

Minamiya Marin (adventurer)

KOM_I (artist)

Onda Riku (writer)

Kimura Tae (actress)

Source: VOGUE Japan

First-day-screening event of new movie "Sensei! ... Suki ni natte mo ii desuka?"

The first-day-screening event of new movie "Sensei!...Suki ni natte mo ii desuka?" was held at Shinjuku Picadilly on 28 October which was attended by cast members Ikuta Toma, Hirose Suzu, Ryuusei Ryo, Morikawa Aoi, Kentaro, Nakamura Tomoya and the director Miki Takahiro. Ikuta expressed his view that he hoped that the movie would reach as many people as possible as they spent a lot of effort and time working on this one year ago. Hirose also said that she hoped that the movie will give some encouragement to those who are feeling unsure about taking the first step in love.

Supporting cast of new FujiTV Winter 2018 drama "Tonari no kazoku wa aoku mieru" announced

The supporting cast line-up of new FujiTV Winter 2018 drama "Tonari no kazoku wa aoku mieru" starring Fukada Kyoko and Matsuyama Kenichi had been announced. The drama which will begin its run from January 2018 in the Thursdays 10pm timeslot, features Fukada as the 35-year-old lead character Igarashi Nana who works as a scuba-diving instructor, is a cheerful person. In contrast, her 32-year-old Daiki (Matsuyama) who works as an employee in a mid-size toy manufacturing company, is a gentle but not very reliable. The couple finally buy a house in a cooperative housing estate where the families living there come together to give their views on various issues regarding their estate and try to reach a consensus. The move leads Daiki's mother to expect the couple to be able to make some progress in starting a family but things do not go as they wish. In addition, even though they may not want to get close to their neighbours, the couple has to maintain friendly relations with them who have their own set of problems reflective of this era such as an once-divorced husband with his wife who doesn't want kids, a housewife who is bent on projecting a perfect image to everyone but her husband has resigned from his company and a gay couple who is thinking of having kids.

Nakai Kiichi to star in Japanese remake of Korean drama "Kieok"; to be shown next year

Nakai Kiichi will be starring in the Japanese remake of TVN's 2016 Korean drama "Kieok"(Memory) featuring Lee Sung-min which was the TV station's 10th anniversary commemorative work. The Japanese version titled "Kioku" which comprises of 12 episodes, will be shown via FujiTV NEXT from March 2018. The director will be Hirano Shin while the script will be written by Kamimori Marie. The staff of the original drama will also be participating in the production of the remake.

First-day-screening event of new movie "Kanojo ga sono na wo shiranai toritachi"

The first-day-screening event of new movie "Kanojo ga sono na wo shiranai toritachi" was held at Shinjuku Wald 9 on 28 October which was attended by the director Shiraishi Kazuya and cast members Aoi Yu, Abe Sadao, Matsuzaka Toori and Takenouchi Yutaka. The movie which is based on the popular mystery novel by Numata Mahokaru, depicts how a self-centred woman Towako (Aoi) is still pining for her ex-boyfriend Kurosaki (Takenouchi) even after breaking up with him 8 years ago and has the tendency to complain about everything. While wallowing in self-pity, she has an affair with a married man Mizushima Shin (Matsuzaka) and also lives together with a man Jinji (Abe) who is 15 years older than her but is penniless and has no achievements to speak of. One day, when Towako comes to know that Kurosaki has disappeared, this marks a drastic change in her life.

The 2nd top 10 ideal otona-joshi celebrities ranking 2017 (Oricon)

This survey was conducted by Oricon between 6 November 2017 and 12 November 2017 and involved 500 women in their teens to 50s where they chose the female celebrity who they admired and hoped to emulate as they become adults. Numbers in brackets indicate the ranking the celebrity held in last year's ranking and those who did not get into the top 10 last year has a dash in the brackets.

Interestingly, Ishida won the top spot for all age groups except for teens who chose Igawa as their number 1:

Winners of the "GQ Men of the Year 2017"

Here is the list of winners for various categories in "GQ Men of the Year 2017". The interview videos of the winners can be viewed on the GQ website stated below:

Inspiration Award: Inagaki Goro, Kusanagi Tsuyoshi, Katori Shingo

Best Sportsman: Sato Takuma (racing driver)

Actor of the Year: Hasegawa Hiroki

Best Comedian: Akiyama Ryuji

2017 Boom of the Year: Sato Amahiko (professional shogi player)

Millennium Inspiration: Noda Yojiro

Outstanding Achievement: Saito Takumi

Source: GQ Men 

Supporting cast line-up of TV Asahi Winter 2018 drama "BG ~ Shinpen Keigonin ~" announced

The supporting cast line-up of TV Asahi Winter 2018 drama "BG ~ Shinpen Keigonin ~" had been announced.  The drama which begin its run from January in the Thursdays 9pm timeslot, features Kimura Takuya as the lead character Shimazaki Akira who starts work as a bodyguard in a private security company and doesn't hold any guns or weapons in the course of his work. Shimazaki used to be a capable bodyguard but quit and became a security guard at a construction site. While hiding his past, Shimazaki becomes a bodyguard again and goes through his daily work with other newbie bodyguards. As such, he will have to depend on his skills and quick thinking to assess the situation while ensuring the safety of his clients and not going overboard beyond the line of self-defense. In addition, he has to obey the orders of his clients and protect anyone who becomes his client regardless of their identities. At home, he is a single father to a junior high school boy and has communication issues with his son.

Wada Masato & Yoshiki Risa announce their marriage

Wada Masato and Yoshiki Risa announced through their agencies that they have registered their marriage on 22 November which is also known as ii-fuufuu-no-hi (Good Couple Day). The two of them have already started living together and Yoshiki is expected to continue working after their marriage.

The 11th Most Desired Female Faces Ranking (Oricon)

This is an annual survey conducted by Oricon on 500 women from their teens to 50s where they select the female celebrities who they feel have the faces that they desire to have.

Numbers in brackets indicate the position held by the celebrity in the previous year's ranking. If the person had not been part of the top 10, a dash is indicated instead.

Looking at the results in age brackets, women in their teens, 20s and 30s chose Aragaki as their No.1 while those in their 40s and 50s chose Kitagawa instead:

Matsushige Yutaka to be back in new "Kodoku no Gurume" SP on New Year's Eve

Matsushige Yutaka will be back as Inogashira Goro in the new "Kodoku no Gurume" SP due to be shown at 10pm on 31 December. The SP titled "Oomisoka SP ~ Setouchi Shucchou Hen ~" (New Year's Eve SP ~ Business trip to Setouchi) will feature various delicacies which Goro gets to eat during his 2-day-trip to the Setouchi region. In addition, at the beginning of the SP, there will be a live broadcast where Matsushige and the original manga's author Kusumi Masayuki will engage in a chat segment for the first time in the drama's history. In recent years, TV Tokyo usually shows sports or news or music programmes on New Year's Eve so it is rare for a drama to be shown on the last day of the year. In response to this, Matsushige commented jokingly that TV Tokyo was probably planning to throw in the towel when he heard about the broadcast timeslot for the SP since people usually watch NHK's "Kouhaku" or NTV's "Gakitsukai" during this time. It will also be truly gourmet terror for the viewers to watch such a mouthwatering programme at this time when people tend to get hungry but there are no restaurants open.

Sources: Natalie  / Eiga.com

Fukada Kyoko & Matsuyama Kenichi to play a married couple in new FujiTV Winter 2018 drama "Tonari no kazoku wa aoku mieru"

Fukada Kyoko and Matsuyama Kenichi will be playing a married couple in the new FujiTV Winter 2018 drama "Tonari no kazoku wa aoku mieru" (The family next door looks better than ours) which will begin its run from January 2018 in the Thursdays 10pm timeslot. This is the second time that the two of them are playing a married couple since the 2012 Taiga drama "Taira no Kiyomori".

Preview of "KU-KAI" (movie)

Title: KU-KAI 空海
Official website: here
Release date: 24 February 2018
Director: Chen Kaige
Original novel: "Shamon Kukai Tou no Kuni nite Oni to udagesu" by Yumemakura Baku
Cast: Sometani Shota, Huang Xuan, Abe Hiroshi, Zhang Rongrong, Matsuzaka Keiko, Hino Shohei, Zhang Luyi, Xin Baiqing, Tian Yu, Qin Hao, Zhang Yuqi, Zhang Tian-ai, Ou Hao, Liu Haoran, Liu Peiqi

Screening event of new movie "KU-KAI" during the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival

The screening event of new movie "KU-KAI" during the 30th Tokyo International Film Festival was held at TOHO Cinemas Roppongi Hills on 25 October which was attended by cast members Sometani Shota, Huang Xuan, Xin Baiqing, Matsuzaka Keiko and Abe Hiroshi. The movie will be shown in cinemas from 24 February 2018.

Furukawa Yuuki to star in new Netflix drama series "Boku dake ga inai machi"

Furukawa Yuuki will be starring in the new Netflix drama series "Boku dake ga inai machi" which is due to be available for streaming from 15 December. The drama which is based on the same-titled manga serialised in "Young Ace" by Sanbe Kei since 2012, had sold more than 4.29 million copies to date and an anime version and real-life movie were made in 2016. This latest drama is the first adaptation work made after the manga had concluded its run in December 2016.

Jiyoung to star in new FujiTV / Tokai TV Autumn 2017 drama "Orphan Black ~ Nanatsu no Idenshi ~"

Jiyoung will be starring in the new FujiTV / Tokai TV Autumn 2017 drama "Orphan Black ~ Nanatsu no Idenshi ~" (Orphan Black ~ 7 Genes ~) which will begin its run from 2 December in the Saturdays 11.40pm timeslot. This will be Jiyoung's first leading role in a drama series and is the first remake of the hit BBC suspense drama "Orphan Black" which has 5 installments to date since its launch in 2013. She will be playing 7 characters in this drama which she commented that it will be a huge challenge in her acting career to date especially since she has to speak in Korean, English, standard Japanese and Japanese dialects as well.

Top 10 movies box office ranking for the weekend of 18th & 19th Nov 2017

Numbers in brackets indicate the number of cinemas showing the movie:

1) It  (202)

2) HiGH & LOW THE MOVIE 3 FINAL MISSION (319)

3) GODZILLA Kaijuu Wakusei (157)

4) Dorobo Yakusha (225)

5) Thor: Ragnarok (353)

6) Last Recipe Kirin no shita no kioku (312)

7) Eiga Kira Kira Puri Kyua Ala Mode Paritto! Omoide no Mille-feuille (216)

8) Gochuumon wa usagi desuka?? Dear My Sister (40)

9) Logan Lucky (304)

10) Mix (275)

Source: Eiga.com

"Ooizumi Yo Film Festival" to be held in conjunction with the release of new movie "Tantei wa BAR ni iru 3"

In conjunction with the release of new movie "Tantei wa BAR ni iru 3", there will be a "Ooizumi Yo Film Festival" held from 22 November to 30 November at Marunouchi TOEI where each of his 7 movies featuring Ooizumi as the lead will be shown daily. On the first day of the film festival, Ooizumi will be making an appearance for the opening ceremony along with Maeda Atsuko, his co-star in "Tantei wa BAR ni iru 3".

Itao Itsuji reportedly having an affair with gravure idol Toyoda Serina

Itao Itsuji is reportedly having an affair with gravure idol Toyoda Serina who is half his age i.e. 27 years old according to an article published in the electronic version of tabloid "FLASH" on 17 November. Itao and Toyoda were caught having a meal together at a restaurant in Shibuya before going to a karaoke and love hotel nearby where they spent a total of three hours together. As they left the love hotel, the reporters tried to interview them but they did not answer any of the questions.

Seto Koji's younger sister Seto Saori to get her first leading role in new movie "Ai no Yamai"

Seto Koji's younger sister Seto Saori who is a former non-no model, will be taking on her first leading role in the new movie "Ai no Yamai" (The sickness of love) which will be shown in cinemas from 6 January 2018. The movie directed by Yoshida Kota is based on the true story of a murder-cum-assault case which took place at Wakayama in 2002 and led to the death of one person and another to be seriously injured. A woman who was living in Wakayama and worked in a company, had collaborated with an unemployed man she met on an online dating site to kill a woman living in Osaka for the sake of money. The corpse was then burnt and dumped in the mountains of Wakayama. It was later found out that the woman had dated the victim's younger brother prior to the crime. Both the woman and man were sentenced to life imprisonment in 2005.

Abe Hiroshi & Kagawa Teruyuki to return in new NHK drama SP "Sniffer SP" next year

Abe Hiroshi and Kagawa Teruyuki will be back in the new NHK drama SP "Sniffer SP" which is due to be shown at 10pm on 21 March 2018 as the continuation to the original series shown in autumn 2016. The original drama was a remake of the 2013 hit Ukranian drama series and features Abe as the lead character Hanaoka Shinichiro who has a strong sense of smell and nicknamed as "Sniffer". He makes use of his ability to solve difficult cases by being able to tell a person's age, gender, lifestyle type and what he or she had eaten with his nose. Kagawa plays his buddy Komukai Tatsuro who is somewhat like his guardian angel and yet at odds with him while Igawa plays the role of Suenaga Yuki, a ENT doctor who is intrigued by Hanaoka's ability.

Japan premiere event of new movie "Tantei wa BAR ni iru 3"

The Japan premiere event of new movie "Tantei wa BAR ni iru 3" was held at Shinagawa Prince Hotel's Ichouzaka on 24 October which was attended by the director Yoshida Teruyuki and cast members Ooizumi Yo, Matsuda Ryuhei, Kitagawa Keiko, Maeda Atsuko and Lily Franky. The movie is scheduled to be shown in cinemas from 1 December.

Otani Ryohei & Honda Tsubasa to star in new Amazon drama series "Chase Daiisshou"

Otani Ryohei and Honda Tsubasa will be starring in the new Amazon drama series "Chase Daiisshou" (Chase The First Chapter) which will be streamed via Amazon Prime Video from 22 December and updated every Friday. The second chapter is expected to be shown in spring 2018. The drama is directed by Fukagawa Yoshihiro and the story is written by Fukuda Yasushi. The theme song "Working men blues" will be sung by Porno Graffiti.

Fujiwara Norika & Suzuki Nobuyuki to star in new NTV Christmas drama SP "Nemurenu Shinju ~ Mada koi shitemo ii desuka? ~"

Fujiwara Norika will be starring in the new NTV Christmas drama SP "Nemurenu Shinju ~ Mada koi shitemo ii desuka? ~" (The sleepless pearl ~ is it fine for me to still fall in love? ~) which will be shown in two parts at 11.59pm on 21st and 28th December respectively. This will be her first appearance in a private network drama since she got married to Kataoka Ainosuke in March last year.

Preview of "Saigo no Dousoukai" (Drama SP)

Title: Saigo no Dousoukai 最後の同窓会 (The last class reunion)
Official website: here
O.A. Date: 26 November 2017 at 10pm
Broadcast by: TV Asahi
Scriptwriter: Okada Yoshikazu
Cast: Ichimura Masachika, Kataoka Tsurutarou, Kadono Takuzou, Denden, Matsuzaka Keiko

Ichimura Masachika to star in new TV Asahi drama SP "Saigo no Dousoukai"

Ichimura Masachika will be starring in the new TV Asahi drama SP "Saigo no Dousoukai" (The Last Class Reunion) which will be shown at 10am on 26 November. The drama which is written by Okada Yoshikazu, also features Denden, Kataoka Tsurutaro, Matsuzaka Keiko and Kadono Takuzo in its cast and is one of the participating works in the 2017 National Arts Festival organised by the Agency for Cultural Affairs.

Matsushima Nanako to appear in new WOWOW drama "Kansayaku Nozaki Shuuhei"

Matsushima Nanako will be appearing in the new WOWOW drama "Kansayaku Nozaki Shuhei" starring Oda Yuji which will begin its run from 14 January in the Sundays 10pm timeslot. The drama which consists of 8 episodes, marks the first collaboration in 17 years for Oda and Matsushima since the 2000 movie "White Out".

Kimura Takuya to star in new TV Asahi Winter 2018 drama "BG ~ Shinpen Keigonin ~"

Kimura Takuya will be starring in the new TV Asahi Winter 2018 drama "BG ~ Shinpen Keigonin ~" (BG ~ Personal Guard) which will begin its run from January in the Thursdays 9pm timeslot. He will be playing a private bodyguard for the first time.

Top 10 ideal married couples ranking 2017 (Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance)

Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance conducts an annual survey in conjunction with "ii fuufu no hi" i.e. the good married couple day on 22 November whereby respondents choose their ideal celebrity married couple. This year's survey conducted via the Internet had 1,596 responses from married men and women between the age of 20 and 79. Numbers in brackets indicate the number of people who voted for the couple:

1) Miura Tomokazu & Yamaguchi Momoe (214)
*They have won this title for 12 times.

2) Sasaki Kensuke & Hokuto Akira (88)

3) Hiromi & Matsumoto Iyo (83)

4) Karasawa Toshiaki & Yamaguchi Tomoko (69)

5) Tanaka Masahiro & Satoda Mai (56)

6) DAIGO & Kitagawa Keiko (52)

7) Eguchi Yosuke & Moritaka Chisato (47)

8) Nakura Jun & Watanabe Marina / Watanabe Toru  & Sakakibara Ikue (42)

10) Uzaki Ryuudou & Aki Youko / Nakao Akira & Ikenami Shino (41)

Source: Oricon

Preview of "Machikouba no Onna" - Autumn 2017

Title: Machikouba no Onna マチ工場のオンナ (The woman of the small town factory
Official website: here
O.A. Start Date: 24 November 2017
Timeslot: Fridays 10pm
Broadcast by: NHK
Original book by: Suwa Takako
Theme Song: "Atarashii Ashita" by Matsuda Seiko
Cast: Uchiyama Rina, Tachi Hiroshi, Nagai Masaru, Ichige Yoshie, Takenaka Naoto, Yanagisawa Shingo, Murakami Jun, Oshinari Shugo, Yoshimura Kaito, Watanabe Yutaro and Kariya Shunsuke

Screening event & press conference of new NHK drama "Machikouba no Onna"

The screening event and press conference of new NHK drama "Machikouba no Onna" was held at its Tokyo HQ on 15 November which was attended by cast members Uchiyama Rina, Tachi Hiroshi, Takenaka Naoto, Yanagisawa Shingo and Nagai Masaru. The drama which consists of 7 episodes, begins its run from 24 November in the Fridays 10pm timeslot.