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Oricon has announced its sales rankings for 2007 and once again, Kumi Koda was #1 in total sales for the year. She sold more than 7.3 billion yen worth of CDs and DVDs. Ayumi Hamasaki was #2 at 7.0 billion yen.

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Gravure idol Nana Ozaki was fired by her management agency, Artist Box, over nude pictures of her that were published in the latest issue of FLASH magazine. The dismissal ended her role as a reporter on TV Tokyo’s popular show “Kyuyo Meisai,” which she was best known for.

The agency released a statement on its website explaining that it had nothing to do with the pictures, as they were taken before Ozaki joined the company. Still, it was decided that the agency could no longer be in charge of her career.

Ozaki apologized to her fans via her blog. She acknowledged that the pictures are real and were taken about three years ago during her first gravure work, when she didn’t know any better. She says she had hopes to succeed in the entertainment industry, but is willing to take responsibility for her inexperience.

She appealed to her fans, asking for their support as she continues with her blog (and if possible, the rest of her career). She has so far received positive responses from her readers.

Source: TokyoGraph

49-year-old singer Koji Tamaki has divorced for the third time. He announced the news on his website on Saturday, the same day the divorce papers were submitted.
Tamaki’s first marriage was with a non-celebrity, whom he divorced in 1986. In 1991, he married actress and singer Hiroko Yakushimaru, but they separated in 1998. In December of the following year, he married his most recent wife, keyboardist Satoko Ando.

Source: TokyoGraph

Actor Mirai Moriyama and actress Reina Asami are reportedly dating. According to sources close to the two, they first met in mid-March. From May to June, they appeared together in the play “Blood Wedding” (”Bodas de Sangre”), which starred Moriyama and Sonim.

Their relationship began professionally as Moriyama sought acting advice from the older Asami, but it gradually developed into romance.

Moriyama’s agency has not yet commented on the matter, while Asami’s management says that the two are good friends.

Source: TokyoGraph 

Acter Takeru Sato, the star of TV Asahi’s “Kamen Rider Den-O,” revealed on his official blog on Saturday that he is currently in poor health. According to Sato’s management, he complained of pain in the left side of his chest on Thursday. He was taken to a hospital, where he was diagnosed with pneumothorax, also known as a collapsed lung - a hole had opened in his left lung, causing air to escape and his lung to shrink.Fortunately, it appears that the condition was not too serious. He has been ordered to rest for about ten days, forcing him to cancel a scheduled talk event at Kobe Gakuin University on the 4th. He will continue to receive medical treatment after the recovery period.

Credits: TokyoGraph 

NTV announced a new drama project on Friday, titled “Okinawa Otoko Nigeta.” The project is being labeled as “cross-media,” incorporating both the Internet and television (including 1seg). In addition, the drama will include viewer interaction.

Actress Ryo stars as Miwa, a single 33-year-old office lady, whose boyfriend has suddenly run away to Okinawa. As a result, she begins keeping a blog to express her troubles.

The blog launched on Friday, and is being updated regularly. According to NTV, reader comments will shape the course of the plot. An episode on December 5 will cover the story up to that point and beyond, while a second episode on December 19 will be the conclusion. Both will air late at night, at 1:29am.

The project is being produced by Toshio Tsuchiya, who also worked on the reality/variety series “Denpa Shonen” in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Credits: TokyoGraph

Long-time couple Kaname Kawabata (of CHEMISTRY) and Hiroko Anzai have gone their separate ways, it was learned on Thursday. During their six-year relationship, many believed they were headed for marriage, but it appears that work may have come between them. The two seem to have broken up last month, and it was also discovered that Anzai left her management agency around the same time.

Their relationship was first reported in October 2001. Years later, Kawabata bought an apartment in Kanagawa near Anzai’s parents’ house, and the two began living together. Things appeared to be going well, leading the media to speculate about an eventual wedding.

Trouble apparently began around the start of this year, though details are still unclear. Anzai’s management said they knew nothing in particular about the breakup, since she had already left the company. One source, who reportedly knows Kawabata well, explained that the split seems to have resulted from Kawabata’s desire to devote himself more to his music.

Credits: TokyoGraph

According to Sports Hochi, singer hitomi will be getting divorced within the next few days. She has been married for almost exactly five years (her anniversary is November 3) to a former member of hip-hop group GAS BOYS. The cause for the split is said to be differences in their lifestyles.

The two had been friends before hitomi made her debut in 1994. They met again after a decade in 2002, and they married in November of that year. By that time, hitomi’s husband was no longer in GAS BOYS and was working for a design company. He publicly stated that he felt their different career paths would not be a problem, but it appears to have been an obstacle after all.

In addition to singing, hitomi has recently started acting, making her big screen debut in Shinya Tsukamoto’s “Nightmare Detective” in January and appearing in a play in August. Meanwhile, her music career is still going strong, and she is scheduled to release a best album on December 5.

The couple has not had any children.

Credits: TokyoGraph

Masahiko Kondo’s first child has been born, it was learned on Friday. His wife, whom he married in June 1994, gave birth to the boy on the afternoon of October 8. Kondo was scheduled to appear at a traffic safety event on the same day. Immediately after the event, he rushed to the hospital, but missed the birth by less than five minutes.

The child was expected to be born in mid-December. He is currently in an incubator at the hospital, but is said to be developing healthily. He will likely be released in about a month.

Kondo named the child Gosuke. The name was chosen partly for its stroke count, but also for its symbolism. The kanji for “go” is made of three of the same character, each meaning “car” - Kondo is the owner and director of a racing team. He also explained that the bottom two characters represent him and his wife, supporting the third character on top, representing the child.

For the new year, Fuji TV will air a drama special based on Shosuke Kurakane’s historical comedy manga “Anmitsu Hime.” The comic, which was published in the late 1940s to the mid 1950s, has been adapted to film, television, and stage before.

Mao Inoue is starring as the titular tomboyish princess. The cast includes Keisuke Koide.

>>Credits to : TOKYOGRAPH