Taiwan’s NMA news reports on how Texas Rangers pitcher Yu Darvish has been “dating” adult film actress Kirara Asuka:

Even though baseball season hasn’t started just yet, Japanese baseball star Yu Darvish has generated US$258 million in advertising revenue in January alone — the same amount generated by the 2nd and 3rd most popular Japanese stars, an advertising research company has calculated.
He is also reportedly dating a Japanese adult video star known for her “electric tongue.”

More recent tabloid reports have claimed that Darvish is in a relationship with golfer Miho Koga.

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They think he’s the same person as this ruffian who clashed with police outside the offices of Chongryon (Chosen Soren), an organization of pro-DPRK Korean residents of Japan:

They both share some facial features:

Those that see the “Korean Wave” in Japan as a fabrication are claiming that this is yet another example of how Korean pop culture’s popularity in Japan is part of an anti-Japanese conspiracy. They are not at all surprised that KARA would be seen associating with North Korean agents.

According to an article on the Rakuten/Infoseek Woman news site, the entertainment company that handles KARA has stated that the man is a “schedule manager” for the music group. They are looking into the accusations that he is a member of Chongryon.

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Italian tennis player Sara Errani has confessed that she skipped the September 2011 Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo because she was afraid of radiation:

Sara Errani has admitted fears of a radiation leak after last year’s tsunami in Japan forced her to withdraw from a tournament in Tokyo.

Errani…..had previously cited only personal reasons for missing the event.

Had the tournament taken place in March or April, one might have been able to sympathize with her decision. Fearing a trip to Tokyo in September, however, was ridiculous.

Update: Christopher Johnson, the Canadian freelancer responsible for the infamous “Gaijin Gulag” article, has used his Twitter account to lash out at JapanProbe:

The sensational reports he filed after fleeing Tokyo in March 2011 were bad enough. Now he’s insisting that a short term visit to Tokyo in September would have been dangerous. And, just as he did back in March, he’s trying to insult those of us who stayed in Tokyo instead of fleeing. What an astounding display of stupidity.

It’s no surprise that event organizers asked reporters not to ask players about the radiation: the tennis tournament was not being held in a contaminated area and had nothing to do with Fukushima.

Update 2: Johnson has continued public tantrum about this post.

If you’re critical of a tennis player’s decision to avoid Tokyo because of radiation fears you are: a coward, a sexist, a dweeb, a geek, and a tool of the older male authorities.

VK has commented about this on Tepido.org:

Mr Johnson has been going off on one on Twitter about JapanProbe. They reported on an Italian tennis player who refused to play in Tokyo last September because of radiation fears.

Johnson retorted: extreme cowardice: blame healthy young female athletes for fearing nuclear radiation during meltdown.

“Nastiness” I could understand as a coherent comment, whether or not I agree with it. “Patronising wankiness” would pass the sense test. But “cowardice”? About people who didn’t flee, talking about someone too scared to come, said by someone who fled? Shaky grip on the language. And he’s quite clearly got a phenomenally loose grip on sciencey things. I’m surprised he’s got the courage to touch his computer.

Stay classy, Mr. Johnson.

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If you watch Nihon TV’s Zip! morning show, you probably recognize the dog in the picture above. It’s Zippei (ジッペイ), a cute and fluffy Samoyed dog that travels around Japan as the television show’s mascot.

Every day, Zippei visits a different area, interacting with locals and spreading awareness about the show. The clip below shows a typical Zippei segment:

As you can see, Zippei is extremely well-behaved and never seems to make any noise. This bizarrely unnatural lack of barking gave rise to internet rumors that the Zippei had undergone surgery to remove his vocal cords. Some netizens who claim to have attended Zippei events said they saw the dog trying to bark, but not making any actual bark sounds.

The Asahi Shimbun is now reporting that the internet rumors were true: Zippei had a vocal cordectomy. The procedure took place before Zippei appeared on TV. It was supposedly not a pre-condition for the dog’s participation on the program. NTV is not commenting on whether it approves or disapproves of such surgical procedures .

According to Wikipedia, some people in the United States and Europe consider it cruel. It has even been outlawed in some areas:

The procedure is outlawed as a form of mutilation in the United Kingdom and all countries that have signed the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals. In the United States, devocalization is illegal by state law in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and by city ordinance in Warwick, Rhode Island. Efforts to ban devocalization are underway in other states.

If the 2channel comments picked up by Itai News are any indication, it seems that quite a few Japanese people also strongly disapprove of de-barking surgery and are disgusted by NTV [むごい話だ / 動物虐待じゃん / ひどいね / 日テレは動物をオモチャにするのが好きだな ] .

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A couple days ago, pitcher Yu Darvish signed a $60 million deal with the Texas Rangers. When he arrived in in Texas, he was wearing a very strange shirt:

Darvish arrived about three hours earlier at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport, where he was greeted by a large group of media cameras and a handful of Rangers fans.

There was a bit of a stir created by the photos of the arrival, when Darvish wore a T-shirt with the phrase “I Will Survive” surrounding the image of a Japanese Maple Leaf, which looks similar to a marijuana leaf.

“In Japan, anything that’s like a T-shirt with English words on it,” he said. “We just tend to wear it, we don’t really actually know what it means.”

It’s true, shirts like that are sold all over Japan. And most people don’t really see them as a bad thing. To them, it just looks neat.

Related video: With its usual wackiness, Taiwan’s NMA reports on Yu Darvish.

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Tommy Lee Jones has been cast as General Douglas MacArthur in an upcoming film about the American occupation of Japan:

“Tommy will bring strength, intelligence, and gravitas to the portrayal of, a legendary American hero,” producer Gary Foster (“Ghost Rider,” “Daredevil”) said in a statement.

“Emperor” is set in the days following Japan’s surrender in World War II, when MacArthur effectively presided over the country as the supreme commander of the Allied forces.

Mathhew Fox will also appear in the movie:

Fox will portray General Bonner Fellers, an attaché to the General, who is given the responsibility of deciding the fate of Japan’s Emperor Hirohito. The film has been scripted by David Klass and Vera Blasi.

According to Variety, the film is a combination of historical drama and post-war romance. Fox’s character is in the midst of a great love affair with Aya, a Japanese exchange student from his past. At the same time, he struggles with the decision of whether or not to try Hirohito as a war criminal. In true Hollywood fashion, the two stories will intersect and force Fox’s character to make a monumental decision.

And here’s a short line about Bonner Fellers’ role in the war crimes trials, from Wikipedia:

Fellers played a major role in the occupation of Japan. He met with the major defendants of the Tokyo tribunal. According to historians Herbert Bix and John W. Dower, Fellers—under an assignment by the code name OPERATION BLACKLIST—allowed them to coordinate their stories to exonerate Emperor Hirohito and all members of his family. This was at the direction of MacArthur, now head of SCAP, who wanted no criminal prosecution of the Emperor and his family.

Perhaps Hollywood will alter history, and blame the Japanese girlfriend for Fellers’ controversial actions?

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A year ago, Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki married Manuel Schwarz, an Austrian model/actor who had appeared in one of her music videos. At the time, Japan Probe readers were quite skeptical about the marriage:

“I give it 3 months…” – Yom

“I smell another Kevin Federline” – Franco

“The marriage could be an ‘arrangement of convenience’ sponsored by Hamasaki’s yakuza-linked/controlled talent agency, Avex, designed to get her a boost of positive coverage & publicity. If so, expect it to last a year or two tops.” – Jean Bapiste Pluie

She’s announced that she is filing for divorce. It lasted more than 3 months, but it was a short marriage. And she is apparently blaming the March 11th disaster:

“I am the reason (for the divorce.) We decided to live in the U.S. upon our marriage, but the Great East Japan Earthquake struck two months after we married, and I began to have a strong feeling that I don’t want to leave Japan,” the Fukuoka Prefecture native said on the website.

“I could not think of living in the U.S., and thus I left him alone for many days,” she went on. “We discussed (our future) a lot. I thought physical distance can be overcome by visiting each other, but the physical distance has turned into mental distance.”

From a PR standpoint, “I can’t abandon my country after such a disaster” is probably one of the best excuses available.

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Professional motorcyclist Hiromi Sakai has died in a speedway accident:

Sakai came off her motorcycle at about 4:20 p.m. on Jan. 15, and hit a fence. She died shortly afterward in a medical office at the venue. Officials said her cause of death was a fractured skull, and police are investigating the cause of the accident.

Sakai made her professional debut last July. At the time, she was the first woman to compete in the sport in 44 years.

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Super human professional eater Takeru Kobayashi has answered questions posted by Reddit users:

For more, check out: Competitive Eater Takeru Kobayashi Answers Your Questions (Reddit.com IAmA)

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Japanese police have arrested the members of the Korean pop group “Great” – who were apparently working despite having only come to the country on tourist visas:

The group arrived in Japan in October on tourist visas. Despite being aware of the fact that their activities were an illegal violation of the visa terms, they’ve given about 70 concerts in Tokyo.

From the video clip, we can see that the police raid took place at Seichi Entertainment’s concert house in Shin-Okubo. Here are a description of the business from the Mainichi:

Groups of female fans are often seen waiting on a street in the Shinjuku Ward district for performances at the K-pop music hall Seichi, which has been offering three stages a day of young Korean musicians since it opened in April.

The hall, with a capacity of about 200 people and meaning “sacred place” in Japanese, hosts both South Korean and domestically formed K-pop acts.

It is located in the basement of a multiple-tenant building on a street lined with Korean restaurants in an area known as Korea town.

“I think this place is a culture base to sustain the Korean boom,” said Chu Kwang Ho, 56, manager of Seichi.

And here is a YouTube video of them, calling on fans to check out one of their illegal performances:

Judging from the lack of many pictures and videos of the group, it seems that they were relatively unknown and just getting their start in Japan. If they were hoping to cash in on the K-pop boom in Japan, they will have to give up that dream now. After this visa violation they’ll probably be barred from entering the country for at least a few years.

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American actor Dante Carver, best known for his role in Softbank mobile commercials, has been busted for driving in Japan without a legal driver’s license.

According to press reports, Carver was stopped by police after making an illegal u-turn in Shibuya on July 2nd. When they asked to see his license, he showed them an international driving permit. Such permits are only recognized as legal when drivers are tourists. Because Carver is a resident of Japan, he should have obtained a Japanese license.

Carver, who has lived in Japan since 2005, pleaded ignorance. He says he didn’t realize he needed to get a Japanese license.

An article in the Sankei Shimbun says that Carver was scheduled to appear on BS Fuji TV network kids’ program later this month, but the show’s producers have decided to cut his segment. Apparently they do not want their program associated with Carver’s lawbreaking. Carver had appeared regularly on the program since 2008. It is unclear whether he will be allowed to return to the show in the future.

One can tell that this is no small matter from the way that this news video has presented footage of Mr. Carver. They are using file footage of him at a promotional event, but the logos in the background have been censored. This is to prevent his lawbreaking from damaging the reputation of whatever company or product he was promoting at that event.

As some of you may remember, Carver got into some trouble in August when he caused a minor traffic accident in Shibuya.

At the time, he made no mention of the status of his license.

For reference, here is a very clear warning from the United States Embassy:

International Driving Permits (IDP)

“Residents” are expected to convert or obtain a Japanese drivers license. Persons using an international drivers license who are resident in Japan can be subject to fines or arrest. The exact boundary between “resident” and “not resident” is unclear. In practice it seems to involve more than simply visa status or length of stay in Japan and is determined by the police.

We have heard from several Americans who were told by the police that using an International Driver’s License for more than a year, or using one after exiting and then returning to Japan, or using one when you are residing in Japan, or after you have obtained an Alien Registration Card, or after 90 days in Japan, or using a license obtained by mail while you are in Japan, is illegal. In two instances, following accidents, Americans were charged with driving without a license, a serious offense. Driving without a license may also void your insurance coverage.

Read what the Japanese Police have to say about International Driving Permits.

American citizens who come to Japan often have one-year international driving permits issued in the United States by the American Automobile Association (AAA). Carver has been living in Japan for about 6 years, he probably would have needed to get his permits renewed one or more times.

Other nationalities can easily obtain legal Japanese licenses through some simple paperwork, but Americans are required to take a test. Rather than go through such a hassle, some American residents of Japan choose to illegally drive using international permits. And many of them get away with it – especially when they don’t get caught violating traffic rules and don’t cause traffic accidents.

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A few days ago, Fuji TV aired a 2011 music special that included live performances of some of the year’s most popular songs. When boy band Arashi took the stage, there was some kind of technical trouble. Instead of the CD-like quality of the other groups’ performances, audiences were given a taste of some raw audio:

A sloppy machine translation of a J-Cast article about the incident:

Arashi singing performance of 2011 FNS song gest is topical as too bad, this has theory that is sound trouble. Fuji TV twitter erupted by Arashi fans.[from beginning, no voice, singing voice come to dissonance> Arashi performed Labyrinth Love Song with violinist, Taro Hakase, Emiri Miyamoto-san. this came to bad. from start no voice at all, and pitch was not stable. and chorus part also brink of collapse, from start to end singing voice come to dissonance. it seemed members embarrassed too. Kazunari Ninomiya-san who start sing begging part makes embarrassed face. Sho Sakurai-san also makes bitter smile.

Arashi fans have denied that the incident reflects the actual singing ability of the group.

Some internet conspiracy theorists have pointed out the lack of technical trouble during K-pop performances as proof of Fuji TV’s devious plot to promote Korean culture. They believe that Fuji TV intentionally screwed up Arashi’s microphones, while allowing the Korean artists to lip sync…

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Toyota has hired French actor Jean Reno to star as Doraemon in a new series of silly commercials:

Reno’s debut ad shows a live-action story about the characters from the children’s cartoon. Nobita is now 30-years-old. Unfortunately, he has no car, so he can’t drive Shizuka to her violin lesson. Instead, Suneo takes her away in his cool Toyota automobile. Nobita begs Doraemon (Jean Reno) for a car, but why give a car to somebody who has no driver’s license?

Toyota has also paid for billboard advertisements of the Jean Reno Doraemon. The image at the top of this post can currently be seen on a big billboard over Tokyo’s Shibuya station.

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Haruka Ayase pretends to be a foreigner in this KFC commercial:

It’s a commercial announcing the Japan debut of KFC’s Brazer sandwich. The ads say the Brazer is from France, so they’ve given their celebrity spokeswoman blonde hair and have her speaking French-like gibberish. ( The result is probably about as authentically French as Kentucky Fried Chicken’s French cuisine. )

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A Tokyo court has ordered former sumo grand champion Asashoryu to pay financial compensation to a pachinko parlor company:

Here are some details about the lawsuit, from an article filed before the court decision:

The Tokyo-based promotion company argues in the suit filed with the Tokyo District Court that Asashoryu did not appear at customer attraction events planned at two pachinko parlors in Saitama Prefecture in a tie-up with the other company, based in Sapporo.

The plaintiff claims the Sapporo company offered to hold the events last summer promising that Asashoryu would participate. But he failed to show up saying he had not been approached about any such appearances.

The court ruled in favor of the plaintiff, finding that Asashoryu had agreed to the contract and had failed to carry out his end of the agreement. The company was seeking 15 million yen in damages, but the court decided on about 9.5 million yen ($124,000) instead.

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As flood waters continue to cause damage in Thailand, some musicians have cancelled their Bangkok concerts. There is one notable exception to the trend: X Japan.

Here are a Japanese news video about the concert and their energetic Thai fans:

Even for those coming from still dry areas, getting there was a major pain, both by private and public transport. Fans started to fill the massive hall early in the evening, some dressing in cosplay but the majority sticking to plain black T-shirts. Only a few Western faces could be spotted among the sea of Thai and Japanese.

By 8pm, every seat in the hall was filled, but it was not until 8.50 that frontman and drummer Yoshiki appeared at his drums, posing as if praying and waiing the fans who greeted the long-overdue concert with powerful screams…

[...]

…..Their show was energetic, passionate, even furious at times, as they showcased their finely honed talents on stage. But somehow the show lacked continuity, with long pauses between songs and extended instrumental intros. It was a bit disappointing too that X Japan did not bring their full production complete with hydraulics and special effects to Bangkok though that may have been down to transport difficulties. More could have been done with the visual effects, though, to enhance to intense emotions of the music.

If a band is to be praised for its undying passion for music and loyalty to the fans, then X Japan has to go to the top of the class. They truly enjoyed their own music and the company of their fans. Their sound is probably what the many of us see as old-school heavy metal – mainstream glam rock with speedy guitar riffs. But they rocked, they screamed and they entertained. The fact that they did not cancel the show because of the floods really proved that they genuinely exist for their fans and to entertain them.

A couple of the fans told the Japanese reporter that their homes were flooded. One woman said she swam there.

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The Dalai Lama recently visited areas of Tohoku that had been heavily damaged by the March 11th earthquake and tsunami:

The 76-year-old Tibetan spiritual leader offered words of encouragement to survivors during the service at Saiko Temple in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture.

With about 1,000 people attending, the Dalai Lama said that as a human being he shares the pain of survivors who lost their loved ones, and that he hopes people will be able to overcome their sorrow and rebuild their lives.

After the visit, the Dalai Lama met reporters in Tokyo. When asked if he opposed nuclear energy, he said that he supported “using nuclear energy for peaceful means as a way to bridge the socioeconomic gap in developing countries in the absence of more efficient alternative energy sources.” He also met with Japanese government officials.

For those who are interested, here is a 16 minute long video from the Dalai Lama’s YouTube channel, which features his speech in English:

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Model/actress Erika Sawajiri new Japanese version of a famous Snicker’s commercial:

The message: if you’re really hungry, you might get cranky and turn into a bitch like Erika Sawajiri, so eat a Snicker’s bar!

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Bruce Willis has been appearing in a couple new commercials for Daihatsu’s Mira e:S. One commercial pokes some fun at the fact that so many Japanese commercials feature foreign celebrities who horribly mispronounce product names:

In the first of the two commercials, the man in charge is explaining that the new Mira e:S is so great it can stand alone in its own commercial. It gets 30.0km/L (about 70.5mpg) and it’s cheap – they don’t need a celebrity spokesman for that!

He is informed that they’ve already hired a celebrity. It’s Bruce Willis, who is on his way to Japan. As Bruce sits in a first class airplane seat, he practices saying, “the new Daihatsu e:S.”

In part two of the series, the boss is informing his crew that the automobile should have the leading role in the commercial. Bruce Willis should only be a supporting actor! Bruce gets on camera and butchers the pronunciation of the company and car name (“Daimatsu Miro uusu“). The boss is highly annoyed. Goddammit Bruce, get it right!

Bruce is obviously in on the joke, because he does a far better job of pronouncing the name of the car in the first commercial.

This is Bruce’s first commercial for Daihatsu (a Toyota company). Because he has been starring in Subaru advertisements since the 1990′s, this represents a major shift in his brand loyalty.

Here are a few examples of his old Subaru commercials:

And here are some of his old commercials for Ginza Jewelry Maki and Eneos Gas Stations:

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Itai News has recorded some reactions from Japanese netizens, who had a generally positive impression of her costume.

But some thought that Japan’s costume wasn’t quite as eye-catching as some of the other countries, such as Tanzania and the United States:

The American costume brings to mind the costume that was created for Emiri Miyasaka in 2009. At the time, its gaudiness caused a minor scandal in Japan:

The negative reaction forced a last minute change that lowed the hemline and covered up her underwear.

In 2010, they gave Maiko Itai a costume that wasn’t quite as weird:

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Japanese pop group SMAP visited Beijing the other day, putting on a concert to thank China for all the aid they sent after the March 11th earthquake and tsunami:

Here is a quotation from a Xinhua article about the event. The Chinese state press seems to be taking a very positive view:

The Japanese idol group has been active for nearly 20 years after the release of their first CD in 1991, and are among the most famous Japanese artists in China.

Under the theme “Come on, Japan. Thank you, China. Asia is a united home,” the performance is an expression of gratitude for China’s assistance after the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and ensuing tsunami hit Japan on March 11, according to Kimura Takuya, a SMAP member.

“Thank you, China. Thank you all for offering hands in the Japan earthquake that occurred on March 11,” Kimura Takuya said during the performance, standing still on the stage amid wafting music with video clips of the disaster appearing on a giant screen.

SMAP originally planned to hold a concert in China in late 2010, but they were forced to cancel after a wave of anti-Japanese hate swept over the country following the arrest of a Chinese trawler captain who rammed two Japanese coast guard patrol boats. It’s great that the situation has improved enough to allow this concert to take place.

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The boyfriend, a 44-year-old restaurant manager, had attempted to avoid paying back loans by threatening his creditors. He said he had a close relationship with a boss from the Yamaguchi-gumi, Japan’s largest yakuza gang.

When police came to arrest the man, Kago was in the apartment with him. They had been living together since last year, so police have also questioned her about the alleged crime. Her relationship with the man caused her suspension and eventual departure from her last talent agency.

This is not the first time that Ai Kago has got in trouble because of her poor choice of boyfriends. Her career as a popular member of Hello! Project was destroyed in 2006/2007 after tabloids snapped photos of her engaging in underage smoking and dating an older married man. She had made a minor comeback under other talent agencies, but this latest scandal obviously won’t help her future.

As is standard practice with group photos or video used in television media coverage of scandals, people who are not involved in the scandal have had their faces blurred to protect their reputations. When it’s done with the faces of other idols on famous album covers, it almost seems ridiculous.

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Shinsuke Shimada, one of Japan’s top TV personalities, was forced into retirement this week because somebody discovered that he was associating with gangers:

According to an informed source, Shimada, 55, mentioned a senior member of an organized crime group in cell phone text messages he sent to Jiro Watanabe, 56, a former boxing world super flyweight champion.

Watanabe is now in the process of making a final appeal against a prison sentence handed to him by the Osaka High Court for attempted extortion related to prefloatation shares.

In the messages, sent between June 2005 and June 2007, Shimada expressed his concern for the gang member, who had been arrested by Osaka police on suspicion of obstructing a public tender process and obstructing law enforcement authorities’ attempts to execute their duties.

Shimada also wrote about his gratitude to the gang member for having placed expensive orders at a bar run by Shimada, the source said.

A lot of comments on YouTube video and 2-channel threads express a complete lack of surprise about his ties to the yakuza. The cynical point out that other Japanese celebrities are also associating with mobsters, while some popular comments on YouTube claim that the whole scandal has been manufactured to distract viewers from the DPJ leadership race.

Shinsuke hosted/produced quite a few popular prime time television programs. Here is a chart that shows how he was a major presence on several TV channels:

The scandal has forced the cancellation of all of his programs, leaving holes in the prime time schedules of each of the television networks. It seems other regular programs will be extended into 2-hour specials next week. Future schedules remain uncertain.

Meanwhile, an editorial in the Mainichi is calling on the showbiz world to stop associating with yakuza:

It has been pointed out for some time now that show business has cozy relations with crime syndicates. There is no denying that society had previously tended to overlook such ties. However, relations between entertainers and yakuza are no longer socially permissible. A growing number of talent agencies have worked out rules banning their roster of entertainers from having any contact with yakuza.

Now is the time for show business as a whole to consider measures to ensure that it cuts off any ties with crime syndicates. The whole entertainment world’s ability to clean itself up is being tested.

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The Japanese media is reporting that Dante Carver, the American actor who plays the big brother in Softbank’s “White Family” commercials, caused a minor car accident a few days ago in Shibuya:

Carver was driving and apparently collided with another car because he was trying to avoid a collision with a nearby motor bike. It was a minor accident that only damaged the bumpers of both cars, and nobody was injured.

Carver’s talent agency issued an apology on his behalf. A Japanese apology statement has also been posted on his official blog.

He also mentioned the accident in a tweet today:

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The showbiz career of Japanese actor Sousuke Takaoka is in shambles after he posted an angry rant on Twitter about his feelings about seeing so many Korean television dramas aired on Japanese TV.

Apparently he can’t watch Fuji TV (channel anymore because it airs too many South Korean dramas. It’s like the network has become a Korean TV channel. He wants to see Japanese TV channels airing Japanese dramas. He turns off the TV whenever its showing something Korean.

Takaoka is married to actress Aoi Miyazaki. In one of the tweets after his rant, he claimed that his wife shared his views. However, after the story blew up in the media, he posted a tweet announcing that his wife had ordered him to write that she does not share his views. As one of Japan’s most popular actresses, Miyazaki has a lot more to lose than her husband. It is rumored that their marriage could now be in jeopardy.

Takaoka has since been fired by his talent agency. He seems to have accepted the fact that his acting career is finished.

After the firing, he set up a new personal blog. In his first post (translated into English by Tokyo Hive), Takaoka confessed that he had attempted suicide several years ago. He claims that he had been driven into despair after the South Korean media coverage of his role in the movie “Pacchigi!” included fabricated quotes that made it sound like he hated Japan:

Some time later, the things I said at the campaign for “Pacchigi!” in Korea were published differently from the truth. When I returned to Japan, the media and internet labeled me as ‘Anti-Japanese’. It was at that time that my hate for the media took root within me.

What were the “anti-Japanese” things he claims he didn’t actually say? Apparently a South Korean newspaper (the Chosun Ilbo) had included a question about the Takeshima/Dokdo dispute in a interview about the “Pacchigi!” movie. Takaoka was quoted as saying, that he didn’t particularly like Japan, thought Japanese treatment of Korea has been unfair/cowardly, and that he wanted the Japanese government to give its people the truth. (個人的には、日本という国はあまり好きではない。韓国に対して、日本は卑劣なように思える. 日本政府は正しい情報を国民に伝えるよう願う)

His blog post also contained the accusation that Korean TV dramas were part of a conspiracy to keep the masses from realizing the horrible truth about the radiation from Fukushima:

Reports about the March 11th incident were only good in the beginning. Then they became hypocritical.

They turned their eyes away from the radiation problem, and put restraints on things that were inconvenient to them.

What these people were doing was just as it was before.

There were many reports that weren’t delivered to the citizens. Instead, they aired irrelevant foreign dramas, and on the morning news, they reported biased information.

I became suspicious of this country.

With this flow in my mindset, I made those recent remarks.

I couldn’t tolerate it anymore.

The things that built up inside me gushed out.

Although his mainstream entertainment career seems to be finished, his vocal denunciation of the mainstream media, hatred of Korean dramas, and support of Fukushima conspiracy theories has made him extremely popular on the internet. Perhaps he’s looking to make a new career for himself in the nationalist or conspiracy theorist niche markets?

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Japan’s national team (aka “Nadeshiko Japan”) will be playing against the United States in Monday morning’s 2011 FIFA Women’s World Cup Final.

One of star players that helped the Japanese team advance to the finals is midfielder Nahomi Kawasumi. Her goals have got a lot of attention, but so has her style. Fans like the pink headband she wore in the match against Sweden, as well as her soccer-themed nail art:

Kawasumi painted her own fingernails. When they show images of the nails to professional nail artists at a salon in Harajuku, she was praised for her skill.

One of Fuji TV News’ male employees tried to copy Kawasumi’s nail design. Sadly, after one hour of hard work, he was only able to create this very sloppy failure:

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An English language interview with Tomomi Itano of the pop group AKB48:

The whole interview is unnatural that it’s almost painful to watch. It seems that Itano carefully memorized scripted answers to each question, probably without even knowing the meaning of most the English words she was supposed to be pronouncing.

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Japan has launched a new tourism promotion campaign in which the pop group Arashi calls on foreigners to come visit:

A film entitled “Message from Japan” featuring the five-member pop idol group began airing simultaneously across the globe in more than 133 countries and regions including the outdoor screen at New York City’s Times Square.

The video footage was also broadcast in places such as Seoul and London, and will also be shown at airports and Japanese embassies worldwide in the coming weeks.

“We would like to again issue an appeal through this film that it is safe to travel to Japan,” Japan Tourism Agency Commissioner Hiroshi Mizohata told a Tokyo news conference launching the broadcast of short messages by Arashi, who were appointed last year to be the agency’s ambassadors and are popular at home and abroad, particularly in Asia.

Since they’re apparently popular in Asia, it’s probably a good idea to use them in an advertisement aimed at Asian tourists. This ad campaign might have some success in Asia.

Unfortunately, it seems poorly matched for the American and European markets. Arashi is unknown outside of Asia, so it’s almost pointless to have them star in a commercial aimed at Americans. Moreover, they seem to be speaking in Japanese the whole time. Paying to run an unknown foreign pop group’s subtitled foreign language advertisement on the big screen in Times Square is the equivalent of flushing money down the toilet.

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Tiger Woods’ first new commercial since his sex scandal:

The 35-year-old former world number one appeared in a 15-second commercial for a Japanese heat-rub which debuted on Japanese television on Friday.

A spokesman for Kowa Co. which makes the Vantelin Kowa rub, Katsuhiro Kaji, said the firm made the offer to Woods late last year. He refused to reveal details of the deal.

“We don’t think there is any,” he told AFP when asked if there was any risk in using the disgraced superstar, who is currently sidelined by injury.

It is Woods’ second endorsement contract with a Japanese firm. He signed a three-year deal with Asahi Soft Drinks in 1997 at an estimated 900 million yen (now $11 million) to promote a canned coffee brand.

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South Korean actor Jang Geun-suk visited Japan this week. Media reports about his visit emphasized the fact that about 800 fans gathered to greet him on his arrival at Haneda Airport. Even Jang was surprised by the overwhelming evidence of his popularity in Japan:

“I was honestly worried that there might be an accident within the crowd because there were so many people there to greet me,” he said, expressing concern for the fans present.

[...]

“Honestly, it’s pretty scary. It just happened so fast; I gained a lot of fans in such a short amount of time,” he said about his new popularity in Japan.

800 fans at the airport is pretty impressive when you compare it to the greetings that other international stars have received. When Lady Gaga arrived at Narita Airport a couple weeks ago, about 200 fans were there to greet her. Johnny Depp, who is enormously popular in Japan, was greeted by a mere 400 fans when he visited Japan earlier this year.

The secret of the Jang’s huge fan gathering was revealed when a photograph of a flier found its way onto the internet:

It is recruiting women to participate in the greeting event at Haneda Airport. A reward of 2,000 yen (about $25) was offered to each “fan” who attended the event.

According to an article on Livedoor, there were some diehard fans who showed up out of genuine excitement. Many others, however, were paid. Some people found out about it through the fliers, while others were veteran members of event mailing lists. People who replied to the 2,000 yen job offer were driven to the airport on two special buses. While on the buses, the phony fans were given Jang Geun-suk merchandise to wave around when the media filmed them.

One participant said the buses carried about 80 paid fans to the airport. Combined with the legitimate fans, there probably weren’t much more than 100 people gathered for the event. One of the event promoters walked around declaring that 800 fans had come to greet Jang, and the media didn’t bother to verify the claim.

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After her recent MTV Japan charity concert, Lady Gaga gave attended a press conference. She kept her eyes closed for the entire 10 minute Q&A. Painted over her eyelids were big fake eyes. Most Americans would easily identify it has “anime eye” make-up, but, as this clip from Japan’s NTV news shows us, the whole “anime” thing apparently isn’t so obvious to Japanese people:

The reporter narrating the video wonders about the connection between Gaga’s make-up and Japanese culture. To get an answer to that question, NTV consulted the editor of a celebrity gossip magazine. She explains that the make-up is inspired by Japanese animation. Lady Gaga is apparently showing her love for Japan by copying the large eyes of anime characters.

Related image: Aoi Miyazaki as a 19th century non-anime-eyed princess in the NHK drama “Atsu-hime“:

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An American lawyer claims that Lady Gaga has been profiting off her effort to sell Japan tsunami relief charity bracelets:

A Detroit-era legal network said in its complaint, filed Friday, that Gaga kept part of the $5 that every customer paid for a wristband and inflated shipping charges so she could pocket more. She then counted even the money she allegedly pocketed in her donation figures, artificially inflating donation numbers, in order to make more money, the suit charged.

Gaga’s deceptive advertising and personal profits from the bracelets violated federal racketeering laws and a slew of consumer protection laws, too, the suit claimed.

“When we tried to communicate with the defendants in this lawsuit, all we got was, ‘well, some of the money is being retained, but we don’t really know how much,’” said the 1-800-LAW-FIRM lawyer who sued, Alyson Oliver.

It may be a clever scheme by the lawyer to generate free advertising for his 1-800 number, but he does seem to have a point about suspicious extra fees that customers had to pay. People who bought the $5 bracelets were charged an additional $0.60 in taxes and $3.99 for shipping and handling. The shipping and handling fee seems absurdly high for a simple little rubber bracelet.

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A Japanese TV show asks foreign tourists to comment on AKB48 member Aimi Eguchi:

Eguchi isn’t a real person. She is a “CG” idol that was created by combining the facial features of several of AKB48′s most popular members. She made her first appearance in a Glico commercial a few weeks ago, and it didn’t take long for fans to realize that she was probably fake (her weird eyes were a big clue). When she failed to make any real life appearances, TV shows joined in on the CG speculation. A few days ago, to the surprise of very few people, it was announced that she was indeed fake.

In the above video clip, foreign tourists are shown still images of the AKB48 members who appeared in the commercial and are asked to identify the computer-generated girl. Only 3 of the 19 people answered correctly. Many thought all of the girls looked real.

To demonstrate how difficult it is to create a cg idol by combining the facial features of real actresses, the show asks a photoshop pro Tokyo’s Digital Hollywood University to create a mixture of Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Halle Berry, Taylor Swift, Anne Hathaway, and January Jones:

The result is horrifyingly sloppy. It’s supposed to be a serious effort, but it looks even worse than some of Conan O’Brien’s silly “If They Mated” images. I really hope that that guy isn’t teaching a photoshop course at that school…

The report points out that Eguchi is hardly the first CG pop star in Asia. Back in 2001, a South Korean pop group apparently had a lead singer that was computer generated (Nazca).

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Lady Gaga came to Japan this week to participate in a charity concert for the survivors of the March 11th earthquake and tsunami. Here are a few videos of her appearing before the press:

She is doing her best to help Japan’s tourism industry recover:

The singer, in Tokyo for a benefit concert for tsunami victims, said she was making a point of going to and enjoying the city and its food, and that her fans should do the same thing.

“I can’t say enough to people all over the world that the majority of Japan right now, Japan in general, is very safe,” she said. “It’s fine to come here. It’s beautiful.”

Many performers and athletes have cancelled appearances in Japan after the 11 March earthquake and tsunami that caused widespread destruction and set off a crisis at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant about 140 miles north of Tokyo.

[...]

“The most important thing, and the best thing, we could do for Japan right now is to boost tourism, and so everyone come to Japan and come enjoy the beautiful country,” she said.

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Washed-up Japanese comedian Neko Hiroshi ran in the Phnom Penh half-marathon yesterday. Somehow, he managed to defeat hundreds of other runners and finish in second place:

At a welcome dinner held on Friday evening, Neko said he is applying for Cambodian citizenship with the aim of representing Cambodian athletes at various international sports events such as the Olympics.

Last year, Neko finished third in the 15th international half-marathon held at the Angkor Wat temple complex, in which some 4,050 athletes from 53 countries took part.

Hiroshi’s real name is Kuniaki Takizaki. The translators at Kyodo oddly decided to treat his “Neko” (Cat) stage name as if it was his family name, and reported him as “Hiroshi Neko” in their English language article.

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A Japanese TV crew travels to America to meet Charlie Sheen:

To attract Charlie’s attention, they do the following:

• Have their reporter dress up in samurai attire.
• Make a big sign stating that they’ve come from Japan to see Charlie. (They don’t seem to realize they misspelled his name.)
• Hire a blonde bimbo to stand next to their sign.
• Wait around for hours at the exit of one of his stand-up shows.

They succeed in meeting Charlie. Although he has a bad boy image, Charlie is quite friendly to them and offers a message of support to the survivors of the March 11th disaster.

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It has been a couple years since the end of Japan’s Billy’s Bootcamp craze. Nevertheless, it seems that somebody’s made a Bootcamp game for the Wii, and Billy Blanks is now starring in commercials for it:

Billy’s voice has been dubbed over in Japanese. It looks like they are marketing it as an exercise game for children.

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A newly viral video clip shows how MMA fighter Quinton “Rampage” Jackson gets cheap laughs by tricking Japanese fans into saying insulting things about themselves in English (“I am a fag“/”I suck dick“/”I have big tits“):

A few comments from YouTube users who watched the video:

“How immature can you be to be entertained by doing this in another country. Rampage is a douchebag.” – ilmostro696

“I first saw this video on an MMA (mixed martial arts) and believe me, I’m not the only one who thinks this is disrespectful. How would you feel if a Japanese MMA star got you to say “I suck dick” in their language and you had no idea what you’re saying… I’m sure you woldn’t find it funny. I have a sense of humor, but this is f-cked up man!” – mmafanatic90

“funny at the time Mr. Jackson. But guarantee you lost a sh-tload of Japanese fans.” – jpmorgan187

Seems like just a matter of time before some Japanese netizens discover this and create a Japanese subtitled version of the video. Say goodbye to your fans in Japan, Rampage.

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One of the top-viewed videos on YouTube Japan today shows gravure idol Mikie Hara playing the role of Mystique to promote the Japanese release of the new X-Men movie (you can skip to 1:10 to see a time lapse of her make-up):

For a few more photos, check out Tokyo Hive.

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She went on to explain the problem was over “priors from over 10 years ago!”

“So my husband just got deported from Japan. I am. so sad. I Brought him all this way to show him my favourite place,” she tweeted.

Brand seemed to be in good spirits over the whole ordeal, tweeting at one point, “Planning escape from Japanese custody. It’s bloody hard to dig a tunnel with a chopstick.”

According to the Russel Brand Wikipedia article, the man is a former heroin addict with a long history of run-ins with the police. His heavy drug use apparently ended in 2002, but he was arrested in 2010 for allegedly attacking a paparazzo.

Japanese immigration authorities are known for having very little tolerance towards foreigners with criminal records. It also seems they do not like to make exceptions for drug-using celebrities. In the past, Paris Hilton and Velvet Revolver have been denied entry to Japan.

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Justin Bieber came to Japan this week to give concerts in Osaka and Tokyo. Here he is meeting with earthquake survivors:

And here he is on the “Mezamashi TV” morning show, giving a message to fans:

A full clip of his live appearance on the TV program can be watched here.

Say what you want about his music, but the kid deserves some respect for overcoming the irrational stupidity of his concert crew and sticking with his planned tour.

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Taiwan’s NMA.TV has created an animated news report about foreign musicians cancelling their Japan tours because of radiation fears:

“Some US musical acts are considering canceling their Japanese tours due to lingering fears of radiation and earthquakes following the tsunami. Justin Bieber’s crew refused to go, but he and his manager whipped them into shape. Others like Avril Lavigne have flat out nixed their performances, which is no doubt seen as a grave insult to the proud Japanese people. Even metal band Anthrax has cancelled. With a name like Anthrax, you’d think they wouldn’t be afraid of a little radiation. The musicians should reconsider canceling their shows. Things will get ugly if the Japanese must entertain themselves.”

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Many crew members have flat out refused to go to Japan for two concerts later this month, because they’re afraid of the cancer risks from the recent nuclear disaster. They also fear another earthquake. Short story — they are refusing to go to Osaka for a May 17 concert and another concert two days later in Tokyo.

Today in Adelaide, Australia, an angry Scooter Braun — Justin’s manager — exploded at the crew … sources who were there tell TMZ.

Braun told the crew, “Man the f**k up and do the right thing by these kids.”

But during the meeting — the 3rd one in 4 days — members of the crew fired back that it wasn’t safe to go and Avril Lavigne and Slash had canceled their Japan concerts.

Yesterday, Bieber announced via Twitter that the Japan concerts will go ahead as planned:

E-Online has consulted a couple radiation experts about the radiation risks Bieber will be facing in Tokyo and Osaka. Both cities are very far from Fukushima and the dangers that Bieber’s crew fear are non-existent:

In Tokyo and other major cities, “the radiation exposure is no different from where it was a year ago,” says Dr. David Brenner, professor of radiation biophysics at the Center for Radiological Research at the Columbia University Medical Center. “There was an increase in radiation in March, but now it’s down to normal levels again.”

And that goes for water and air. As for food, “the government every day is modifying their list of what can be sold and where it can be sold, and contaminated food is not being sold. It’s being monitored pretty intensively.”

(Brenner recently gave the same reassuring talk—with plenty of backup data—to the folks at the Metropolitan Opera, who are heading out to Japan shortly.)

In fact, says Dr. Peter Caracappa, clinical assistant professor of nuclear engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute:

“They’d actually receive a lot more of a radiation dose on the flight to Japan because of exposure to cosmic rays. So if they decide to go to Amsterdam instead of Tokyo they have not saved themselves.

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A few days ago, I made a blog post about the Japanese government officially complaining to the International Herald Tribune over its printing of a cartoon that joked about radioactive contamination of Japanese food. The newspaper has since printed an apology to Japan:

The information is contained on the editorial page of the publication’s latest issue. It states that “the caricature offends the sensibilities of Japanese people.” “The publication of the caricatures was a mistake we seriously deplore,” – recognize the newspaper’s authorities.

The sketch published last Thursday shows the figure of Snow White, looking suspiciously at a witch, offering her an apple, and asking: “Wait a minute! You’re not, by any accident, from Japan, are you?”

The apology appeared in the April 25th edition of the paper. On the page after the apology, the IHT messed up the photo for an article about Japan:

The picture caption mentions Japanese skater Mao Asada, but the photo shows South Korean skater Yuna Kim. ( Asada and Kim are sometimes portrayed as rivals, and whenever they compete, nationalists in both countries tend to get worked-up. )

Although it’s probably just an error by ignorant American journalists and editors, some will no doubt see the photo as a deliberate attempt to annoy the people who complained about the radioactive apple cartoon.

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Wasao, the most famous dog in Aomori prefecture, has been appointed stationmaster of Ajigasawa station:

Naming Wasao to the special position of “tourism stationmaster” is a move that is meant to remind people that Aomori wants tourists to come visit. Apparently, the area’s tourism industry has been suffering since the March 11th earthquake.

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His efforts earned him the attention of the Japanese media. Here he is being interviewed by N-H-K news:

Kahl’s work is shown as a small step towards countering the Fukushima radiation fears that have been gripping foreign countries.

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In the past couple days, I’ve noticed that two Adidas commercials are getting a lot of airtime on Japanese TV. Both commercials contain messages of post-earthquake encouragement from famous athletes:

Here is are the names of the athletes that appear in the commercials.

Rugby players: Richie McCaw and Ma’a Nonu.

Soccer players: Shinji Kagawa, Kaká, Xavi, and David Villa.

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TV personality Daniel Kahl has made this YouTube video, which asks the international media to stop stirring up hysteria with sensational reporting:

A good commentary on the issue, although it might be an exaggeration at this point to say that it isn’t as bad as Three Mile Island.

Ever since the earthquake, Kahl has been devoting huge amounts of time and effort to providing up-to-date and reliable news via his Twitter account. He has also posted helpful information links on his blog.

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Here are a few examples of very rich people making large donations to the Japanese earthquake and tsunami relief efforts:

• Tadashi Yanai, founder of Uniqlo, will donate 1 billion yen of his personal fortune. His company will be donating an additional 400 million yen.
• Music producer Atsushi Akimoto and his idol groups (including AKB48), have donated 500 million yen.
• Korean actor Bae Yong-joon (Yon-sama) has donated 1 billion won (about 69 million yen).
• Korean actor Lee Byung-hun has donated 700 million won (about 48 million yen).
• Korean actress Choi Ji-woo and actor Song Seung-hun have each donated 200 million won (about 13 million yen).
• Chinese billionaire Chen Guangbiao has donated rescue supplies and 13 million yen.

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For years, Gottfried has been the voice behind the duck in commercials for American insurance company Aflac. Thanks to his insensitive jokes, he has been fired:

“Gilbert’s recent comments about the crisis in Japan were lacking in humor and certainly do not represent the thoughts and feelings of anyone at Aflac,” said Michael Zuna, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, in a statement today from the Columbus, Georgia-based insurer.

[...]

“Aflac will immediately set plans in motion to conduct a nationwide casting call to find a new voice of the iconic Aflac Duck,” the insurer said in today’s statement. “It should be noted that Gilbert Gottfried is not the voice of the Aflac Duck in Japan.”

If you’re wondering what voice they use for the duck in Japan, here’s an example of one of their Japanese commercials:

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A FTV reporter brings a box of silly disguises to the Tokyo premiere of “The Tourist,” hoping that she can get Johnny Depp to try one on:

Johnny says he likes the samurai chonmage hat, but he won’t try it on. Such ridiculousness is beneath him.

But have no fear, dear viewers! They found themselves a willing victim in the form of Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who was more than happy to wacky himself up if it provided him with an opportunity to promote his film:

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An important update on yesterday’s story about a Jewish group demanding an apology from MTV Japan and the music group Kishidan over the group’s use of uniforms inspired by Nazi Germany’s SS.

Sony Music has updated the group’s official website to include an apology statement in both Japanese and English:

お詫び

　氣志團の衣装に関しては、決して思想的な背景を有するものではありませんが、結果的にサイモン・ウィゼンタールセンター及び関係者に対し、非常にショックを与えたことを深く謝罪するとともに、深く反省いたします。氣志團のメンバーも同様に深い謝罪と深い反省を示しています。

　今回のサイモン・ウィゼンタールセンターの忠告を真摯に受け止め、今後は、指摘のあった氣志團の衣装は一切使用せず、直ちに破棄いたします。

　今回の件で皆様方にご迷惑をおかけしたことを深くお詫び申し上げます。

　株式会社ソニー・ミュージックアーティスツ

　代表取締役　原田公一

　代表取締役　高橋章

Message of Apology

In regards to the costume worn by Kishidan on MTV Japan’s program, “Megavector”, although it was not meant to carry any ideological meaning whatsoever, we deeply regret and apologize for the distress it has caused Simon Wiesenthal Center and all concerned.
Members of Kishidan also deeply regret and apologize in this matter.

We have taken the words of advice from Simon Wiesenthal Center very seriously. Kishidan will never again use this costume and it will be disposed of immediately.

We sincerely apologize for the insensitive action.

I haven’t seen anything yet about MTV Japan apologizing and taking up the Simon Wiesenthal Center’s offer to interview a holocaust survivor, but I did hear on the news that they canceled a rebroadcast of the infamous Kishidan interview.

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A washed-up celebrity fleeing to the Philippines to avoid arrest for amphetamine possession has been the top story on Japanese TV news broadcasts for days. Every major network sent reporters to snoop around Manila, interviewing random people who claim to have seen the woman. Finally, one managed to track her down on the street:

The Philippine immigration bureau said that Minako Komukai, 25, applied for an extension of her stay in the country on Feb. 8.

She arrived in Manila on Jan. 21 from Tokyo.

Her extended visa is valid until March 21 and may be extended every two months for a total of 16 months unless cancelled upon a proper request from the Japanese government.

But the Philippine immigration bureau and the police said they have to receive any official request from Japanese authorities about Komukai.

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Since his debut in Japan in 2008, Jero (born Jerome Charles White, Jr.) has transformed the Japanese music industry. After his single Umiyuki burst onto the charts his subsequent albums, Yakusoku (2009), Covers (2008), Covers 2 (2009), and Covers 3 (2010) have garnered critical acclaim and have been credited with reviving popular interest in enka music. Winner of the 2008 Best New Artist Award at the Japan Record Awards, he has also appeared regularly on Japanese TV and in commercials and twice performed at the prestigious New Year’s Eve Kôhaku Utagassen concert.

The Berkeley Japan New Vision Award was established in 2009 to award an individual who has, in recent times, dramatically transformed our vision of Japan. Singing traditional Japanese ballads in an American idiom, not only has Jero rekindled an interest in enka among the younger generation of Japanese but he has also opened up the possibilities for fluent Japanese-speakers from around the world breaking into the entertainment and other industries in Japan. Given his mixed-race background, he has also become a symbol for the acceptance of a more multiethnic society for 21st-century Japan.

The award ceremony will be held in April. (Last year’s winner was film director Clint Eastwood.)

Although Jero hasn’t been making many headlines lately, the press release mentions that he has a new album [Best & Rare (2011.3. 23)] coming out soon, as well as a biography entitle “Enka Transcends Borders: African-American Singer Jero and a Family History Spanning Three Generations” (Iwanami, March 2011).

He’s also been regularly appearing in instant noodle commercials:

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Mr. Big is in Japan to give some concerts, so here’s a clip of FTV taking them to a sushi restaurant where customers have to catch their own meals:

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