Japanese pop group AKB48’s latest (15th) single Sakura no shiori is selling like hot cakes at the moment. More than 300,000 copies were sold on the first week since its release on February 17; making it the best selling single in seven years for Japanese female artists.
All-girl Japanese band MARIA is breaking up in April due to drummer TATTSU’s health.
TATTSU began experiencing numbness in her arm in early 2009. She was diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome, and her doctor advised her to stop straining herself before the disorder progresses beyond recovery.
The band and company eventually decided to end their activities this April when the record contract is set to expire. Even though it was suggested that the band could replace TATTSU with another drummer, the six members rejected the idea.
The band was formed in 2005 and made their debut the following year with the hit single Chiisana Uta. Their last concert is scheduled for April 3 at Akasaka Blitz.
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Japanese stars Yamashita Tomohisa and Kitagawa Keiko are reported to be dating.
The couple worked together in Buzzer Beat, and seems to have carried on their on-screen relationship to real life.
The couple was spotted together a few times; although they have denied the rumors and stated that they are just friends, but there’s too many indicators that suggest that they are indeed in a romance relationship.
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American-Japanese singer Utada Hikaru is returning to US for 8-city cross country tour in support of her latest album, This Is The One.
The tour will open in Honolulu on January 15, continue with shows in Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, and Las Vegas, work its way east through Chicago and Boston, and wrap up at Irving Plaza in New York City.
[Official site for ticketing details][Image credits to Y.Kikuma]
After the news broke out that a mega-scale Hallyu event – with the attendance of Lee Byung-hun, Jang Dong-gun, Song Seung-hun and Won Bin – is going to be held on December 17 in Tokyo, people are wondering how huge of a crowd the event will succeed in attracting.
The fans are showing tremendous reaction to the news. With each celebrity being huge Hallyu stars, the local fans could not believe all four would appear at a single event and even doubted the authenticity of the news. The ticket price of 15,800 yen (US$180) is getting some complaints though.
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