Fuji TV's variety program "Mentore G" will be making a move into the prime time. The show, which features idol group TOKIO, currently runs half an hour each week in the Friday 11:00pm time slot. Starting in April, the show will air on Sundays at 9:00pm, occupying a full hour.

"Mentore G" has been on the air since April 2000. In its seven-year run it has averaged a 12.8% rating (the highest for that time slot), with a high of 18.6% on September 6, 2002. Last year, its average rating was 14.0%, and a two-hour prime time special in April reached 19.8%.

Singer Hiromi Go is planning to run for office in the House of Councillors election in July. He will run as a member of the Liberal Democratic Party.

According to the latest issue of Josei Jishin, actress Mao Daichi is currently in a serious relationship with interior designer Yasumichi Morita. The two met through a mutual friend in December.

Daichi was previously married to Ken Matsudaira, but the two divorced at the end of 2003.

Pop artist Ken Hirai has written his first enka song, to be used in the currently airing NTV drama series, "Enka no Joou." The song, titled "Onna no Wakaremichi," is sung by Yuki Amami's character, a struggling enka artist. Hirai, who also performs the theme song for the series, used the fictional name "Kenzaburo Utabaka" as the credited composer of his new tune.

The song's lyrics can be found at the drama's official site.

Actress Chiaki Kuriyama will take on her first lead role in a drama series this spring. She will play an OL in the TBS drama "Tokkyu Tanaka 3 Go," where she becomes the object of affection of a railfan nicknamed "Tetsu" (played by Koki Tanaka).

Takashi Tsukamoto and Rosa Kato will play supporting roles. Ryuji Akiyama of comedy trio Robert will also make his first drama appearance as a regular cast member. The series will air in the Friday 10:00pm time slot.

Actress Rina Uchiyama will star in the upcoming drama series, "Seito Shokun!" The drama is based on "Seito Shokun! Kyoshi Hen," the sequel to Yoko Shoji's manga "Seito Shokun!" Although the original manga has been adapted into a drama series before, this new series is the first adaptation of the sequel.

In her first school drama, Uchiyama plays the role of a teacher at a public middle school, where she tackles modern issues in education, such as bullying, suicide, and declining student performance. The series begins in April on TV Asahi (Fridays 9:00pm).

Fans of the music used in the popular "NANA" anime series have been granted a wish. Anna Tsuchiya and OLIVIA (who handle the singing voices of Nana and Reira, respectively) will be holding a joint concert on March 30 at Shibuya AX in Tokyo. The two will be leading their fictional bands, BLACK STONES and TRAPNEST, in their first direct clash against each other. Such a scene has never happened in the original manga or in the movies.

The two bands are currently planned to perform about an hour each, followed by a joint stage appearance.

Unlike most concerts, tickets will not be publicly sold. People who buy either the "ANNA inspi' NANA(BLACK STONES)" or the "OLIVIA inspi' REIRA(TRAPNEST)" mini-albums will be entered into a free drawing, through which all of the 1,500 tickets will be given away.

The popularity of "NANA" has spread worldwide, being broadcast in 21 other countries. Avex has received requests for concerts from many of those countries, especially France. The company is currently considering the possibility of an overseas tour.

The first of the four new "Neon Genesis Evangelion" movies is scheduled to open on September 1. It will be titled "Evangelion Shin Gekijo Ban," though it uses a variant spelling of "Evangelion" (ヱヴァンゲリヲン).

On February 17, director Hideaki Anno will begin publicizing the film in theaters nationwide through the use of posters and 15-second news flashes. Portal site Yahoo! will also be creating a special page containing reports about the movies.

The eight finalists for the R-1 Grand Prix 2007 have been announced. Tomochika and Takeshi Nadagi (of The Plan 9) both made the cut, which means they will continue to battle each other in the finals, despite the fact that they are currently dating. Also selected was Yoshimi Tokui, who is hoping to match his win at last year's M-1 Grand Prix as part of the duo Tutorial. The other finalists are Ume, Ohwakyoju, Ponta Dohi, Bakarhythm, and Masami Yamamoto.

This is the fifth R-1 Grand Prix, with a record field of 2,183 competitors. The finals will be held on February 18.

Former Takarazuka top star Wataru Kozuki will be appearing in her first production since leaving the troupe last November. She will play the role of the seductress Lola in the musical "Damn Yankees," starring alongside Mayo Kawasaki (as the devil, Mr. Applegate) and Kenya Osumi (as Joe Hardy).

Mari Yaguchi will appear as the reporter, and Keaki Mori will play the role of Joe's wife. The show will run from March 25 to June 6 at the Aoyama Theatre in Tokyo.

TV Asahi's jidaigeki "Hissatsu" series is returning for a drama special some time later this year. The series was very popular between the '70s and the '90s, comprising 30 renzoku dramas, 19 drama specials, and 9 movies. The last renzoku drama in the series aired from October 1991 to March 1992.

The new special, titled "Hissatsu Shigotonin 2007," will feature a Johnny's-heavy cast, with Noriyuki Higashiyama playing the lead and Masahiro Matsuoka and Tadayoshi Okura in supporting roles. Also appearing in the special is veteran actor Makoto Fujita, who appeared in several of the later "Hissatsu" dramas.