Kazuhiro Azuma's manga "Yukipon no Oshigoto" will be adapted into a drama series this spring, with Yukipon reportedly played by actor Yoshinori Okada. The series begins on April 1 and includes a total of 13 episodes. It will be broadcast on TV Tokyo late night on Sundays (2:30am).

Former Takarazuka star Ayaka Shiraki, wife of talento Hideyuki Nakayama, give birth to the couple's fourth child last Friday. All four of their children are boys. The newborn was named Takahito.

It was announced on Monday that Ken Okumoto (27) of DA PUMP became a father on January 27. Okumoto got married last July to his wife, whom he had been dating for almost nine years. The baby, a healthy girl, was named Kairi.

Hip-hop group Dragon Ash had to postpone a live performance on Monday after leader and vocalist Kenji Furuya became ill with the flu.

The group was scheduled to record a performance at CLUB CITTA for Space Shower TV. On Sunday, Furuya complained of a fever and a swollen throat. He was taken to the hospital for examination and was diagnosed with influenza. Furuya went home to rest, but the symptoms remained on Monday morning. He decided to postpone the recording, saying, "I can't give my best performance."

TBS announcer Ako Kawada will become a free announcer after March 23. She explained her resignation by saying that she wanted to do more news programs, rather than just variety shows.

Kawada joined TBS in 2002 while she was still enrolled at Shirayuri College. She struggled early on because she lacked training as an announcer, but she has recently grown in popularity.

Although Kawada will no longer be affiliated with the network, she will remain on the TBS programs "Gacchiri Monday!!" and "NepuRika."

It was revealed on Monday that 34-year-old actress Shinobu Terajima is married. A press conference is scheduled for Tuesday.

Talent agency Oscar Promotion, which announced that it will be creating an owarai division this month, is looking to expand even further. The company has established a "bishoujo mini-troupe" that will first appear in a stage production this April. The play is titled "1999.9 Nen no Natsu Yasumi."

Oscar Promotion is the agency that runs the All-Japan National Young Beauty Contest, which has launched the careers of many female talents, such as Aya Ueto. The members of the mini-troupe are all previous winners of the contest: Atsuko Sudo (1997 Grand Prix), Manami Hashimoto (1997 Acting Category), Mizuho Sakata (2002 Grand Prix), and Yuka Honda (2003 Music Category).

The play, adapted from Shusuke Kaneko's film "1999 Nen no Natsu Yasumi," is produced by theater troupe Alotta Fagina (commonly abbreviated as ALOTF). This will be the 8th run of the play. Performances are scheduled from April 6 to April 10 at the Kichijoji Theatre in Tokyo.

Actress Misaki Ito has been cast in her first radio drama. The program is titled "Spring Special ~Anata e to Tsuzuku Michi~" and is scheduled to air on Nippon Broadcasting System on March 18 at 11:00pm.

The drama takes place at a wedding reception and focuses on four different women. Ito will serve as the voice for all of them: the bride, two of her friends (one newlywed and one widow), and the reception's hostess. Each character will have a unique personality and tone of voice.

Actress Yuri Nakae, who has recently gained attention as a writer, is in charge of the script. Popular duo Kobukuro will provide the background music, but NBS is letting the listeners decide which Kobukuro songs will be used. Until March 14, requests can be mailed to NBS through the drama's website.