On Tuesday, internationally recognized author Haruki Murakami was named as the winner of the fiction category of the 11th Kiriyama Prize. The award is sponsored by Pacific Rim Voices, and it is intended for honoring "literature that contributes to greater understanding of and among the peoples and nations of the Pacific Rim and South Asia."

Murakami's short story collection, "Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman," earned him a share of the $30,000 prize money. The rest was awarded to the nonfiction winners, Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin, who co-authored "Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time." The book is an account of Mortenson's founding of the Central Asia Institute, a non-profit organization which has created dozens of schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan.

SMAP's Takuya Kimura is appearing in new commercials for Sankei Express, a daily morning paper affiliated with Sankei Shimbun. The commercials are being broadcast on Fuji TV in the Kanto region. Broadcast begins on the 29th.

The paper, which launched last November, is notable for its compact size and high quality paper. It is currently popular among young people.

Kimura's commercials promote the paper's 7-day free trial campaign. He plays the role of an ordinary businessman who starts reading the paper and gains extraordinary powers by the end of the week.

Actress and singer Kou Shibasaki has scheduled her first live performances for this August. She made her singing debut in 2002, but has not yet held a live concert.

Two performances are scheduled in early August, one in Tokyo and one in Osaka. Both venues will have a standing room capacity of 1,500 people. Tickets will not be sold; they will be given away in a free drawing to fans who purchase her new album, "Kiki," which goes on sale on April 25. If the performances go well, there is the possibility of a national tour later.

Shibasaki will be accompanied by a band of 15 musicians. She will play a role in the production, including song selection and costuming. The performances are expected to last about 90 minutes. Rehearsals will be held in July.

Shibasaki will also be celebrating her birthday just before the concerts. She turns 26 on August 5.

The General Insurance Association of Japan (also known as Sonpo) revealed its 2007 Fire Prevention Poster on Wednesday. The organization has run a poster campaign since 1979 to increase awareness about fire prevention.

This year's poster model is actress Erika Toda. Recent models in previous years include Masami Nagasawa and Juri Ueno.

Actress/caster Mao Kobayashi is making her debut as a voice actress in the Japanese dub of the 2005 Korean film, "Sad Movie" (directed by Kwon Jong-kwan). The DVD is being released on April 6. Kobayashi handles the voice of Lim Su-jeong's character, a sign language interpreter.

Comedian Tomonori Jinnai has recently been seen wearing glasses. He explained that he had to stop wearing his contact lenses in preparation for laser eye surgery on April 9. Currently, Jinnai has a visual acuity of only 0.04 (20/500 or 6/150 in foot and meter scales, respectively). After the operation, he hopes to improve to as high as 1.5.

Singer AI's new song, "Brand New Day," will be used in a new commercial for JAL. The commercial also features pro golfer Ai Miyazato, who is a big fan of the singer. The commercial begins airing on April 1.

AI's CD single will be released this summer, but the song already began distribution through Chaku-Uta on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, actress Misaki Ito was named as the recipient of the 24th Diamond Personality Prize, which is sponsored by the Diamond Trading Company. The award is given to celebrities who are said to personify the charm of diamonds.

Ito attended the award ceremony wearing a 3.6-carat diamond necklace worth approximately 10 million yen.

Taichi Kokubun of idol group TOKIO has been announced as a host of NHK's new variety program "Kaitai Shin Show." Including this show, Kokubun will be a regular on six different programs.

The show's focus is using science to explain the mysteries of the human body. Announcer Yuka Kubota will be Kokubun's co-host.

"Kaitai Shin Show" will air on Saturdays at 10:00pm, starting on April 14.