49-year-old actress Kyoko Aizome and two others were arrested this week for beating her 14-year-old niece. Aizome became famous in the '70s and '80s for starring in some of Japan's earliest hardcore adult films, but she retired from the adult industry in 1994.

On April 20, Aizome, her mother, and her brother (who is the girl's father) took turns beating the young girl for four hours, resulting in injuries along her whole body that will take about two weeks to heal.

The incident was discovered when the girl later fled to a nearby convenience store for help. Her father and her grandmother were arrested two days later, and Aizome was arrested on the 23rd after she showed up to the police station. The three have acknowledged the charges.

The beating arose from an argument about the girl dating an older man. The three adults apparently tried to lecture her about it, but she would not listen. However, police believe that the girl's partner may have also been dating Aizome, complicating the matter. Police are also investigating whether the man may face charges for corruption of a minor.

Talento Kanoko Nishikawa gave birth to her first child on Tuesday evening in an Osaka hospital. Her husband, a pastry maker whom she married in 2005, was also present. They named the newborn girl Chisaki.

The 20th DVD Data Awards, established by the magazine DVD Data, were presented on Tuesday. The awards primarily honor films and TV shows, but there is one Best Talent Prize given to a highly active celebrity. This time, the award was given to actress Yu Aoi, who appeared in several films last year and received multiple awards for her performance in "Hula Girl."

Keisuke Kuwata, the Southern All Stars member who has recently become very active as a solo artist, will be showing up in another string of commercials. He has been appointed as the image character of mens' salon Dandy House, and the first of a three-part commercial begins airing on the 25th.

The song for the commercial is "Otokotachi no Elegy," one of the coupling songs on his new single, "Ashita Hareru Kana" (on sale May 16).

TOKIO's Tomoya Nagase will make his debut as a voice actor in "Sword of the Stranger," an animated action film set during the Sengoku period of Japan. The movie is being produced by animation studio BONES and directed by Masahiro Ando. It is scheduled for release this fall.

Nagase provides the voice for the main character, a nameless ronin. Yuri Chinen of Johnny's Jr. is also making his voice acting debut in the movie, appearing as a secretive youth with no family. Veteran actor Naoto Takenaka will be the voice of a monk who aids the young boy.

Actress Hiromi Iwasaki married actor Metal Yoshida, a member of theater group Gekidan Shinkansen, on the 15th. She plans to continue working.

Hello! Project member Nozomi Tsuji has joined a new unit with idol Ami Tokito and competitive eater Galsone, produced by Tsunku. The group is called "Gyaruru" (ギャルル), derived from the phenomenon known as "gyaru" (gal) culture. The concept behind "Gyaruru" is a typical representation of the culture: flashy fashion, ganguro makeup, eurobeat music, and para para dancing.

The trio made their public debut on Tuesday in Ibaraki, performing their first single, "Boom Boom Meccha Maccho!" The CD will be released on June 20.

"Gyaruru" has been in planning since even before Ai Kago (Tsuji's partner in the group W) was dismissed from work in March for her second underage smoking violation. At a press conference before the performance, Tsuji mentioned that she still wishes W could have continued, but she plans to do her best as part of the new unit.

Tsuji was appointed leader of the group, and will be known as "Tsujiji." Similarly, Tokito will be called "Amimi" and Sone will be called "Sonene."