Last week, Ayumi Hamasaki released her 41st single, "glitter / fated." According to Oricon, it sold approximately 110,000 copies during the week, making it #1 on the singles chart.

With the new song, Hamasaki has now achieved 9 consecutive years with a #1 single. This ties her for the record (among female artists) with Akina Nakamori, who accomplished the feat from 1982 to 1990.

Hamasaki currently holds four other singles-related records among female artists: most #1 singles (28), most Top 10 singles (39), most total sales (20.2 million copies), and most million-selling singles (5, tied with Pink Lady, Namie Amuro, and Hikaru Utada).

Meanwhile, on the weekly album charts, KinKi Kids' new best album "39" took #1 with about 301,000 copies sold.

Singer Rumiko Koyanagi and her agency have denied reports that she is planning to marry actor Masataka Ishibashi at the end of this year.

The couple has been spotted together frequently and are believed to be dating. When asked about it, Koyanagi's agency said that it was unable to comment on whether they are in a relationship. However, the company said that there is no talk of marriage. Koyanagi also personally denied the rumor over the phone.

Management agency Tokyo 6 Productions (part of From First) announced on Monday that it has dismissed talento Kenji Haga, who is currently undergoing trial for blackmail.

On Saturday, Haga was formally indicted on charges of blackmail. In its announcement of Haga's dismissal, the agency stated that it will leave matters to the law, but it believes that Haga will be found innocent.

17-year-old actress Nao Minamisawa has been appointed as the model for the 2007 Victor Koshien Poster campaign. The posters, which feature her in the role of a club manager, can be viewed at the campaign website.