Fri, October 19, 2007 (5:33pm EDT)
The family of actress Youki Kudoh were the recent victims of a burglary. Tens of millions of yen worth of precious metals and jewelry were stolen.
The crime occurred at her parents' apartment in Shibuya. Her family returned to the apartment on the night of October 17, finding the place in disarray and discovering many valuables missing, including a diamond ring and an expensive watch. Police believe the thief was able to enter through an unlocked window on a second-story balcony.
Although Kudoh lives in the Shizuoka Prefecture, she often stops by the apartment when she has work in Tokyo. Some of her possessions that she left there were also taken.
The crime occurred at her parents' apartment in Shibuya. Her family returned to the apartment on the night of October 17, finding the place in disarray and discovering many valuables missing, including a diamond ring and an expensive watch. Police believe the thief was able to enter through an unlocked window on a second-story balcony.
Although Kudoh lives in the Shizuoka Prefecture, she often stops by the apartment when she has work in Tokyo. Some of her possessions that she left there were also taken.
Fri, October 19, 2007 (4:16am EDT)
TV personality and former model Michiko Kihara died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage on October 18. She was 59.
Kihara was also known as a swimmer, having competed at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. After retiring from competitive swimming, she went into entertainment, but she remained active as a coach. In 2005, she became the director of the Japan Swimming Federation.
On October 13, Kihara was leading a swimming class in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa when she lost consciousness in the pool. She was transported to a nearby hospital, but died five days later.
Kihara was also known as a swimmer, having competed at the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo. After retiring from competitive swimming, she went into entertainment, but she remained active as a coach. In 2005, she became the director of the Japan Swimming Federation.
On October 13, Kihara was leading a swimming class in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa when she lost consciousness in the pool. She was transported to a nearby hospital, but died five days later.
Fri, October 19, 2007 (2:55am EDT)
The summer edition of the Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix has concluded. A total of 16,725 votes were submitted between the 1st and 12th of this month. The big winner was NTV's "Hotaru no Hikari," which took four of the five categories.
The series won Best Drama with almost 6,400 votes, more than double the second-place "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e." The show's star, Haruka Ayase, also won by a landslide for Best Actress, receiving almost 7,700 votes versus Maki Horikita's 3,700 votes.
For Best Supporting Actor, Naohito Fujiki beat out Toma Ikuta by a 2,000 vote margin. Meanwhile, the race for Best Supporting Actress was much tighter, with Ryoko Kuninaka defeating Mikako Tabe by only 58 ballots.
The only other winning drama was "Yamada Taro Monogatari," as Kazunari Ninomiya won in a close battle against Koichi Domoto and Shun Oguri.
The complete results can be found in the forums.
The series won Best Drama with almost 6,400 votes, more than double the second-place "Hanazakari no Kimitachi e." The show's star, Haruka Ayase, also won by a landslide for Best Actress, receiving almost 7,700 votes versus Maki Horikita's 3,700 votes.
For Best Supporting Actor, Naohito Fujiki beat out Toma Ikuta by a 2,000 vote margin. Meanwhile, the race for Best Supporting Actress was much tighter, with Ryoko Kuninaka defeating Mikako Tabe by only 58 ballots.
The only other winning drama was "Yamada Taro Monogatari," as Kazunari Ninomiya won in a close battle against Koichi Domoto and Shun Oguri.
The complete results can be found in the forums.
