It was recently discovered that actress Naomi Kawashima is getting married, and now her partner's identity has been uncovered. Kawashima will be tying the knot with renowned pastry chef Toshi Yoroizuka, who currently runs shops in Ebisu and Tokyo Midtown.

When Yoroizuka was 30, he traveled to Europe and the U.S., spending the next eight years abroad to learn more about cooking. At one point, he was employed as chef patissier at a top-rated French restaurant in Belgium.

Rakugo artist Koasa Shunputei and former singer-songwriter Yasuha announced their divorce on Tuesday. Unlike a typical divorce, however, their press conference was unexpectedly festive.

The two have been married since 1988. Throughout the years, Yasuha has supported the rakugo star as a devoted wife, but she eventually decided she could no longer play that role and wanted to be free again. The discussion first came up on September 20, and they finally filed their divorce on November 12.

Some have speculated that the reason for the breakup was the lack of children or possible infidelity, but they both denied it.

There are no hard feelings between the two, and they said they will continue working together. In fact, they reportedly will still be living in the same apartment, although in separate rooms. Shunputei jokingly commented that the "divorce papers were a love letter," and their relationship had "transformed from a marriage into enjo kosai (compensated dating)."

Shintaro Yamada, the father of pop vocalist KEIKO (of globe), died of an intracranial hemorrhage in an Oita hospital on Monday morning. He was 63.

Yamada suddenly collapsed on Sunday night and was transported to a hospital. KEIKO and her husband, producer Tetsuya Komuro, rushed to the hospital the same day to watch over him.

A wake was held on Wednesday night, and the funeral will be held on Thursday afternoon.

Popular duo DREAMS COME TRUE will sing the theme song of the new "One Piece" movie, it was learned on Wednesday.

Due out in March, "One Piece: Episode of Chopper Plus" is the ninth film in the popular franchise. It includes new characters and scenes not seen in the original story.

As a fan of DCT, mangaka Eiichiro Oda asked them to provide a song. The two musicians, also fans of "One Piece," accepted the offer.

The song, titled "Mata ne," is written by DCT member Miwa Yoshida. Because the movie opens in March, she wrote the lyrics with the school graduation season in mind. According to a suggestion from Oda, the song's chorus includes children singing.

"Mata ne" appears on DCT's new album "AND I LOVE YOU," which goes on sale December 12.

Actor Kenichi Matsuyama has been given the starring role in the upcoming live-action film based on Kiminori Wakasugi's popular gag manga "Detroit Metal City."

Matsuyama plays Soichi Negishi, a generally naive guy who unexpectedly becomes the vocalist of a death metal band. As filming is expected to begin in late February, Matsuyama is currently undergoing guitar and voice training.

The film is being directed by Toshio Lee and distributed by Toho, with next summer targeted for release. No other cast details have been announced yet, but producers plan to include popular musicians as guest appearances.

On December 14, Fuji TV will broadcast a drama special titled "Churaumi Kara no Nengajou." It revolves around Okinawa's Churaumi Aquarium, which opened in 2002 and was the largest in the world until 2005.

Actor Saburo Tokito stars in the drama as the aquarium's director. The story begins when he announces the plans for the aquarium's 7500-ton main tank, inspired by a boy fighting an incurable illness in a Hokkaido hospital.

The supporting cast includes Kenta Suga as the young boy and Hiro Mizushima as a postal worker delivering the boy's letters to Tokito.

Model and actress Karina will star in a TBS drama series this winter, titled "Daisuki!!" It is her first time with a lead role in a television drama.

The series is based on a manga by Mizuho Aimoto titled "Daisuki!! Yuzu no Kosodate Nikki," which is currently being serialized in Kodansha's BE LOVE magazine.

Karina plays Yuzu, a mentally disabled woman with the mind of an 8-year-old, who falls in love with a man with a similar disability. She becomes pregnant, but he dies in an accident, leaving her alone in raising the child.

The drama will air on Thursdays at 10:00pm, starting on January 17.

20th Century Fox has finally revealed details of its live-action "Dragonball" movie, based on Akira Toriyama's phenomenally successful manga of the same name. The film will star Justin Chatwin ("The Invisible," "War of the Worlds") as Goku, with James Marsters ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") playing the villian Piccolo.

Action director Stephen Chow is producing. James Wong ("Final Destination") will direct, using a script he revised from a previous draft by Ben Ramsey.

Filming starts later this month. Fox has scheduled the movie for worldwide release on August 15, 2008.

On Tuesday, the Japan Make-up Association held a ceremony to present its 1st Japan Make-up Award. The prize was given to actress Ryoko Yonekura, who showed up wearing a stunning blue Versace dress and a Bulgari ring and bracelet.

The award was tied in with the organization's 2nd annual Hair & Make-up Artist Audition.

The long-running TBS jidaigeki series "Mitokomon" will begin its 38th season on January 7. Kotaro Satomi is returning as the lead character, Tokugawa Mitsukuni.

The upcoming season will involve two warring clans. Actress Maju Ozawa is joining the show's regular cast as the sister of one of the clan's warriors, played by Shigeyuki Nakamura. Her character is on a mission to help resolve the conflict.

As usual, the show will air for six months in TBS's Monday 8:00pm time slot.

46-year-old announcer Yoshinari Tsuji, once affiliated with TV Asahi, revealed on Tuesday that he recently got married. His wife is a former flight attendant named Mayumi Noguchi. They registered their marriage on October 2, which was Noguchi's 41st birthday. They held their ceremony and reception on the 20th of the same month.

This is the second marriage for both Tsuji and Noguchi.