Online music store JapanFiles.com sent out a press release today announcing that they have added three artists to their catalog: technopop pioneers MOTOCOMPO, singer-songwriter Fuyumi Abe, and the '90s all-girl rock band SUPER JUNKY MONKEY.

Their music can be heard at their artist pages on JapanFiles: MOTOCOMPO, Fuyumi Abe, SUPER JUNKY MONKEY

Singer Mika Nakashima has been chosen as the first Japanese person to be on the cover of Rolling Stone Japan.

The American-based Rolling Stone launched the Japanese version of its magazine last March. Past issues have featured overseas artists on the cover, but Nakashima will break tradition with the April issue (on sale March 10), which will also include a 4-page feature on her. There is further talk that Nakashima may appear on the cover of the U.S. edition in the future.

The magazine's editor selected her for the cover because he wanted a female artist whose impact extended beyond just music. Nakashima, who is involved in areas such as fashion and acting, was a natural choice.

Rising actress Yui Aragaki, who recently picked up several film awards, has been cast in her next project. She will star in Kensaku Watanabe's "Fure Fure Shojo," which is scheduled to open this September.

Aragaki plays Momoko, a high school bookworm who longs for the type of romance found in the novels she reads. One day, she encounters Oshima, the ace pitcher of the baseball team, and falls in love at first sight. In an effort to get closer to him, she joins the team's ouendan (cheering squad). However, the squad only has one member and is on the verge of being shut down. While desperately trying to keep the squad alive, she meets a legendary cheer squad leader (Takashi Naito) who shows her the true meaning of being in an ouendan.

Aragaki remarked that she has worn a gakuran (a type of uniform) for previous works, but this was her first time wearing one fitted for her.

Kaname Kawabata (CHEMISTRY) announced on his official website that he has married model Miki Takahashi. Sources say that they registered their marriage on Thursday.

Kawabata had been dating talento Hiroko Anzai for several years, but they broke up early last year so that Kawabata could focus on his music career. In June, he met Takahashi when she appeared in the music video for "This Night," and their relationship quickly developed.

A ceremony and reception have not yet been scheduled.

TV Tokyo's drama adaptation of Kei Horito's manga series "Hisho no Kagami" (previously announced here) will start its broadcast on April 11. Talento Megumi Yasu has been given the starring role of Yu Kagami, a multi-talented temp secretary with a strong sense of justice. The character is described as being skilled in karate and aikido, so Yasu has taken up kickboxing to help her play the part.

Last week, it was announced that actress Aoi Miyazaki has been chosen as an official Japan model for Emporio Armani. Her promotional campaign started on Wednesday, with ads appearing in magazines, newspapers, and on billboards.

Images can be found on the Emporio Armani website.

68-year-old actor Go Wakabayashi was rushed to the hospital on Wednesday and underwent surgery for a chronic subdural hematoma.

During a performance on Wednesday at the Misonoza in Nagoya, he started feeling unwell. Immediately after he finished, he was taken to a nearby hospital. When an MRI scan detected the hematoma on the left side of his brain, the doctor decided he would need to undergo an emergency operation. The surgery lasted about three hours but was successful, and Wakabayashi may be discharged as early as a week from now.

Last month, it was revealed that Maki Hashiba's "Tokyo Ghost Trip" manga is being turned into a live-action series, starring actors Juri and Ren Yagami.

The comedy series currently runs in Tosuisha's yaoi-focused Ichiraci magazine. Setsu (Juri) and Souwa (Yagami) are members of the Inui family, descended from itako (traditionally, blind female shamans from northern Japan). Their high school graduation is coming up, but the head of the Inui family suddenly runs away. Their older brother Kai (Renn Kiriyama), a priest who studied exorcism abroad, becomes their guardian, and Setsu and Souwa are forced to take over the family business of dealing with spirits.

Yoshikazu Kotani and Yukihiro Takiguchi play two other members of the Inui family, while Ryoma Baba plays a ghost named Isuzu Kitano.

The series will air on Tokyo MX starting this April.

Walt Disney Japan is currently working with domestic animation studios such as Madhouse and Toei Animation to produce cartoons targeted at Japanese and Asian audiences. The move is said to be a first for the company, as its primary target market has traditionally been the U.S.

Three series are already in the works: the futuristic CG-animated "Fireball" produced with Jinni's Animation Studios; "Stitch!," a Madhouse collaboration starring the lovable alien from "Lilo & Stitch"; and an unnamed series produced with Toei. "Fireball" is already scheduled for an April premiere, while "Stitch!" has been penciled in for October.

Disney is aiming to expand to the mobile market and is also looking to spread the cartoons to the rest of Asia.

On Tuesday, NHK announced that veteran announcer Masaaki Horio has decided to resign at the end of this month. While his future plans are still undecided, it appears that he may pursue acting, which had been his interest during his younger days.

Horio, 52, submitted his resignation at the end of last month. His last scheduled TV appearance is a special program set to air on the 20th. Kazuya Matsumoto has been appointed to take over his regular shows.

While Horio was a student at Waseda University, he aspired to be an actor, taking up training with both the Haiyuza and Bungakuza troupes. However, he joined NHK in 1981 and eventually became a popular announcer.

The popular band Mr.Children has two theme songs in store this year. First, they will provide the theme for NHK's drama series "Battery," which premieres on April 3. The song, titled "Shonen," has not been given a release date yet.

Then this summer, the band will do the theme song for NHK's coverage of the Beijing Olympics. Details of the song are scheduled to be revealed around June.