Sega held a press event on Friday for its original Nintendo DS role-playing game, "World Destruction." It is a major project, getting both a manga and anime adaptation this summer to precede the game's launch on September 18.

The game's basic story centers around a boy named Kirie who becomes part of a group trying to destroy the world. Character voices are being provided by popular seiyus such as Mamoru Miyano (as Kirie), Toru Furuya, and Maaya Sakamoto. It was also revealed that actress Yui Ichikawa and actor Hiro Mizushima are voicing minor roles in the game.

The "World Destruction" anime series starts airing on TV Tokyo on July 7. Then on July 26, the manga begins serialization in Dengeki Maoh. The three different incarnations will feature the same characters, but the stories will be different.

Music group AAA is providing music for the video game and the anime.

In April, it was discovered that 75-year-old actor Makoto Fujita has esophageal cancer and has been undergoing radiation therapy for it. This past Monday, he received additional treatment in the form of surgery, which is said to have gone well.

Because of his illness, Fujita had to step down from his role in the play "Kenkaku Shobai," which starts in Tokyo this month. He was replaced by Mikijiro Hira, though he was scheduled to make his return for the Osaka performances that start in September. However, Fujita's doctor has advised him to rest for the entire summer while he continues to be treated, pushing his comeback until fall at the earliest. As a result, the show has had its Osaka run canceled.

This is the first time that the Shochikuza has canceled a show since the theater opened in 1997.

Publisher Shogakukan formally announced on Friday that it has decided to suspend the publication of its Weekly Young Sunday manga magazine due to a long decline in sales. The magazine once had a circulation of around 800,000 in the early '90s, but in recent years it has fallen far behind rival magazines and is now averaging only about 200,000 copies.

Young Sunday premiered in 1987 as a semimonthly publication, but it switched to a weekly format in 1995. Currently, it is the home of popular mangas "Dr. Koto's Clinic" and "Kurosagi," among others. The magazine's last issue will go on sale July 31.

Shogakukan is also suspending its women's magazine Judy after August 23 and is revamping its information magazine Rakuda.

On Saturday, talent agency Topcoat held a fashion event, produced by actor Hiroki Narimiya. Actress Yoshino Kimura, who is also managed by Topcoat, served as a model during the show. After the event, she was questioned about her rumored romance with actor Yusuke Iseya, but it appears that the two have already broken up.

Kimura and Iseya started dating in late 2006 while working together in Takashi Miike's "Sukiyaki Western Django." Their relationship was first reported in May of last year, and a few months later it was announced that they would play a couple in Fernando Meirelles' movie "Blindness," which opened the Cannes Film Festival this May.

According to several sources, the pair broke up in March of this year. While filming overseas for "Blindness," Kimura was apparently impressed by the acting of co-star Julianne Moore, strengthening her own desire to become an international actress. Iseya was similarly affected by the experience, and after returning to Japan, the two both decided to focus on their careers instead of love.

Kimura did not specifically talk about the relationship on Saturday. She was asked about the prospect of marriage, but she replied, "No, no, no... Right now, my work is important." Neither Kimura's nor Iseya's agencies have commented on the matter.