34-year-old comedian Junior Chihara has recently started a new relationship, it was revealed on Sunday. His girlfriend is a model-like beauty in her twenties, and she has been often seen at Chihara's apartment since about a month ago.

Chihara was previously dating actress Yuki Uchida (32). Their relationship was first reported in April 2007 and it seemed to be serious, but they apparently broke up earlier this spring, said to be caused by Uchida wanting to focus on her own career.

"Kamen Rider Den-O" fans are getting a little more out of the franchise this summer, through a series of short clips being labeled as a "spinoff" project. Titled "Momotaros no Makkakkajo no Ou," the comedic series consists of 3 one-minute episodes and 1 two-minute episode, all revolving around the character Momotaros.

The first three episodes will air at the end of the "Kamen Rider Kiva" broadcasts on July 20, July 27, and August 3. The two-minute conclusion can be seen as a bonus at the end of the movie "Kamen Rider Kiva: Makaijo no Ou," which opens in Japan on August 9.

"Den-O" has had exceptional popularity, being the first "Kamen Rider" series since 1988 to be made into two movies.

In July, TV Asahi is starting a new drama series titled "Loto 6 de 3 Oku 2 Senmanen Ateta Otoko," which tells the story of a man whose life completely changes when he unexpectedly wins 320 million yen in a lottery. The show is based on the true story of a lottery winner, which started out as a blog and was later turned into a book.

Takashi Sorimachi stars as Satoru Tachibana, an advertising firm employee slaving away under a younger boss for a meager salary. With a pachinko habit, no savings, and no prospects of romance since his divorce, Tachibana is left wondering what the future holds for him.

One day, he desperately enters a lottery, trying to make enough money to pay for his child support, but his sense of self-disgust kicks in. However, his curiosity gets the better of him, and he later discovers that the ticket is a winner, turning him into a millionaire overnight.

TV Asahi will broadcast the series on Friday nights at 9:00pm.

NHK is producing a documentary/drama special titled "Tatta Hitori no Hanran," based on a major beef scandal in 2002.

The company Yukijirushi (also known as Snow Brand) had been falsely labeling imported beef as domestic beef, taking advantage of a government buyback program after mad cow disease surfaced in Japan. Yoichi Mizutani, the president of a warehousing company, blew the whistle on the fraud. His actions cost him his business, but he helped pave the way for other corporate whistle-blowers in recent history.

Mizutani himself is appearing in some of the documentary scenes, but his character in the drama is currently being cast, with veteran actors such as Naoto Takenaka and Mitsuru Fukikoshi under consideration.

The program will be aired on July 30.

Popular talento Harumi Edo is taking on her first regular role in a television drama series. She has been cast as an experienced head nurse in TBS's medical drama "Tomorrow," which stars Yutaka Takenouchi and Miho Kanno.

Unlike many other celebrities who enter into television dramas, Edo already has a wealth of acting experience. She had been a theater actress for roughly 20 years before she began doing comedy in 2005.

"Tomorrow" starts on July 6.

Mamoru Oshii's 1995 animated film "Ghost in the Shell" is coming back to theaters in Japan, starting on July 12. While the story has not changed, the movie has been entirely converted to digital format and relabeled as "Ghost in the Shell 2.0" to signify the visual upgrade.

The film's audio track has also been updated to 6.1 surround sound, done in collaboration with Lucasfilm's Skywalker Sound division.