NEWS member Tomohisa Yamashita has finally graduated from Meiji University's School of Commerce. He entered the school in 2004 and was initially expected to graduate this past spring, but he was a few units short of completing his degree. However, he was able to finish in time for Meiji University's September graduation ceremony, which was held on Friday. Yamashita was joined by about 30 other classmates.

Film and commercial director Jun Ichikawa has passed away in a Shibuya hospital, it was learned on Friday. He was 59. According to reports, Ichikawa was taken to a hospital after he collapsed while away from home.

Ichikawa made his directorial debut in 1987 with "BU-SU." His filmography includes "Tokyo Lullaby" and "Osaka Story," though his highest-profile work was perhaps his adaptation of Haruki Murakami's story "Tony Takitani," which starred Issei Ogata and Rie Miyazawa. That film picked up the special jury prize at the 2004 Locarno International Film Festival.

Last year, Ichikawa directed the Riko Narumi-starring "Ashita no Watashi no Tsukurikata." His newest work, titled "buy a suit," has already been scheduled to make its world premiere in the Japanese Eyes section of this year's Tokyo International Film Festival (October 18-26).

Hawaiian singer Teruko Hino died late at night on September 9 in a Tokyo-area hospital. She was 63.

Hino, whose real name was Teruko Ichinose, was diagnosed with lung cancer in December 2003. The cancer later spread to several other areas of her body, resulting in repeated hospitalization. Her condition improved and she continued her career, but last year her cancer resurfaced. She held her last performance on December 23.

In 1962, Hino won the All-Japan Hawaiian Contest, and she made her debut two years later. One of her best known hits was the 1965 single "Natsu no Hi no Omoide," which became a million-seller. Starting that year, she made three consecutive appearances at the Kohaku Uta Gassen.

She married composer Yoshitaka Ichinose in 1969, at the height of her career. She left show business to raise a family, but she came back a decade later.

Actress Shihori Kanjiya has been cast as the heroine in the Japanese-Korean collaboration "Boat," directed by Kim Young-nam. Being released in Japan under the title "No Boys, No Cry," the movie stars Satoshi Tsumabuki and Korean actor Ha Jung Woo as two young men struggling to find hope in their lives as they become involved in drug trafficking. Kanjiya plays the ex-girlfriend of Tsumabuki's character.

"Boat" is scheduled for release next year.

TBS has chosen a fairly unknown band to provide the theme song for its upcoming Saturday night drama series, "Bloody Monday." The four-man Osaka-based group flumpool will be lending their 2nd digital single, titled "Over the rain ~Hikari no Hashi~."

flumpool made their major label debut with "Hana ni Nare," being used in a commercial for LISMO. That song is being released as a digital single on October 1. "Over the rain" will follow on November 5.

"Bloody Monday," which stars Haruma Miura as a hacker fighting terrorists, premieres on October 11.

Kaname Kawabata of the duo Chemistry is now a father at the age of 29. On Wednesday his wife, model Miki Takahashi, gave birth to a baby girl.

Kawabata and Takahashi have been married since March. They first met in June 2007 when Takahashi appeared in a music video for one of Chemistry's songs.

The recently reunited band Do As Infinity has scheduled a short tour for November that will take them to three major cities. The tour starts on November 1 in Nagoya, followed by a show in Osaka on the 4th, and then a three-day stretch in Tokyo on November 10-12.

Before that, Do As Infinity will hold their first post-reunion concert for free on September 30 at Yoyogi Park.