Team A member Nozomi Kawasaki has announced that she is leaving AKB48 on February 27. It was revealed on the group's official blog that Kawasaki is launching her own apparel brand as early as next month.

In an entry on her own blog, Kawasaki said that the brand's name is "Anti minss," with a concept of "Rock spiritual sexy." The post included images of some sample items and the current logo. She also mentioned that she is aiming to make the clothing unisex. A launch event is scheduled for March 1.

Kawasaki will reportedly continue her idol career as well, remaining under the management of Sky Corporation.

In December, Toho revealed that director Isshin Inudo would be in charge of a new film adaptation of the popular Seicho Matsumoto novel "Zero no Shoten," also known by the English title "Zero Focus." The movie's main cast has now been revealed, with actress Ryoko Hirosue taking the starring role.

The story, set in the 1950s, centers around a newlywed woman (Hirosue) whose husband Kenichi (Hidetoshi Nishijima) fails to return from a business trip. She sets out to search for him, but uncovers that he has been living a double life.

Hirosue's strong supporting cast includes Miki Nakatani as the wife of a company president, Tae Kimura as that company's receptionist, Tetta Sugimoto as Kenichi's brother, and Takeshi Kaga as Kenichi's boss.

Filming has already started in Kanazawa and is expected to continue until April. Toho is aiming for an autumn release.

Management agency Yoshimoto Kogyo has launched a new idol group named Murasaki Shikibu, featuring five of its popular comedians. The unit consists of Sekai no Nabeatsu (as the leader), both members of Ameagari Kesshitai (Hiroyuki Miyasako and Toru Hotohara), Cocorico's Naoki Tanaka, and Garage Sale's Gori.

Murasaki Shikibu made their stage debut with a performance in Shinjuku on Sunday. The members' hairstyles drew comparisons to the Johnny's Jimusho group Hikaru Genji, but instead of performing with roller skates, they took the stage on stilts instead.

Their debut single "LOVE Nandayo," written and composed by Nabeatsu, goes on sale this Wednesday.

Rapper MCU (of KICK THE CAN CREW) has teamed up with GLAY vocalist TERU for a collaborative song titled "STILL LOVE." To make the combo even more impressive, the music video is being made by top film director Yukihiko Tsutsumi, whose most recent credits include the "20th Century Boys" movies.

The song is being included on MCU's upcoming album, "Shu Ha Ri Still Love," scheduled for release on March 11.

This spring, TV Tokyo will broadcast a daytime drama series called "Mama wa Newhalf," starring actor Noboru Kaneko. This is his first time playing the lead in a serial drama.

Kaneko plays a hard-working, elite salaryman who has suffered from a gender identity disorder since his youth. As a result, he spends his nights as a "newhalf" (transsexual) by the name of Luna, working as the number-one hostess at a nightclub. However, his life becomes even more complicated when he ends up taking in a five-year-old boy and having to fill the role of a parent.

The show will start on April 6, airing every weekday. TV Tokyo has not yet determined the specific time slot.