Actor Ryunosuke Kaneda died of chronic renal failure at around 2am on Tuesday. He was 80. In recent years, he had fallen ill from diabetes, and late last month he was hospitalized for a leg injury. His condition suddenly worsened on Monday, and he suddenly passed away not long after.

Born in Tokyo in 1928, Kaneda appeared in his first stage production at the age of 5. He continued in theater and finally made his film debut in the 1968 picture "Akumyo Juhachiban." He played countless supporting roles on stage and on screen over the years. His most recent television roles include "Tokyo Tower" and "Kuitan."

According to the newest issue of Josei Seven, actress Kyoko Fukada (26) was seen on a date with Waseda University pitcher Yuki Saito (20). In mid-February, the two reportedly ate together in a private room at a well-known yakiniku restaurant. Fukada was also said to be staring at Saito and holding his hand at one point.

The popular Saito earned the nickname "handkerchief prince" a couple years ago for the blue handkerchief he used to wipe his sweat as he led his high school Waseda Jitsugyo to its first Koshien win. He apparently met Fukada through a popular health clinic that they both frequent.

When asked about the article, Fukada's management denied the rumors of romance, saying that Fukada and Saito had gone to the restaurant as part of a larger group and that there is nothing between them.

The period drama "Kogarashi Monjiro" will be returning to the screen after roughly 15 years. The series originally aired on Fuji TV in the early '70s, starring Atsuo Nakamura. Another series was made a few years later, and a movie version was produced by Toho in 1993.

"Kogarashi Monjiro" is coming back in the form of a special episode on Fuji TV. This time, Yosuke Eguchi is taking on the lead role, though Nakamura will have a cameo appearance in one scene.

The special is scheduled to air on May 1.

Actor Minoru Ohki (real name Minoru Ikeda) died of pancreatic cancer on Monday afternoon at a Tokyo hospital. He was 85.

Originally from Osaka, Ohki made his acting debut in Shin Saburi's 1951 movie "Aa Seishun." He appeared in dozens of films during the rest of the 1950s. He was equally active during the '60s, but his film career slowed down in the mid-'70s when he began appearing in more television dramas. He was most often seen in jidaigeki dramas, such as "Mitokomon" and the "Hissatsu" series.

Ohki's son, Satoshi Ohki (49), is also an actor.

This June, rock band Dir en grey will appear at five music festivals across Europe. They will first play at Germany's Rock-im-Park (June 5) and Rock-am-Ring (June 7), followed by the Download Festival in England on June 12.

Dir en grey will then be at Nova Rock in Austria on June 20, and finally they will perform at Sweden's Metaltown fest on June 27.

girugamesh and MUCC are also scheduled to perform at Metaltown.

Rock band VAMPS has announced the dates for their upcoming U.S. tour. The group has a total of ten shows scheduled, starting in New York on July 11 and ending in Los Angeles on August 1. Two of the performances will be part of the Warped Tour stops in Hartford, Connecticut, and Columbia, Maryland.

The full schedule is available on their MySpace page and on their official website.