During CEATEC JAPAN, held October 5-7, the judges visited booths in Makuhari Messe and discussed and decided 8 category-specific prizes and one grand-prix finalist, as well as a special Smart Grid /Green IT award. Mr. Michael Kanellos, chairman of the judging team, said at ceremony, “The winners of each prize show an outstanding and long history of Japanese electronics industries, so it was very difficult to select each prize. Toshiba’s Glasses-less 3D REGZA is, among many strong competitors, the most valuable for consumers, because it is not only innovative, but …

The Osaka-based idol group NMB48 finally made their public debut on Saturday, participating in an AKB48 event in Tokyo. 26 members attended, labeled as the first generation of kenkyuusei research students. The group just completed its audition last month, so the members are still taking lessons and have not yet been assigned to teams.When the results of the audition were announced, there were 39 names. There are 13 girls who are no longer listed on the group’s website, which has just officially launched:

Mayu Kusaka

Sara Kondo

Mari Saito

Ayaka Suzuki

Rina Tanaka

Mami Tsukiyama

Sari Nishikawa

Rina …

Sports Hochi has a possible scoop with news today that actor Toma Ikuta (25) and actress Yui Ichikawa (24) may be in a relationship. According to the report, the two have been secretly dating for the past five years.
A source close to Ikuta and Ichikawa says they initially met through a mutual friend and began dating nearly five years ago. Both of them entered show business in their early teens, so they are said to have become friends due to their common goals. That friendship apparently grew into love. One …

This week’s issue of FRIDAY seems to have some evidence to support the rumor that actress Yukie Nakama (30) and actor Tetsushi Tanaka (44) are dating. That relationship was first reported back in November of last year, but the news was denied by both of their agencies.
FRIDAY caught Tanaka on film in mid-September, concealing his face with a mask and hat as he entered Nakama’s apartment building.
Nakama’s agency again denies that there is romance but acknowledges that the two are good friends, saying that they often go out to eat …

Ryokuji Yoshizawa’s manga "Zannen na Ko, Non-chan" is getting a live-action adaptation, starring former AV actress Mihiro (28).
"Zannen na Ko, Non-chan" is about a junior high student named Non-chan who has cute looks, good friends, and seemingly nothing to be unhappy about. However, unfortunate things are constantly happening to her.
The live-action version will initially be available for purchase at the end of this year through Vap’s Tokyo Adolescence website.
Yoshizawa has also started a new manga series titled "Yamachichi" in the magazine Young Champion.

Fashion model Saki Sugawara (24) is making her CD debut next week as part of a new project by the magazine With. On October 6, she will release a photobook called "doll / Saki Sugawara" that will come with a CD and DVD featuring her first song.
The photobook, which is being published by Kodansha, was shot by photographer Osami Yabuta, who has worked with many fashion magazines and is even the official cameraman for Mr.Children. With "doll," he aimed to capture a new side of Sugawara that she hasn’t shown …

Pop band Do As Infinity has decided to broadcast their next concert online, it has been learned. They are scheduled to perform on September 29 at Shibuya-AX to celebrate their 11th anniversary. The show is titled "Do As Infinity 11th Anniversary LIVE ~More! Core! Rare! Here!~" and will be streamed live for free through the Nico Nico Douga video sharing website.
For the concert, Do As Infinity plans to perform some songs that they usually do not play live, and they have some other special ideas in mind. After tickets for …

Enterbrain already confirmed what many would have assumed: The Japanese DS debut for Pokemon Black and White was hugely successful. So while the pair’s combined sales of nearly 2.6 million was certain to land it atop Media Create’s Japanese sales charts for the week of September 13-19, the remainder of the top 10 held some interesting results.Pokemon Black and White cast a large shadow over the Japanese sales charts.Chief among those was Square Enix’s Front Mission Evolved, which placed second on the chart in its week of release. The game …

Paris Hilton’s publicist says the U.S. socialite has canceled her Asian tour after she wasn’t allowed into Japan due to a recent drug arrest.
Hilton, 29, pleaded guilty this week to misdemeanor drug possession in Las Vegas. The charge stemmed from her arrest last month.
E! News said she was detained Tuesday at Tokyo’s Narita International Airport and questioned by immigration officials for more than 6 hours about her U.S. arrest before they banned her from entering the country.
"I’m really tired," E! quoted Hilton as saying. "I’m going back home, and I …

Kyodo News is reporting that SMAP’s concerts at Shanghai Stadium on October 9-10 may get canceled due to an escalating incident between China and Japan. Ticket sales for the shows have reportedly been suspended already due to the high likelihood of cancellation.
Last month, Japanese officers arrested a Chinese fishing boat captain on charges that he deliberately rammed his boat into a Japanese patrol boat. He is currently being detained by a Japanese court despite Chinese opposition, leading to strained relations between the two countries. On Monday, China took moves to …