Earlier this month we introduced the gravure battle “AKB48 Jinbocho Gokokuji Taisen,” between the two rival manga/pictorial magazines “Young Jump” and “Young Magazine“.
Back then we got a first glimpse at the YJ7 team of Shueisha’s “Young Jump” magazine through a cute and simple white set. Kodansha’s “Young Magazine” was released around the same time, but we still lacked some proper scans in order to introduce their team of seven, YM7.
The introduction of their team is just as cute, but the girls of YM7 seem to be much more colorful and energetic from the get-go. You could even say that the girls have already got themselves more or less handy tools in order to win the fight.
YM7 consists of Kasai Tomomi, Sashihara Rino, Takajo Aki, Miyazaki Miho, Takeuchi Miyu, Sato Sumire and Komori Mika.
Check out the pictures below and tell us who you are rooting for after the introduction of both teams!
Previously, we reported that GACKT had organized a charity named “SHOW YOUR HEART” after the earthquake in Japan, and he had also opened his official Twitter account the day after the disaster.
GACKT has been sending encouraging tweets for the victims of the earthquake, and also telling people who were not affected, that it’s time for everybody to help each other.
According to GACKT’s blog, he also started sending relief to the devastated areas with the cooperation of many people. Make sure to follow GACKT to keep up to date with his charitable events and do what you can to help as well.
Arashi’s variety show, “Arashi ni Shiyagare” was broadcasted on March 19th, and in the beginning of the show, Arashi members sent messages to the victims of the earthquake.
Watch it here. Ohno Satoshi: “Everyone who has been affected by the recent disaster, please accept our condolences. This is the message from us, Arashi, to everybody who is watching this show, and to everybody who is not able to watch the show.”
Matsumoto Jun: “To Grandpas, Grandmas, fathers, mothers, big brothers, big sisters, little brothers, little sisters, and children who have been affected, and are exerting themselves to overcome the disaster. ”
Ninomiya Kazunari: “Only one thing we, Arashi can do for you now, is to do our best to show you ‘usual Arashi’.”
Sakurai Sho: “At the same time, we will also continue to do things we can do here in Tokyo, such as save electricity and participate in donations. We believe that a pile of tiny things can be big agent.”
Aiba Masaki: “Tonight, we will do our best with this show and our song to make everybody smile even for a moment.”
After the message, Arashi performed “Hatenai Sora.”
Watch it here. At the end of the show, “Kaibutsu-kun” (Ohno) also made an appearance, and sent a message to the kids.
It was revealed on the 18th that Japanese singer Amuro Namie donated 50 million yen (~$615,000 USD) to the Japanese Red Cross Society. Amuro’s entertainment agency stated that the donation was “done by [Amuro] as a personal [activity]“.
According to an acquaintance of the singer, Amuro is devastated over the earthquake and has been constantly thinking of ways to help the disaster relief effort.
We previously reported that the American hip-hop group Far East Movement would be collaborating with pop diva Koda Kumi, and their collaboration track has just been revealed!
“Make It Bump feat. Koda Kumi” is a sexy club number, and the transitions between the English lines and Kuu’s Japanese lines are nearly seamless. The song will be included as a bonus track on the Japanese edition of “Free Wired”, which is scheduled to hit stores soon.
We previously reported that Ayumi Hamasaki and ViVi had collaborated to produce a T-shirt in order to raise money for disaster relief. Now the singer has made an even bigger contribution to the rebuilding of Japan.
Singer Ayumi Hamasaki (32) has contributed a total of 35,000,000 yen (~$450,000) to the relief fund so far. According to her agency, Avex, the singer donated 30 million yen to the Japanese Red Cross on March 18, and 1 million yen through different corporations on both March 12 and 13. On the 14th, they say she contributed 3 million yen as well.
“Ayu” began tweeting information about the disaster as soon as it occurred. She would often retweet victims’ posts, emergency numbers, and safety information.
Moreover, beginning on March 17 with the sale of her self-designed charity T-shirts, she has been working energetically to help the cause. She commented, “From the bottom of my heart, I wish for Japan to recover as quickly as possible, and I pray for the health of the many who have been affected by this disaster. As a human being, I will do my best at what I am able to do.”
A new version of Not yet’s debut single, “Shuumatsu Not Yet“, has just been revealed, but check it out fast because the video will only be online for this weekend!
The version we showed you earlier was directed by Nakamura Taiko and included with the TYPE-A version of the single. The new PV is from the TYPE-B single, and directed by film director, Irie Yu.
Check out the second version of “Shuumatsu Not Yet”, which features the members dancing in a park, on stage, and during dance practice, below!
SDN48’s Undergirls A have just revealed the PV for their song “Tengoku no Door wa 3 Kaime no Bell de Aku”. This is the coupling song to their latest single, “Ai, Juseyo”.
The Undergirls A members are as follows: Ohori Megumi, Noro Kayo, KONAN, Urano Kazumi, Akita Kazue, Chen Qu, Tezuka Machiko, Hatakeyama Chisaki, Ito Mana, Kimoto Yuuki, Ninomiya Yuka and Matsushima Rumi.
Starting in April, Osaka-based group NMB48 will begin hosting Kansai TV’s variety show, “Docking x NMB”!
Currently, the hosts of “Docking!!!” are Kendo Kobayashi, Jinnai Tomonori, and Tamura Kenji. Now, NMB48’s Team N will be giving the show an energetic boost by presenting their latest event news, in addition to providing personal information about its members.
Fans were overjoyed to hear that the program will be fully-loaded with personal NMB news, however, they’ll have to wait a while, as the fixed broadcast date is still pending.
Nagoya-based group, SKE48, had announced that they will be canceling all their performances up until March 23rd.
However, on March 31st SKE48’s Team S will begin performing again. They commented, “We want to give the victims of this disaster even just the smallest bit of courage”. The total proceeds of Team S’s performance will be sent as donation money, in full, to those affected by the Great Tohoku Earthquake.
In addition to the AKB48 Project Charity Fund, these girls are also in talks to begin fundraising activities in Nagoya. Details can be found on SKE48’s official page.
Namba, Osaka-based group, NMB48, have also announced they will stop performances until the 20th.
Pop diva Koda Kumi recently appeared in the April edition of the fashion magazine “JELLY”, modeling spring’s upcoming trends with her own sexy twist.
In the spread, Kuu experiments with leather, see-through material, and marine styles as a way of mixing up the typical spring wardrobe, maintaining her ero-kakkoi sense of fashion.
Chaos: Passengers crowd Mar Haneda International Airport outside Tokyo as foreigners scramble to flee the country amid radiation fears
17,000 British nationals could be evacuated as last ditch efforts are made to stop nuclear catastrophe
Rich scramble to book private jets out the country as fleeing passengers pack Tokyo airport
French say Japanese have 'visibly lost essential control' as they urge their citizens to get out
Plans are being drawn up to evacuate every British national in Japan amid mounting fears of a nuclear catastrophe. Thousands of Britons were last night warned to leave Tokyo and all other areas under threat of radiation poisoning.
Last ditch: A Japanese military helicopter - silhouetted top left - dumps water onto reactors 3 and 4 at Fukushima nuclear plant
The advice – echoed by other countries around the world – followed a meeting of the Cabinet’s emergency Cobra committee to discuss the meltdown-threatened Fukushima nuclear plant.
It heightened suspicions that the crisis at the plant – already ranked the second-worst nuclear disaster after Chernobyl – is worse than the Japanese authorities have publicly let on. Yesterday ‘last-ditch’ efforts were continuing at Fukushima to prevent a catastrophe with a Japanese army helicopter dumping water onto troubled nuclear reactor.
Collecting water: The Self-Defense Forces's helicopter scoops seawater on Japan's northeast coast en route to the Fukushima plant
A CH-47 Chinook helicopter began dumping seawater on the damaged reactor of Unit 3 at the Fukushima complex at 9.48am local time, said defense ministry spokeswoman Kazumi Toyama. The aircraft dumped at least four loads on the reactor, though much of the water appeared to be dispersed in the air.
The dumping was intended both to help cool the reactor and to replenish water in a pool holding spent fuel rods, Toyama said. The plant's owner, Tokyo Electric Power Co., said earlier that the pool was nearly empty, which might cause the rods to overheat.
Last night an official at Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency said that radiation levels at the plant had fallen steadily over the past 12 hours.
However, ministers were due to hold further talks last night on whether an immediate evacuation from Japan should be considered.
About 17,000 British nationals are thought to be in the country, mostly in Tokyo. Last night’s Foreign Office warning stopped short of ordering them to leave the country – a diplomatic gesture which will be welcomed by the Japanese government.
But officials conceded that in reality most Britons will have few options but to leave Japan if they want to heed the advice.
Thousands of Japanese citizens are already fleeing Tokyo for the south.
Officials yesterday insisted there was no significant risk to human health in Tokyo, which is less than 140 miles south of Fukushima.
But Europe’s energy chief Guenther Oettinger warned the huge plant was ‘effectively out of control’ – sparking fears of a meltdown, which could send a radioactive cloud into the atmosphere.
He warned of ‘further catastrophic events, which could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island’. Mr Oettinger predicted the dire situation could take a further turn for the worse ‘within hours’.
The Japanese public was also unconvinced by its government’s reassurances. The mayor of Minimisoma, which is 12 miles from the Fukushima plant, said: ‘We weren’t told when the first reactor exploded, we only heard about it on television. The government doesn’t tell us anything. We are isolated. They’re leaving us to die.’
The Foreign Office insisted there was ‘no real human health issue’ outside the 20-mile exclusion zone surrounding the plant.
But it warned that panic caused by the crisis meant there were ‘potential disruptions to the supply of goods, transport, communications, power and other infrastructure’ in Tokyo.
Officials confirmed that contingency plans were being drawn up for an airlift of British nationals if the crisis worsens. Talks have already been held with airlines about laying on extra flights.
The warning came as the Japanese authorities made increasingly desperate attempts to contain the crisis at the Fukushima plant.
Helicopters deployed to dump water on the plant were pulled out amid concerns about soaring radiation levels.
Officials were considering using water cannon – normally used to control riots – in a desperate bid to cool the overheating reactors, which have suffered a series of explosions.
Escape: residents gather up their belongings and form a queue as they wait to board a bus out of Sendai, north eastern Japan, yesterday
Earlier this month, pop-rock band SCANDAL announced that they would soon be releasing their 10th single, “Haruka“, which will also be used as the theme song for the upcoming 3D animation, “Tofu Kozo“.
Recently, they unveiled the covers for the single’s three different editions and its track list.
The title track “Haruka” is said to capture all the emotions and troubles you feel between your first encounter with your loved one and your breakup. It contains a positive message, which assures the listener that all those troubles leading up to the breakup would eventually result in a new and stronger self, and that despite the momentarily pain, you should never stop looking forward.
The single will feature three new tracks and an instrumental:
The CD+DVD Limited Edition A will contain the music video for “Haruka – Tofu Kozo Version“, whereas the DVD of Edition B will contain the music video for “CUTE! – SCANDAL meets Cinnamon Version“.
It’s been revealed that Amuse Inc., the entertainment giant that manages Perfume, flumpool, Fukuyama Masaharu, Miura Haruma, and many others, will be donating funds collected from its artists to disaster relief.
The “Amuse Artist Donation Fund” will aid in relief efforts through the Japanese Red Cross Society, although the amount of the donation has not yet been disclosed. In addition, they are also sending 2.4 million masks to stricken areas, where there is a lot of debris and dust that can pose a breathing hazard.
Amuse is also accepting donations from fans until April 30th (details can be found here), and there are plans to donate artist branded items like towels, t-shirts, and parkas.
The company has expressed condolences to victims and families affected in the disaster on behalf of all its staff and artists.
Avex artists Hamasaki Ayumi and Koda Kumi have both released messages regarding last week’s Tohoku earthquake. Also, on March 17th, Hamasaki Ayumi, in collaboration with ViVi, will start selling charity T-shirts through Avex’s mu-mo shop.
Ayumi sends out her deepest sympathies to the victims of the Tohoku earthquake, and she is thankful that everyone is being strong and working together. Because of that attitude, Japan has a bright future.
Koda Kumi also sends her deepest sympathies to the victims, and although things are strenous, she believes that even if there is fear and anxiety, it’s a battle that they (the Japanese) have to bear and go through. “It’s an unfortunate reality that really wrings the heart,” said Kumi, and that, “Even though it happened, none of us are alone, so everything will be OK.”
For her, she believes that each and every one of them are connected through their hearts, and that everybody needs to keep fighting. She says even right now, family, friends, that special someone, everyone is holding hands to save each other. Also, the only thing she can do right now is sing and hope it helps heal some of the anxiety and sadness.
“I hope that my songs reach everyone,” she said. “So that it brings a smile to everyone’s hearts.”
Sandara Park releases an angelic CF for “Nikon”
-
Nikon Imaging Korea has just released a jaw-dropping commercial with 2NE1‘s
Sandara Park.
The idol shed her quirky style and emerged as a gorgeous woman w...
Earlier this month we introduced the gravure battle “AKB48 Jinbocho Gokokuji Taisen,” between the two rival manga/pictorial magazines “Young Jump” and “Young Magazine“.
Pop diva Koda Kumi recently appeared in the April edition of the fashion magazine “JELLY”, modeling spring’s upcoming trends with her own sexy twist.
Chaos: Passengers crowd Mar Haneda International Airport outside Tokyo as foreigners scramble to flee the country amid radiation fears
Collecting water: The Self-Defense Forces's helicopter scoops seawater on Japan's northeast coast en route to the Fukushima plant
He warned of ‘further catastrophic events, which could pose a threat to the lives of people on the island’. Mr Oettinger predicted the dire situation could take a further turn for the worse ‘within hours’. 
Earlier this month, pop-rock band SCANDAL announced that they would soon be releasing their 10th single, “Haruka“, which will also be used as the theme song for the upcoming 3D animation, “Tofu Kozo“.
It’s been revealed that Amuse Inc., the entertainment giant that manages Perfume, flumpool, Fukuyama Masaharu, Miura Haruma, and many others, will be donating funds collected from its artists to disaster relief.
Avex artists Hamasaki Ayumi and Koda Kumi have both released messages regarding last week’s Tohoku earthquake. Also, on March 17th, Hamasaki Ayumi, in collaboration with ViVi, will start selling charity T-shirts through Avex’s mu-mo shop.
