KpOp & JpOp 2012/09/30

Scandal

逢沢りな (Rina Aizawa) in Weekly Young Jump [#44 ‘12]

堀北真希 (Maki Horikita) for ND Chow

Gorgeous Lee Eun Hye
Gorgeous body Lee Eun Hye in pink and black mini dress.
Eun Bin in Maroon
Eun Bin lovely outdoor in maroon mini dress.
Lovely Sexy Jeon Ye Hee (전예희) in Short White Skirt!
Been busy so couldn't post much.

One of my all time fav Korean model: Jeon Ye Hee (전예희)!

Just stunningly gorgeous in this short white skirt, high heels and denim jacket.

Enjoy!
Idol Round Up #6

Time to take another trip around the world of Idols

First up is Alice 10 sister unit Topping Girls GT .You may notice that several members are from Alice 10 .That is because the members of Alice 10 are all in 2-3 other groups for their parent company Alice Project.

http://topiga.com/

Also from Alice Project is GT sister unit, which features a number of girls from the group OZ that we have profiled in the past.

This group is called Soup Girls

http://www.alice-project.biz/soupgirls/index.php

To view all Alice Project members and groups go here
http://www.alice-project.biz/talent

MAGIC

Magic is a group that Meika profile a short time ago, they have now released their single PV.

hy4_4yh

It`s been a while since we had them on PIH, so let`s throw some support to them today

http://www.thelabel.jp/hy4_4yh/

And to end this round up we have members of the super group ALLOVER
ANNA☆S

http://ameblo.jp/annas-annas/
http://www.k5.dion.ne.jp/~n-pro/annas_profle.html
Only★Star's "I'd Like to Date" Artist Ranking 2012

9/28 issue Oricon's Only Star [オリ★スタ] magazine surveyed 500 women as to which artists do they like to date. Fukuyama Masaharu won the top spot for the 2nd consecutive year, and here are the rest of TOP 10.

1) Fukuyama Masaharu – "Erotic, refreshing, and unpretentious" (age 23 from Kanagawa)

2) Sho Sakurai (Arashi) – "He will surely be able to spruce-up a perfect date plan since he is smart." (age 22 from Nara)

- "[Sakurai] comes across being serious and cute, an irresistible combination." (age 27 from Tokyo)

3) Masaki Aiba (Arashi) – Rank is unchanged from last year, there were lot of responders who are nature lovers and loves to go to zoo and park for a date and Aiba is just perfect for those places. "It will be a delight if you can see that your date is also enjoying himself," (age 20 from Mie)

4) Matsumoto Jun (Arashi) – "Because he is handsome and nice." (age 22 from Kumamoto)

- "I would like to see a beautiful night view with him," (age 20 from Chiba)

5) Domoto Tsuyoshi (KinKi Kids) – "It would be nice to date someone laid-back and will bring me to no-frills places." (age 25 from Osaka)

- "I want to guide and tour him in our local." (age 28 from Nara)

6) GACKT

7) hyde (L'arc~en~Ciel)

8) Kamenashi Kazuya (KAT-TUN)

9) Kazutoshi Sakurai (Mr. Children)

10) Okura Tadayoshi (Kanjani8)

Source: http://jnewseng.wordpress.com/2012/09/28/only%E2%98%85stars-id-like-to-date-artist-ranking-2012/

GACKT at 6??? But I like Fukuyama Masaharu too! Tho lol @ him being "erotic". XD
Chinese Trio Dress Up Like Japanese People and "Apologize" to Buddha Over Senkaku Islands

In a refreshingly mellow demonstration held on 23 September in Lushan County, Henan 3 people donned Japanese style costumes and silently knelt in front of the Spring Temple Buddha.

Kneeling side by side the two men and one woman held up a banner reading "Daiyou Islands [Chinese name for Senkaku Islands] belong to China." with a picture of one of the disputed islands and a ridiculously enormous Chinese flag flying above it.

And you know, in spite of all this I'm not entirely sure they are supporting China.

According to Chinese media, the demonstrators were apologizing for Japan's recent nationalization of the islands on behalf of the Japanese people. The trio themselves reportedly said they did this to stimulate dialog over this issue.

The event took place in an echo wall with a beautiful view of the largest statue in the world, and a natural tourist spot. From passersby there were large cries of support, peppered in with occasional voices of dissent.

This seems like a pretty cut and dry protest. But when so much absurdity is around I can't help but think these performance artists are possibly trying to be ironic.

Let's start with the "Japanese" costumes. As most Japanese netizens pointed out, they looked more Korean than Japanese. Perhaps the trio realized this too so they stuck some Japanese flags on their back so poorly designed it looks like they cut their backs shaving with a giant razor then put an equally giant piece of tissue to soak up the blood.

They are also wearing "Japanese" masks, as you can see in the photo below. It's difficult to fully see the woman's mask but I'd swear it was a Gene Simmons Kiss mask with a red dot.

But okay, it's hard to make a good costume on a budget. Let's turn our attention to the venue.

The three performers claimed to be devout! Buddhis ts from nearby Zhengzhou City and chose the sceic location so they could make the "apology" in front of Buddha. I'm a little rusty on my Buddhism, but I don't think Buddha obtained spiritual enlightenment by asserting a nation's ownership of land.

Maybe – just maybe – that's their message. Two countries with large Buddhist populations and customs locked in an escalating argument over property ownership seems really unenlightened, doesn't it?

Then again, maybe I'm just over thinking it.

Source: http://en.rocketnews24.com/2012/09/29/chinese-trio-dress-up-like-japanese-people-and-apologize-to-buddha-over-senkaku-islands/

*sigh* :(
Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun Shōjo Anime's TV Ad Aired
A television commercial for the Tonari no Kaibutsu-kun (The Monster Seated Next to You) shōjo anime began airing in Japan. The ad features the opening theme song "Q&A Recital!" by lead voice actress Haruka Tomatsu.

The anime adapts Robico's romantic comedy manga about Shizuku Mizutani, a girl (played by Tomatsu) who has absolutely no interests except for school and her plans for the future. A boy named Haru Yoshida (Tatsuhisa Suzuki) would be seated next to her in class, but he has been constantly absent for one reason or another since the first day of school. By chance, she is sent to deliver class printouts to him, and that leads Yoshida to believe they are friends.

The anime will premiere on Monday with the ending theme song "White Wishes" by the female group 9nine. Robico launched the manga in 2008, and Kodansha published the 10th compiled book volume last month.

Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-09-28/tonari-no-kaibutsu-kun-shojo-anime-tv-ad-aired
Gouriki Ayame attends opening ceremony of new 'Tiffany & Co.' store

On September 28, actress Gouriki Ayame attended the opening ceremony of a new 'Tiffany & Co.' jewelry store inside the SOGO Chiba department store in Chiba.

For the event, Gouriki wore jewelry worth 13,000,000 Yen (167,531 USD). She expressed, "I'm very nervous, but it makes me feel one step closer to becoming an adult woman."

She was also asked questions related to the recent marriage of her senior Ueto Aya. She replied, "Of course, I'd like to wear a wedding ring someday, but I still have a long way to go at work. I have to polish myself and become a reliable woman (before thinking about getting married)."

The young actress just turned twenty at the end of August, so wearing a lot of jewelry is still a new experience for her. She bashfully revealed that she doesn't usually wear extravagant jewelry. She said, "It's one of my dreams to buy jewelry myself for the first time after becoming an adult woman. Receiving jewelry from a man as a gift would make me very happy as well."

The new 'Tiffany & Co.' store is the 55th one in Japan and the biggest in Chiba. The interior design is made of white marble and a few highlights in 'Tiffany Blue'. It's also separated in three different areas for fine jewelry, bridal jewelry, and casual fashion jewelry. For a limited time, they are also displaying a special yellow diamond necklace worth around 340,000,000 Yen (4.4 million USD).

The store opened on the 29th.

Source: http://www.tokyohive.com/2012/09/gouriki-ayame-attends-opening-ceremony-of-new-tiffany-co-store/

So pretty! *0* More flawless pics up at the source!
Psycho-Pass's 1st Promo With Anime Footage Streamed
The official website for the upcoming Psycho-Pass anime began streaming the second promotional video on Saturday. Unlike the first, repeatedly updated, promotional video, this new video has animated footage.

The series takes place in the near future, when it is possible to instantaneously measure and quantify a person's state of mind and personality. This information is recorded and processed, and the term "Psycho-Pass" in the anime's title refers to a standard used to measure an individual's being. The story centers around the "enforcement officer" Shinya Kōgami (Tomokazu Seki) who is tasked with managing crime in such a world.

Fuji TV announced this past March that the original anime title Psycho-Pass was planned for broadcast this October. The first cast members were revealed in August, with Seki (Card Captor Sakura's Touya, Fate/Zero's Gilgamesh) as Shinya Kōgami and Kana Hanazawa (Kobato's Kobato, Nisemonogatari's Nadeko) as Akane Tsunemori. (Their voices can be heard in the new video.) Kenji Nojima (Nobuchika Ginoza), Kinryuu Arimoto (Tomomi Masaoka), Akira Ishida (Shūsei Kagari), Shizuka Itou (Yayoi Kunizuka), Miyuki Sawashiro (Shion Karanomori), and Takahiro Sakurai (Shōgo Makishima) round out the main cast.

The staff includes chief director Katsuyuki Motohiro (Space Travelers, live-action Night Head, live-action Antique Bakery, Bayside Shakedown), director Naoyoshi Shiotani (Blood+, Tokyo Marble Chocolate), scriptwriter and series script editor Gen Urobuchi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica, Fate/Zero), original character designer Akira Amano (Reborn), and others.

The anime will begin broadcasting on October 11.

Update: Noriko Hidaka voices the Dominator, the handgun that enforcement officers point at a suspect to instantly measure the "crime factor" of the individual. If the crime factor is above a certain limit, the gun will automatically fire. If the "crime factor" is below that limit, a safety device will be activated to prevent the user from pull! ing the gun's trigger.

Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-09-29/psycho-pass-1st-promo-with-anime-footage-streamed

BENI, covers for ‘COVERS:2’

BENI, covers for ‘COVERS:2’

문채원 (Moon Chae Won), for HIGH CUT [10 ‘12]

문채원 (Moon Chae Won), for HIGH CUT [10 ‘12]
Chinese Media in Japan Sends Message Home: "Nothing Much to Report Here!"

With the debate over the ownership of the Senkaku islands remaining heated, tensions continue to run high across mainland China. There have been numerous instances of attacks on those being seen to support Japan, and Japanese-owned businesses have been hit hard, with many, including world-famous fashion store Uniqlo, ordering their Japanese staff to remain at home for the time being.

On this side of the water, however, both Japanese and Chinese alike are going about their daily lives with relatively little conflict or stress…

Record China reports that many Chinese journalists visiting Japan are returning to their homeland more or less empty-handed in terms of dramatic scoops and photos, reporting that they did not witness a single scene of violence or unrest on the streets.

In an article published late last week, the website quotes a young Chinese man studying at a Tokyo university, who tells of how friends from home, believing him to be in danger, have sent messages urging him to be careful.

"Aside from a few scary-looking right-wing protestors I came across in Shibuya, I haven't seen any trouble;" he said, "I'll probably just be careful not to speak in Chinese too loudly from now…."

Indeed, for all the images of window-smashing and violence beamed back from China, everything in Japan is, on the surface at least, business as usual.

A fellow Chinese student at the university, going by the name Wei, is also quoted by the website as saying: "The Japanese people don't seem to have changed in any way; the only difference here is that the newspaper columns and media reports seem to be a little more heated than usual…."

Although the issue of the Senkaku islands is a serious one and in need of urgent attention, it would seem that, while China is whipping itself up into a frenz! y over t he dispute, Japan, although deeply affected, is remaining calm.

One of my own Japanese friends here in Tokyo recently told me of receiving a phonecall from her friend in China, genuinely concerned about my friend's physical safety.

"She told me to take care of myself and not to get involved in any demonstrations that might turn violent. When I told her that there weren't any, she seemed genuinely shocked; as if she'd been led to believe that scenes of similar unrest were occurring in Japan, too."

▼Yokohama's China town continues to see healthy numbers of visitors

Perhaps the issue to be addressed first here is the lack of real communication? It would be wrong to suggest that Japanese are not troubled or angered by the recent events, but few are letting it affect their daily lives or resorting to violence and flag-burning.

When asked whether the dispute between Japan and China had affected his business, a Chinese restaurant owner in Ikebukuro replied: "Most of my customers are Japanese; if anything, I feel like they intentionally avoid the topic of the islands all together when they visit my restaurant."

The tourism industry has, however, seen huge losses.

Many Chinese-owned travel agents based in Japan are reported to have seen a plunge in the number of bookings they receive from Chinese customers, despite the fact that, while leading tours around cities like Tokyo and Osaka, there has yet to be a single anti-Chinese outburst or comment heard.

▼Many branches of Uniqlo in China have temporarily shut up shop

Another Chinese travel agent tells of mass cancellations in recent weeks:

"We had a lot of reservations from Chinese people taking advantage ! of the p ublic holidays in China at the end of October, but in a flash they all cancelled. To make matters worse, many Chinese tour guides have left the country. This will probably continue for at least the next six months…"

With tensions remaining high and businesses on both sides of the water feeling the effects, it's clear that the situation is in dire need of resolution. We here at RocketNews24 are definitely among those who hope to see a swift and peacable end to the dispute.

Source: http://en.rocketnews24.com/2012/09/29/chinese-media-in-japan-sends-message-home-nothing-much-to-report-here/
RUNNING MAN EP. 113

Guest's Experience on Running Man :
Jun Mi Sun (Actress) : No experience - New Guest
Yeom Jeong Ah (Actress) : No experience - New Guest
Yoo Hae Jin (Actor) : No experience - New Guest
TEAM : 10 persons are splited into 3 teams
Yellow Team : Jun Mi Sun, Lee Kwang Soo, Ji Suk Jin
Red Team : Yeom Jeong Ah, Kim Jong Kook, HaHa
Blue Team : Yoo Hae Jin, Yoo Jae Suk, Kang Gary, Song Ji Hyo
China-Japan dispute spills over into U.S. newspaper ads
NEW YORK —
The tussle between China and Japan over ownership of islands in the East China Sea spilled over into America's newspapers on Friday, as the China Daily newspaper took out a double-page ad about the dispute.

A centerfold display in the New York Times—among the most expensive real estate in all of journalism—was devoted to the standoff, which has heightened bilateral tensions and reopened old wounds over World War II.

"Diaoyu Islands.. have been an inherent territory of China since ancient times, and China has indisputable sovereignty over the islands," read the text of the newspaper advertisement purchased by the China Daily newspaper.

The ad pressed Beijing's position that Japan had "grabbed" the islands and that they are the rightful property of China.

"China has opposed the backroom deals between the Unites States" over the islands, read the text of the oversized advertisement, which also appeared in Friday's Washington Post.

China for decades has demanded the return of the uninhabited islands—known as the Diaoyu in Chinese and the Senkaku in Japanese. Taiwan also claims the islands.

Beijing claims that Japan tricked China into signing a treaty ceding the islands in 1895.

Tokyo says its government began surveying the islands in 1885 and found them unoccupied with "no trace of having been under the control of China."

Ten years later, on January 14, 1895, its cabinet decided to erect a marker to formally incorporate the Senkaku Islands into Japanese territory, the foreign ministry says.

Tokyo maintains that China and Taiwan only began claiming the islands after 1970, once it became known that there are possibly energy reserves in the seabed nearby.

Source: http://www.japantoday.com/category/politics/view/china-japan-dispute-spills-over-into-u-s-newspaper-ads

Oh dear....
Author Murakami wades into Japan-China island row

Japanese author Haruki Murakami is one of the world's foremost novelists - AFP

TOKYO —
Haruki Murakami, one of the world's foremost novelists, waded into the territorial row between China and Japan on Friday, warning of the perils of politicians offering the "cheap liquor" of nationalism.

His intervention came as Beijing launched a blistering attack on Tokyo at the United Nations, accusing Tokyo of theft, as the dispute over the ownership of a chain of islands intensified.

The Japanese author of "Norweigan Wood" said cool heads should prevail.

Writing in the liberal-leaning Asahi Shimbun, Murakami, who has been tipped as a future Nobel laureate, said disputes over land existed because of the unfortunate system of dividing humanity into countries with national borders.

"When a territorial issue ceases to be a practical matter and enters the realm of 'nationalist sentiment', it creates a dangerous situation with no exit.

"It is like cheap liquor. Cheap liquor gets you drunk after only a few shots and makes you hysterical.

"It makes you speak loudly and act rudely… But after your drunken rampage you are left with nothing but an awful headache the next morning.

"We must be careful about politicians and polemists who lavish us with the cheap liquor and fan this kind of rampage," he wrote.

The ownership of the uninhabited, but strategically-coveted, Senkaku islands has been a running sore in relations between China and Japan for decades.

Tokyo administers them, but Beijing claims them under the name Diaoyu.

Tensions between two of the world's largest economies began bubbling earlier this year when the nationalist governor of Tokyo said he wanted to buy and develop the islands.

They spiked when the government swooped to nationalize them, a move Tokyo! says wa s purely administrative but which Beijing lashed out at as a provocation.

The war of words between the two governments continued Friday with Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi blasting Japan at the United Nations in New York.

"The moves taken by Japan are totally illegal and invalid," he said.

"They can in no way change the historical fact that Japan stole Diaoyu and its affiliated islands from China and the fact that China has territorial sovereignty over them".

Murakami, who enjoys commercial and critical success around the world with his intricately crafted tales of the absurdity and loneliness of modern life, has never shied away from controversy.

When he received the 2009 Jerusalem Prize, Israel's highest literary honor for foreign writers, he obliquely criticized a Middle East conflict that claims innocent lives with regularity.

"If there is a hard, high wall and an egg that breaks against it, no matter how right the wall or how wrong the egg, I will stand on the side of the egg," he said at the ceremony in Jerusalem.

His work, including the titles "Kafka on the Shore" and "The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle", have been translated into almost 40 languages and he has a large following in China, South Korea and Taiwan.

He was awarded Spain's Order of Arts and Letters in 2010 and the Czech Republic's foremost literary award, the Franz Kafka Prize, in 2006.

Source: http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/author-murakami-wades-into-japan-china-island-row

There's a reason why he's a best selling author. *nodnod*
Japan's economy stuttering ahead of China crisis

Japan's export-driven economy is struggling to right itself following a series of problems - AFP

TOKYO —
Japan released yet more worrying figures Friday showing the world's third largest economy was already stuttering before a damaging territorial dispute erupted with its largest trading partner.

Factory output in August shrank by a bigger-than-expected 1.3% from the previous month, the industry ministry said as it admitted production activity was weakening. The decline was much sharper than an average market forecast of a 0.4% drop.

"Industrial production appears to be weakened," the ministry said in a statement, downgrading its overall assessment. It had said a month ago that production appeared to be flat.

Japan's export-driven economy is struggling to right itself following the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami disaster, while also suffering from Europe's debt crisis, slowing Chinese demand and the strong yen.

Japanese businesses are now worried about taking a hit from the effects of a flare-up in the row between Tokyo and Beijing over the ownership of islands in the East China Sea.

Japan's nationalization in September of three islands in the chain, called Senkaku in Japan and Diaoyu in China, triggered anti-Japan rallies across China. Major Japanese companies were forced to close factories.

Auto giants Toyota and Nissan said Wednesday they would cut production in China because demand for Japanese cars has dropped, while airlines have seen large cancellations of seats on China-bound flights.

Mooted Chinese consumer boycotts of Japanese products are also unsettling firms sending goods to China, Japan's number one export market.

The industry ministry, citing a survey of production forecasts by manufacturing companies, said factory output is expected to fall by a further 2.9% ! in Septe mber and to be flat in October.

Mizuho Securities Research and Consulting senior economist Norio Miyagawa said the ministry's outlook survey suggested "output may lose steam even further."

"We are likely to see sluggish output at least until October, especially in the automobile sector," he told Dow Jones Newswires, noting the row with China was a downside risk for the economy.

"If the current disputes with China become prolonged, that will damage Japan's output and the economy."

Kengo Suzuki, forex strategist at Mizuho Securities, said "a fall in foreign demand could further pressure the Japanese economy".

It could also raise expectations for further monetary easing in the long run, he added.

The Bank of Japan last week announced it would spend an extra $128 billion buying bonds to take its total monetary easing effort past $1 trillion as it seeks to revitalize the economy.

The move followed similar bond-purchasing plans by the bank's U.S. and European counterparts earlier in the month.

Economists attributed the August production fall to weakening domestic consumer spending and stocked-up inventories as well as China's corporate performance and the debt crisis in Europe.

Data released by the internal affairs ministry Friday showed no sign of Japan breaking out of years of deflation.

Core consumer prices, which excludes volatile prices of fresh food, fell for the fourth straight month in August, dropping 0.3 percent year-on-year, data showed.

Yoshiro Sato from Credit Agricole said it was too soon to see any inflationary effect from the Sept 19 easing announced by the Bank of Japan.

However, "we argue that the BOJ would be required to take further action if the inflation rate does not pick up at a reasonable pace to the +1% price stability goal," he said in a client note.

The government said in a separate survey Friday that household spending rose a modest 1.8% in August from a year earli! er, whil e the jobless rate fell slightly to 4.2% in August, from 4.3% in July.

Source: http://www.japantoday.com/category/business/view/japans-economy-stuttering-ahead-of-china-crisis
Rookie Group 100% Releases Dance Version MV for "Bad Boy"

After making their debut last week and releasing their music video for "Bad Boy" last week, rookie group 100% has now released their dance version music video.
While this version shows off the same three locations (the flaming desert, a black and white room, and a bright shiny square room), the individual scenes and closeups were removed.
Created by TOP Media, they are label mates alongside established Teen Top. The members of this seven person group are Minwoo (leader), Rocky, Jonghwan, Chanyong, Changbum, Hyukjin and Sanghoon. Rocky was previously a member of TOP Media's 2009 group Jumper.
Following the release of their debut single "We 100" on September 18, they made their debut performances on the various music shows.
Plastic Surgeons Rank Kara Members Beauty in Order

The upcoming episode of MBC Music "All the K-Pop" features Kara and 100 plastic surgeons, doctors, and nurses from Chungdam-dong, the so-called mecca of Korean beauty for having numerous plastic surgery hospitals. The 100 doctors and nurses in the audience ranked Kara members' beauty in order.
Park Gyuri came in first. Many plastic surgeons commented, "Park Gyuri has the golden ratio of facial features. The shapes and ratios between her eyes, nose, and mouth is the most ideal of all Kara members." Some surgeons added, "I've had patients who asked me to make them look like Gyuri." Gyuri accepted such results naturally, as she has been referring to herself as "goddess" since debut. She commented, "I guess all that brainwashing since my debut was worth it."
Han Seung Yeon came in second after Park Gyuri. Many surgeons complimented her perfect shape of the face and eyes. Han Seung Yeon confessed, "Honestly, I've been insecure about my eyes. Because of my thin double lids, people have told me that I look scary from time to time. But now that I've got the second place, I'm so happy."
Following Han Seung Yeon were Kang Ji Young, Goo Hara, and Nicole. The fact that Goo Hara came in the fourth place surprised everyone including members of Kara. Experts in the audience explained, "Goo Hara has a really good ration, also. And she's beautiful, almost too beautiful. This makes her look a bit unnatural."
Yūichi Nakamura, Ayana Taketatsu Join 3rd Berserk Film Cast
Yūichi Nakamura, Ayana Taketatsu, Akio Ohtsuka are joining the voice cast of the Berserk film trilogy for the final installment, Berserk Ōgon Jidai-Hen III: Kōrin (Berserk Golden Age Arc III: Descent). All three are playing characters from Kentarou Miura's original manga.

Nakamura will play Silat, the leader of the Baakiraka assassin clan taking on the Band of the Hawk. Taketatsu will play Erica, the girl who lives with the blacksmith Godo, and Ohtsuka will play the Skull Knight who holds the key to the story.

The third film is scheduled to run for about 110 minutes, and will follow the Golden Age Arc through its climactic finale. The film will open in Japan next January after being delayed from this year.

The trilogy has been licensed for distribution in 16 countries, and Viz Media screened the English dub of the trilogy's first film at Comic-Con International in San Diego last month. Viz will stream the film on its Neon Alley this fall, and then release it on Blu-ray Disc and DVD on November 27.

Source: http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2012-09-28/yuichi-nakamura-ayana-taketatsu-join-3rd-berserk-film-cast