Kanjani8 will be releasing their new single, high-tempo festival dance anthem Maemuki Scream! The Maemuki! Maemuki! part can be first heard on their earlier Oronamin C CM and the proper song preview on their newest CM. The dance is choreographed by Lucky Ikeda.

The single also features the highly anticipated debut of Kanjani8’s girl group alter-ego, Canjani8 with CANDY MY LOVE, Candy Crush Soda’s CM theme song. Previously, they teased of a possible bikini CD cover. Too bad, they did not push through with. They however, have a new uniform in preparation for summer! The latest outfits of Canjani8 can be seen in the LE2 version of the single which has a limited pressing and will be only available until end of October.

Included in the single is a recording footage of the band version of Zukkoke Otokomichi which was first performed in Music Station last month. The B-side Natsu no Koibito is composed by member Maruyama Ryuhei.

Check out the latest song, single covers, PV previews and a look into Canjani8’s debut below!

As schools entered the summer vacation and a 3 day holiday weekend (Umi no Hi weekend), Kimura Takuya’s HERO ranked first at the box office. TOHO gave it a very wide release at 443 screens and the movie dominated the box office, recording the most number of admissions for any live-action film on opening weekend for 2015. In addition, over the 3-day holiday weekend, it earned over 1,058,080,000 Yen, becoming the fastest live-action film this year to reach the 1 billion.

Pokemon XY: Hoopa and the Clash of Ages opened strong at no. 3 while Pixar’s Inside Out settle at 4th place.

Check out the latest ranking below.

On August 5, Shiina Ringo will release her new single, “Nagaku Mijikai Matsuri / Kamisama, Hotokesama.” She released “Nagaku Mijikai Matsuri” as a digital single on July 10. It’s is currently serving as the Coca Cola CM song.

Starting last week, Ringo had a series of Nico Nico events. On Monday, she made an appearance during the final event. During her appearance, she revealed the music video for “Nagaku Mijikai Matsuri.” In the music video, she performs the song along with former Tokyo Jihen member Ukigumo. Both are dressed in retro clothing to match the vibe of the song. Check it out after the jump!

Sandaime J Soul Brothers continued their reign at the top of both Recochoku and iTunes for the second week in a row with “Summer Madness.”

On May 3 – 5, rock festival Viva La Rock took place at Saitama Super Arena. The festival featured acts such as [Alexandros], indigo la End, KANA-BOON, KICK THE CAN CREW, Quruli, Spitz, cero, Yu Takahashi, BOOM BOOM SATELLITES, plenty, Petrolz, Ken Yokoyama, Sambomaster, SiM, and Nothing’s Carved In Stone. There was also a special band created for the show called VIVA LA J-ROCK ANTHEMS! It was composed  of Kameda Seiji, Ukigumo, Pierre Nakano of Ling Tosite Sigure, and Tusno Maisa of Akai Koen. They collaborated with the likes of Seiko Oomori and KREVA.

A few days ago, Fuji TV aired performances from Viva La Rock. We have a number of those performances here. This compilation of videos is by no means complete. It’s missing the third day of performances, as well as a few from the other 2 days.

Check it out after the jump!

This week’s guest was Yu Takahashi. There was also a talk segment with Charisma.com x Suiyoubi no Campanella x DJ Misoshiru to MC Gohan.

Yu Takahashi  – Fukuwarai

This week’s guests were NMB48, OKAMOTO’S, JUNHO (From 2PM), AAA, EXILE SHOKICHI, Little Glee Monster, Fairies, and Carly Rae Jepsen.

NMB48 – Durian Shonen

OKAMOTO’S – Dance With You

JUNHO (From 2PM) – SO GOOD

AAA – LOVER

EXILE SHOKICHI – Don’t Stop the Music

Little Glee Monster – Jinsei wa Ichido Kiri

Fairies – Soushisouai☆destination

Carly Rae Jepsen – I Really Like You

Japan is known for its cute culture, and its infatuation with schoolgirls. However, there is a dark side to this. Vice recently took a trip to Tokyo to examine a phenomenon known as “joshi kosei osanpo dates.” During these dates, underage schoolgirls are picked up by older men for paid walking dates. These “walking dates” are not the only manifestation of this phenomenon though. There are also cafes where older men can pay for dates with underage schoolgirls. There are also idol concerts where underage girls perform for older men, with a handshake event after the show. These meetings between underage girls and older men often lead to illegal sexual activity. All of this activity in centered in the city’s Akihabara neighborhood. It’s also controlled by organized crime. These activities have caught the eye of US State Department because it is a part of human trafficking. Vulnerable young girls are preyed upon by older men and then shamed for their activities, while those preying upon them suffer less stigma. There are people who are standing up for these girls though. Check out “Schoolgirls for Sale in Japan” after the jump!