In a livestream event broadcast at 12:30pm JST today, Sakanaction’s singer Yamaguchi Ichiro revealed details regarding the band’s activities over the course of the coming year.  Most notable among these was the announcement that the band’s bassist Kusakari Ami had married a non-celebrity man at some point during the last year and is now pregnant.

As a result, Sakanaction will be entering into a “stable period” for much of 2015 and as such will not be conducting any live activities like concerts or festivals until October.  However, this does not mean that they will stop making music, as Ichiro stressed that both the recording and production of their latest album would continue, and that the band would also conduct a series of studio lives over Ustream.

While I’m sure that many of us are looking forward to Sakanaction’s new album, I would like to offer congratulations to Ami on behalf of AramaJapan and urge that she take as much time off as she feels she needs.

(via natalie)

On January 1, rapper KOHH released his new album “Kuchinashi Ko.” This is his second album to be released but is actually the first album he made. Last year, KOHH released  his debut album “MONOCHROME”, but he referred to it as his second album since it was made after “Kuchinashi Ko.” Why he decided not to release these albums in the order they were made remains unknown. “Kuchinashi Ko” contains some songs that KOHH has released in the past, such as “Junji Takada”, “My Last Heart Break” (which samples Utada Hikaru’s “SAKURA Drops”) and the infamous “Hello Kitty.” The album also features appearances from several artists, including DUTCH MONTANA and KOHH’s younger brother LIL KOHH. To promote the album, KOHH has released the music video for the album’s opening track, “Hikoki.” The video was partially shot in New York City. Check out the album’s cover and tracklist as well as the videos for “Hikoki” and some other songs on the album after the jump!

Happy New Year AramaJapan! The site also just celebrated its 6 month anniversary yesterday! To celebrate, here is a brand new Open Post! Enjoy! Fell free to chat with your fellow readers about whatever you like!

At his 6th anniversary live show on December 28, Yuya Matsushita announced that he had joined a new boyband. The group is called X4. The 4 member group is signed to Yuya’s independent label, Japanese Dream Records. The group is a union between Japan and South Korea, seeing as how half of the group’s members are Korean. As part of their debut, X4 will be embarking on a tour of Japan in the spring. This will be Yuya’s second time in a group. His first group was called Suger. It was composed of classmates from The Caless Vocal & Dance School in Osaka. One of his group members was R&B singer Shota Shimizu. Check out more info on this soon to debut group after the jump as well as the full live mentioned above after the jump!

On New Year’s Eve, NHK aired the 65th edition of its annual New Year’s special, Kohaku Uta Gassen. The full show is now available for viewing. Check out the likes of AKB48, EXILE, Shiina Ringo, Perfume, Akina Nakamori, Arashi, and Southern All Stars as well as the show’s ratings in various part of Japan after the jump!

Back in November, Suiyoubi no Campanella released their 4th mini album, “Watashi wo Onigashima ni Tsuretette.“ To celebrate the new year, the group has released a music video for the mini album’s 7th track, “Jeanne d’Arc.” The video finds frontwoman Koumai as a kooky tour bus operator. Check it out after the jump!

On New Year’s Eve, CDTV aired its annual New Year’s special. The full show is now available for viewing. Check out the likes of AKB48, EXILE, JUJU, Perfume, B’z, Gesu no Kiwami Otome., and Kis-My-Ft2 after the jump!

Recochoku:
1. Nishino Kana – Darling
2. Hata Motohiro – Himawari no Yakusoku
3. SEKAI NO OWARI – Dragon Night
4. Che’Nelle – Happiness
5. Sandaime J Soul Brothers – R.Y.U.S.E.I.
6. e-girls – Mr.Snowman
7. AI – Story
8. ayaka – Nijiiro
9. Superfly – Ai wo Karada ni Fukikonde
10. Sandaime J Soul Brothers – O.R.I.O.N.

iTunes:
1. Che’Nelle – Happiness
2. SEKAI NO OWARI – Dragon Night
3. Hata Motohiro – Himawari no Yakusoku
4. Nishino Kana – Darling
5. Sandaime J Soul Brothers – R.Y.U.S.E.I.
6. Southern All Stars – Tokyo VICTORY
7. Sandaime J Soul Brothers – O.R.I.O.N.
8. e-girls – Mr.Snowman
9. Namie Amuro – BRIGHTER DAY
10. BiBi – Fuyu ga Kureta Yokan

After the jump, check out the Recochoku monthly chart for December!