ARAMA! JAPAN | Page 1523 | Breaking J-Pop News and Celebrity Gossip

Artists Announced For Utada Hikaru Tribute Album

As previously reported, a Utada Hikaru tribute album titled “Utada Hikaru no Uta” is set to be released on December 9, the 16th anniversary of her debut. The list of artists on the album has now been revealed. She chose a group of artists who are singer-songwriters who make very personal music. See who they are after the jump!

Is Namie Amuro collaborating with Jolin Tsai?

The media has been buzzing due to rumors of Namie Amuro collaborating with Taiwanese pop queen Jolin Tsai.

Namie landed in Taiwan yesterday and stayed silent despite being hounded by the media. When reporters directly contacted Jolin’s agency they neither denied nor confirmed the rumors, simply saying “no comment” . Last month Jolin’s agency quickly shot down rumors that the dancing diva would be collaborating with k-pop star G-dragon, leaving fans hopeful that this Namie collaboration might be true.

Namie is currently on the road for her “Live Style 2014” tour and Jolin recently singles from her latest album “Jolin Play” to much acclaim and success. Jolin will also be included on the upcoming Utada Hikaru cover album.

Would you like to see a collaboration between these two divas?

Koda Kumi has a cameo in Fergie’s new video

Koda Kumi has a surprise cameo in Fergie’s brand new video for “L.A Love”.

The two previously collaborated together in 2008 which resulted in “That Ain’t Cool”, one of the a-sides on Kumi’s single “MOON”. Kumi’s cameo can be seen at the 4:18 mark, it’s good to know that the two still keep in touch! Check out the video for “L.A Love” below.

Netizens Express Outrage at Japanese Representative for “Miss International” Pageant; “Too Ugly”

On November 4th, the 74 representatives for the 2014 “Miss International World Tournament” that will occur on the 11th within metropolitan Tokyo were revealed. The Japanese representative Lila Hongo stated about her selection “I’m having a lot of fun. I came with the intention of taking the Grand Prix, so I hope everyone supports me.” However, there have been many voices of disapproval concerning her choice as the representative of Japan.

This week’s episode of NHK SONGS was dedicated to Shiina Ringo. The show was subtitled “What Will Happen? Tokyo Olympics.” On the show, she was joined by photographer Mika Ninagawa and actor/playwright/theater director Hideki Noda. The trio looked back on the Olympics of the past and also thought of the impending 2020 Tokyo games. On this show, Ringo performed 3 songs from her new album “Hi Izuru Tokoro”: “Carnation”, “NIPPON”, and “Hashire wa Number.” Check it out after the jump!

Haruna Kojima (26) of AKB48 was at the 10th anniversary ceremony for “MAQUIA”, a beauty magazine, on November 1st. Kojima herself has appeared on the front cover of the magazine in the June 2010 issue and June 2011 issue. When looking back at her appearances, Kojima commented, “How nostalgic! Four years have passed. I looked so innocent!”