It has been announced by LDH that Ryuto Kazuhara, one of the lead vocalists for GENERATIONS from EXILE TRIBE has tested positive for COVID-19. Kazuharu underwent testing on August 20th, because someone who he had worked with had also tested positive.

On August 22nd, Kazuhara was confirmed to have also tested positive for the virus. The good news is that Kazuhara has not experienced any of the negative side effects so far, so they were able to catch that he received it very early. Kazuhara is currently closely following instructions from a health center and experts.

BUMP OF CHICKEN member Motoo Fujiwara has announced that he is married! Motoo is the lead vocalist for the group, and also provides support with composing, songwriting, and playing rhythm guitar.

Motoo made the announcement on BUMP OF CHICKEN’s radio program “PONTSUKA!!” hosted by bayfm. Motoo married a non-celebrity woman, described by him as a “very important person”, and thanked fans for their continued support. He also wished everyone to stay healthy during these trying times. He also added that he will continue to do his best to continue his musical activities.

BUMP OF CHICKEN was formed in 1994 where the members met during their first year of high school. In 2000 they made their major debut with the single “Diamond“. A new song titled “Gravity” is scheduled to be released September 18th.

We’re back with another episode of the Arama! Japan podcast! This episode covers July 2020! This month we covered a variety of topics, including the comeback of Tetsuya Komuro via Nogizaka46 & Ayumi Hamasaki, Kalen Anzai, “Japan Sinks: 2020”, the growing number of celebrities with coronavirus, and Noda Yojiro‘s support of eugenics.

Featured on the podcast alongside myself this time is Hannah. Check it out below!

Shibutani Subaru, Nishikido Ryo, Nakai Masahiro, and Tegoshi Yuya have all left Johnny & Associates since December 2018. Nagase Tomoya is set to leave the company next March. So who is next? Friday has some ideas!

“The chain of exits hasn’t ended. For Johnny’s who want to quit the company, now is the easiest time,” according to an entertainment executive. He continued, saying, “The thing that started this trend was the warning from the Fair Trade Commission. The company was warned over pressuring TV stations not to invite the three former members of SMAP who left the company onto their shows. Because of this, Johnny’s no longer have to worry about being blacklisted from TV once they leave the company.”

So who is next? Yamashita Tomohisa is the most obvious answer, given that he recently went on hiatus. But there are others as well…

This week’s episode featured Official HIGE DANdism. This episode marks the band’s debut on the show. Kameda Seiji interviewed Official HIGE DANdism to find out their charm, which has led to them dominating the charts for the past year.

Official HIGE DANdism – I LOVE… / HELLO / Last Song

As previously reported, Awich will release “Partition”, her first EP under Universal Music, on August 21. In support of the EP, she recently released a music video for one of its tracks, “Bad Bad.”

Awich also released an English-language interview on her YouTube channel, chronicling her life. The interview includes bits on her love of her native Okinawa, her introduction to hip hop, personal tragedy in her life, her personal connection to Black Lives Matter, and her career ambitions.

Check both of these videos out below!

This week’s guests were Nogizaka46, TOMORROW X TOGETHER, Creepy Nuts, and BiS.

Nogizaka46 – Route 246 / Kaerimichi wa Toomawari Shitaku Naru

TOMORROW X TOGETHER – Drama [Japanese Ver.]

Creepy Nuts -Katsute Tensai Datta Oretachi e

BiS – I WANT TO DiE!!!!!

Hey, Arama Japan! It’s Friday, so it’s Open Post time! Feel free to chat with your fellow readers about whatever you like! Enjoy!