A night party held by the eldest son of Yasushi Yokoyama and the nephew of “Katsushin”… A direct report on the party of two people who have the blood of big stars in their veins!
Late in November, late at night in a corner of Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo, a grand evening party was being held.
It was actor Kiichiro Wakayama’s 59th birthday party. The party was attended by actors, singers, and many other people from the industry. At the venue, singers who participated in the party performed their own songs and videos of Mr. Wakayama in his younger days were shown, making the event a great success.
Among the many people involved in the event was actor Kazuya Kimura (54). Kimura, whose father is the comic storyteller Yasushi Yokoyama (51 years old), is currently active as a V cinema actor. In November of this year, a women’s weekly magazine reported his love affair with a common woman, Ako. They are planning to enter the family register in January next year.
Kimura was at the party with Ako, and Ako was also there. Ako is a talented young woman who works for a major financial company.
Kimura’s father is close to Kimura and they met through that relationship. Kimura has been a member of Wakayama Kikaku, an entertainment agency run by Wakayama, since October of this year, and she was at the celebration party because of that connection.
Wakayama, on the other hand, is the son of the famous actor Tomisaburo Wakayama (62 years old) and the nephew of Shintaro Katsu (65 years old). He is also known as a disciple of action star Shintaro Chiba (82), who passed away in August of the year before last. However, in February 2002, he was arrested on suspicion of violating the Methamphetamine Control Law (use of methamphetamine). He was convicted and sentenced to one year and six months in prison with a three-year suspended sentence, and in recent years has continued to perform mainly on stage. Wakayama, however, is said to have received some good news.
He will appear in an NHK period drama to be broadcast on the 29th of this month. The title is “Ooka Echizen Special: Great Turmoil! Hakusu of Fate. Mr. Wakayama will play the role of Horibe Yasube, an Ako Ronin. It is his return to TV after an absence of about 10 years. The lead role will be played by Noriyuki Higashiyama, 57, president of “SMILE-UP.” (formerly Johnny’s). Higashiyama has announced that he will retire from the stage at the end of this year, and this film is attracting a lot of attention from industry insiders as it may be the last film in which he will appear.
