<figure id="attachment_399348" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1000px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-399348"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="ee925adf"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/cc93ea744b772f2241a5c52683be0046.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-399348" class="wp-caption-text">Takuya Kimura ♡ Shizuka Kudo Pre-Marriage Trip (May 5th, 2000 Issue)</figcaption></figure>
<h2>From Heisei to Reiwa</h2>
<h2></h2>
In the 2000s, the collapse of the IT bubble and Japan&#8217;s deepening deflation led to a growing sense of unease in society. Amid this, the Akihabara stabbing incident in June 2008 occurred. The perpetrator&#8217;s motive, combined with dissatisfaction and isolation, sparked discussions about the sense of stagnation in society.
The Great East Japan Earthquake in March 2011 caused unprecedented damage to Japan. Particularly, the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster became a turning point, forcing a reexamination of energy policies.
Turning to the entertainment industry, FRIDAY scooped the pre-marital trip of top idols Takuya Kimura and Shizuka Kudo. The dark business of popular comedians from Yoshimoto Kogyo was exposed, along with confidential internal photos, shaking the entertainment world.
FRIDAY will continue to provide information based on thorough reporting.
In April 2000, Takuya Kimura (then 27) went on a secret trip to Tanegashima, Kagoshima Prefecture, with his girlfriend Shizuka Kudo (then 30).
Media outlets, upon obtaining information, swarmed to the island, causing a frenzy. Amid tight security and a tense atmosphere, FRIDAY captured moments of the big couple closely embracing and looking happy.
Now, they have become one of the entertainment industry&#8217;s most beloved married couples.
JR Fukuchiyama Line Derailment Accident 
 May 13-20, 2005 Combined Issue
<figure id="attachment_399333" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1709px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-399333"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="bc6694a3"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/8765344c9a5db40baf628d780e30e98e.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-399333" class="wp-caption-text">JR Fukuchiyama Line Derailment Accident (May 13 &amp; 20, 2005)</figcaption></figure>
The first car of the train crashed into an apartment building, and the train was left unrecognizable. The JR Fukuchiyama Line derailment accident that occurred on April 25, 2005, in Amagasaki City (Hyogo Prefecture) is one of the worst railway accidents in Japanese history. Survivors described the scene, which felt like hell at the time:
&#8220;I thought the train was going faster than usual. The train was shaking from side to side. Suddenly, the brakes were applied, and when I heard a loud crash, my body was thrown.&#8221;
The cause of the accident was attributed to the train operator exceeding the speed limit by a significant margin, along with issues with the Automatic Train Stop (ATS) system and the harsh working conditions.
Thorough safety measures are essential for the railways that support people&#8217;s lives.
 
The Akihabara stabbing incident 
 June 27, 2008 issue
<figure id="attachment_399347" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1634px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-399347"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="52f01a78"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/b4e3f1df23507dd4307b1ef9d81ba2e1.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-399347" class="wp-caption-text">Akihabara Street Incident (June 27, 2008 issue)</figcaption></figure>
&#8220;The people who were slammed to the ground didn’t move at all. The culprit, who was subdued by the police, was covered in blood.&#8221;
A witness of the Akihabara stabbing incident recounted the horrific scene at that time. In June 2008, a truck crashed into the pedestrian paradise in Akihabara. Afterward, the assailant attacked passersby with a knife, resulting in 7 deaths and 10 people suffering serious or minor injuries in a major incident.
The perpetrator, Tomohiro Kato (25 at the time), was arrested at the scene and later testified in court, stating, &#8220;I regret it.&#8221; It was revealed that his feelings of isolation from his parents, workplace, and online forums led him to commit the violent act. In March 2011, the Tokyo District Court sentenced Kato to death, and the death penalty was upheld in both the appellate and supreme courts.
The death penalty was carried out in July 2022, but the victims&#8217; unresolved grievances will never be relieved.
&nbsp;
<h3>Great East Japan Earthquake</h3>
<h3>April 1, 2011 issue</h3>
<figure id="attachment_399346" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1736px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-399346"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="bc219b7b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/7c95316dc1cbca29173c42c873cba590.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-399346" class="wp-caption-text">The Great East Japan Earthquake (April 1, 2011 issue)</figcaption></figure>
&#8220;Fire was breaking out in various places, and it looked as if the entire sea was on fire. The scene from that day is still burned into my mind.&#8221;
A man, who was desperately evacuating while being engulfed by flames, testified to FRIDAY at the time with fear.
On March 11, 2011, the Great East Japan Earthquake, which recorded the largest magnitude of 9.0 in Japan’s recorded history, occurred. The large-scale fire that broke out in Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, turned the city into scorched earth overnight. Photos of black smoke rising intensely from the oil refinery near Sendai Port testified to the severity of the disaster.
That day, ordinary lives were instantly taken away. An elderly woman, walking through a city buried in rubble, searched for the place where her house once stood, crying in despair. Nearby, members of the Self-Defense Forces desperately continued searching for survivors. Amid the diligent rescue operations, uncollected bodies lay scattered across the area, a reality that left people speechless.
Even 13 years later, challenges such as the wastewater issue and the restart of nuclear power plants remain. The efforts for &#8220;3.11&#8221; recovery and disaster prevention are ongoing with no end in sight.
&nbsp;
<h3></h3>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead="The &quot;black market&quot; that shocked the entertainment industry"></div>
<h3>Yoshimoto Kogyo ″Dark Business″ Issue</h3>
<h3>July 5, 2007 issue</h3>
<figure id="attachment_399341" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1863px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-399341"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="2dae74f8"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/d4c0da16b543ff3e45aebfab1d7727ec.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-399341" class="wp-caption-text">Yoshimoto Kogyo&#8217;s &#8220;Dark Business&#8221; Issue (July 5, 2007 issue)</figcaption></figure>
In 2019, a shocking scandal erupted when FRIDAY exposed that comedian Hiroyuki Miyasako (54, then 49) of the comedy duo &#8220;Ameagari Kesshitai&#8221; and other comedians attended a year-end party hosted by a fraudulent group, where they performed impressions and songs, even posing for a commemorative photo. This &#8220;dark business&#8221; involvement sent shockwaves through the entertainment industry.
The ties to anti-social forces raised concerns, and the mismanagement within Yoshimoto Kogyo, the talent agency, was brought to light. In response to FRIDAY’s direct inquiry, Miyasako initially denied receiving money, claiming &#8220;I didn&#8217;t get any money,&#8221; but later, in a press conference, he admitted to receiving a 1 million yen payment.
As a result of the scandal, Miyasako’s contract with Yoshimoto Kogyo was terminated. Many, like Ryo Tamura (52, then 47) from &#8220;London Boots 1-Go 2-Go,&#8221; had to spend years before returning to full-fledged activities, highlighting the immense consequences of their reckless actions.
 
<h3>Kishu Don Juan Incident</h3>
<h3>May 21, 2009 issue</h3>
<a href="#" data-ident_hash="4e55f024"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2024/11/13ffe41c541b64700404a815f2478751.jpg" alt=""></a>
<figure id="attachment_399345" class="wp-caption alignnone" style="width: 1687px;" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-399345"><figcaption id="caption-attachment-399345" class="wp-caption-text">Kishu Don Juan Incident (May 21, 2009 issue)</figcaption></figure>
“I didn&#8217;t do it.”
Before her arrest, Saki Sudo (28, then 25) was seen smiling as she answered reporters&#8217; questions. In May 2018, the death of wealthy businessman Kosuke Nozaki (77), known as &#8220;Kishu no Don-phan,&#8221; due to acute methamphetamine poisoning, drew significant attention. A photo of Sudo in front of Nozaki&#8217;s luxury car was taken, and in April 2021, she was arrested on charges including murder.
Sudo is suspected of intentionally administering methamphetamine to Nozaki. During the trial, which began in September at the Wakayama District Court, it was revealed that the defendant had been in contact with drug dealers and had researched methamphetamine before the incident. However, Sudo and her defense team continue to deny the charges, claiming an alibi on the day of the event to argue for her innocence.
The verdict is expected on December 12.
This information is from the FRIDAY November 22-29, 2024 issue.
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>

 Yutaka Asai Eiji Ikeda Shinya Inui Kengo Okura Masatoshi Okauchi Toshio Okamura Takeo Yuzoku Noriyoshi Koizumi Katsumi Sunamori Yozo Soga Ryutaro Takayama Kazunori Tajima Hiroaki Fujiuchi Shizuo Yamakawa Takashi Yoshida Koji Wataru

 In the 2000s, Japan was in the grip of severe deflation. The Akihabara street riots and the Great East Japan Earthquake. FRIDAY reported numerous scoops, including secret trips between top idols. Here is a look back at the 40th anniversary of the first issue with some shocking shots.

Kimura Takuya’s Secret Trip: FRIDAY’s 40th Anniversary Scoop

Access Ranking