Latest Japanese Entertainment News: Yugo Takaji Takes on Muromachi Era Riddles, Haruka Shimazaki’s Fearful Proposal Confession, Takuya Kimura’s ‘The First Responders III’ Unusual Release

‘A New World in X Seconds’ Featuring Yugo Takaji and More, Solving Muromachi Era Riddles

On January 13th at 10 PM, Japan’s popular variety show ‘A New World in X Seconds’ airs on Nippon TV, with special studio guests including Yugo Takaji from SixTONES, Kalen Takizawa, Chiaki, and YOU[1].

This episode features a fun segment where guests try to solve riddles from Japan’s Muromachi period, along with a Mochi challenge involving sheep’s wool, promising lots of entertaining reactions from the cast[1].

‘Dancing! Sanma’s Great Hall!!’ Special on Famous People in Their Lucky Year with KEY TO LIT’s Daisho Iwaki, Koi Yoshizawa, and Haruka Shimazaki

That same night at 8 PM, Nippon TV’s ‘Dancing! Sanma’s Great Hall!!’ airs a special themed around celebrities celebrating their lucky year[2].

Daisho Iwaki from KEY TO LIT (in their unlucky year), Olympic skateboarding gold medalist Koi Yoshizawa (pre-lucky year), and KENZO from DA PUMP (major unlucky year) join Sanma to share stories and worries about their upcoming year[2].

Haruka Shimazaki also opens up about her first-ever ‘terrifying proposal,’ leaving the studio stunned[2].

• Koi Yoshizawa: Sanma points out the challenges faced in her athletic career
• Other stories include Taku Tanaka’s wife’s anger, and Shota Ue’s unconscious habits

Takuya Kimura’s ‘The First Responders III’ Gets Unusual Release: Netflix Streaming & Theatrical Debut

The latest installment of Takuya Kimura’s hit series, ‘The First Responders Reunion’, started streaming on Netflix from January 1st[3].

The sequel, ‘The First Responders: Requiem’, will be released in theaters starting February 20th — a rare hybrid release that Kimura calls “exciting because it’s breaking the mold”[3].

Winter 2026 Drama Lineup: Exciting New Shows to Watch

New dramas for the winter season (January-March 2026) are being announced one after another[1].

• Historical drama ‘Toyotomi Brothers!’
• Sunday drama ‘Reboot,’ Kenichi Matsuyama stars in ‘The Uncertain Court of Teme’s,’
• K-POP industry-themed drama ‘DREAM STAGE,’ along with Ryoma Takeuchi & Mao Inoue’s ‘Reunion: Silent Truth,’
• Morning drama ‘Baked Baked’ starring Akari Takato, and Satoshi Tsumabuki’s ‘The Royal Family’

Including shows on BS and WOWOW, cast details and plot summaries are being updated regularly[1].

Oricon Weekly Charts: ‘Uta no Prince-sama♪’ Tops Single Rankings

As of January 12th, the ‘Uta no Prince-sama 15th Anniversary’ CD took the top spot on the weekly combined single chart[3].

The album continues to lead in daily single sales, showing strong fan support and popularity[3].

Other Hot Topics

On January 13th, ‘Hirunandes!’ features a special segment on a luxurious adult women’s trip to Hakodate and home renovation experts[4].

Global short drama ‘Kanta’ stars Kara’s Choi Young, who discusses a close scene with Lee Tefan at a recent event[3].

Plus, the new footage from the live-action ‘One Piece’ adaptation has been released, sparking lots of buzz[3].