Ai Kago
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese singer, actress, author and former Guinness World Record holder
.
At age 12, Kago won the 4th National Audition of Morning Musume
held by Up-Front Works Agency in 2000, which led to her admission into the extremely popular idol
group as a 4th generation member. In the same year, she became a founding member of Minimoni. In 2004, she graduated from both the aforementioned groups and formed W with Nozomi Tsuji
.
In 2006, photos of the under-age Kago smoking
were leaked by the media. As a result, she was immediately suspended for one year by Up-Front Works Agency. In 2007, toward the end of her suspension, she was caught once again smoking. This resulted in her contract being terminated permanently. After a hiatus that lasted a year, she signed a contract with R&A Promotions Co.,Ltd and resumed her career as an actress and a singer.
, Hitomi Yoshizawa
, and Nozomi Tsuji
, were inducted into the idol group Morning Musume as its fourth generation. Their recording debut was in the group's ninth single "Happy Summer Wedding
".
Kago and Tsuji's addition to the group received positive critical response. With an increasing fan base, they, along with fellow Morning Musume member Mari Yaguchi
and Coconuts Musume
member Mika Todd, formed a new subgroup named Minimoni. In addition to this, Kago was also admitted into established subgroup Tanpopo
as a second generation member.
From 2001 to 2004 Kago participated in the annual Hello! Project shuffle units, being part of the smallest units the first three times (3-nin Matsuri in 2001, Happy 7 in 2002, and Salt5 in 2003) and joining the 46-member H.P. All Stars in 2004.
In August 2004, Kago and Tsuji graduated from Morning Musume together after Minimoni began their indefinite hiatus. Under the arrangement of the Up-Front Works Agency, Kago and Tsuji formed a new pop duo, W, releasing two albums and six singles together.
spun at in diameter. They set their record on January 1, 2004, during a live New Year's Day television special at Nippon Television Network, Tokyo, Japan. The record appeared in the 2005 and 2006 editions of the Guinness Book of World Records
and was the second time that Tsuji held the record, having previously held the record between January 2003 and June 2003. The record was eventually broken by Ashrita Furman
(USA) in September 2005.
's newscast reported that Kago's mother was trying to sign her to a new talent agency in her hometown of Nara.
On August 25, 2007, an interview with Kago's mother in the magazine Josei Seven revealed that after parting company with Hello! Project, Ai Kago left Japan and started residing in New York City.
On April 6, 2008, it was reported by Yahoo! News
that Kago was returning to the entertainment industry. Also, in an interview by OhmyNews
, Kago admitted that she had begun smoking to feel more like an adult without realizing the impact it would have on her peers and young fans. She stated that she had actually not gone to New York, but rather to Los Angeles for three months in 2007 with her boyfriend. She said she took the trip because she felt like a criminal in Japan. While in LA she met many new people who encouraged her (including Winona Ryder
) and was able to reflect on her situation and begin her new life. She also admitted to having considered suicide and having inflicted self-injury upon herself by cutting her wrists. At the end of the interview, Kago states that even though she is now 20 years old and can legally smoke cigarettes, she no longer does or has any desire to do so.
On April 24, 2008, Ai Kago announced on her personal blog website, "Biscuit Club", that she will be appearing in Hong Kong
movie Kung Fu Chef with Sammo Hung
.
On July 4, 2008, in an interview with Akashiya Sanma, she stated that she had been in Kyoto filming for a movie about Princess Sen, followed by a joint Singapore/Hong Kong project.
In June 2011, Kago announced on her blog that she left R&A Promotions Co.,Ltd in November 2010 due to being unhappy with the direction of her work. Her current agency status is unknown at the moment.
After a while,in an empty stage had Tsunku
,Kago sings "Love Love Shine" by Kosaka Riyu and Tsunku got a heart attack.
According to an interview in the March 9, 2007 issue of Friday–the very same magazine responsible for her suspension–Kago revealed she had been serving tea, answering phones and doing assorted secretarial work at the Up-Front Works agency since January 23, 2007, when her employers found it fit for her to return to Tokyo, after she spent most of 2006 under house arrest at her family's residence in Nara
.
In the same interview the young idol claimed to have had undergone several changes in regard to her outlook on life, to have become more responsible. Additionally she met up with the other members for the first time at Yokohama Arena
, after a lengthy period of time, though the group couldn't quite recognize her at first, given the fact she had lost some weight
.
The agency said that they were working on her comeback, though the details were not clear.
In 2009 it was alleged that Kago had a relationship with 33-year-old actor Hidejiro Mizumoto. Mizumoto's wife Asato sued them both, stating that she has proof of the affair and that it was the cause for her pending divorce. On May 24, 2009 a family court found in Asato's favor and ordered Mizumoto to hand over his home in Kumamoto and his car to Asato as well as 300,000 yen in child support every month for his three children.
yakuza
crime syndicate. Her boyfriend, 44, allegedly told the victim that he was "in friendly affiliation with the Kodo-kai
", and police reported that her boyfriend actually had a close relationship with the boss of the Komatsu-gumi (an affiliate of the Kodo-kai). Kago has been taken in for questioning as well. On September 11, 2011, Kago was rushed to a nearby hospital after agency officials found her on the floor of her apartment with cuts to her wrists. It is believed to have been a suicide attempt. Her life was reported to be not in danger.
for . Kago has sometimes said in interviews that she was named that by her parents because she was conceived out of wedlock. Written "亜依", it has no real meaning.
Albums
Compilation Albums (Various Artists, Feb 10, 2010 P-Vine)
}
|Momoko
|
|-
| rowspan=2|2010
|
|
|
|-
|The Haunting Lover
|
|
|}
}
|Yumi Shiina
|
|-
|2003
|
|Yumi Shiina
|
|-
|rowspan=3|2004
|
|Yumi Shiina
|
|-
|
|Yumi Shiina
|
|-
|
|Hinako Niwa
|
|-
| 2005
|
|Yumi Shiina
|
|-
| rowspan=2|2008
|
|Mai Kurume
|ep3,6,11–12
|-
|
|Princess Sen
|
|-
| 2009
|
|
|ep3
|}
}
|August 22, 2009
|Kodansha
ISBN 978-4063528152
|
|-
|
|March 25, 2010
|Air Control
ISBN 978-4860847371
|}
}
|October 25, 2009
|GP Museum Soft
|
|-
|LOS ANGELES
|March 25, 2010
|Air Control
|}
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
.
At age 12, Kago won the 4th National Audition of Morning Musume
Morning Musume
, sometimes referred to as is a Japanese idol girl group, whose act generally revolves around singing and dancing to upbeat melodies. They are the lead group of Hello! Project, which is managed and produced by Tsunku, who composes nearly all the lyrics and melodies of their songs...
held by Up-Front Works Agency in 2000, which led to her admission into the extremely popular idol
Japanese idol
In Japanese culture, are media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly attractive or cute and who will, for a period ranging from several months to a few years, regularly appear in the mass media, e.g...
group as a 4th generation member. In the same year, she became a founding member of Minimoni. In 2004, she graduated from both the aforementioned groups and formed W with Nozomi Tsuji
Nozomi Tsuji
, known professionally by her birth name of is a Japanese tarento and a former member of the pop idol group Morning Musume, its subgroup Mini Moni, and the duo W. She has participated in the shuffle groups 10-nin Matsuri, Odoru 11, and 11Water, H.P...
.
In 2006, photos of the under-age Kago smoking
Tobacco
Tobacco is an agricultural product processed from the leaves of plants in the genus Nicotiana. It can be consumed, used as a pesticide and, in the form of nicotine tartrate, used in some medicines...
were leaked by the media. As a result, she was immediately suspended for one year by Up-Front Works Agency. In 2007, toward the end of her suspension, she was caught once again smoking. This resulted in her contract being terminated permanently. After a hiatus that lasted a year, she signed a contract with R&A Promotions Co.,Ltd and resumed her career as an actress and a singer.
Hello! Project
On April 16, 2000, Kago, along with Rika IshikawaRika Ishikawa
, is a Japanese pop singer and TV/radio hostess, associated with the Hello! Project banner and best known as a former member of the pop group Morning Musume. She was the leader of the trio v-u-den until June 2008...
, Hitomi Yoshizawa
Hitomi Yoshizawa
is a former leader of the pop group Morning Musume and current member of the duo Hangry & Angry as Hangry. She is the current leader of the Hello! Project futsal team Gatas Brilhantes H.P...
, and Nozomi Tsuji
Nozomi Tsuji
, known professionally by her birth name of is a Japanese tarento and a former member of the pop idol group Morning Musume, its subgroup Mini Moni, and the duo W. She has participated in the shuffle groups 10-nin Matsuri, Odoru 11, and 11Water, H.P...
, were inducted into the idol group Morning Musume as its fourth generation. Their recording debut was in the group's ninth single "Happy Summer Wedding
Happy Summer Wedding
is the ninth single of the J-pop idol group Morning Musume, released on May 17, 2000. It sold a total of 1,370,000 copies, becoming a number-one hit in Japan...
".
Kago and Tsuji's addition to the group received positive critical response. With an increasing fan base, they, along with fellow Morning Musume member Mari Yaguchi
Mari Yaguchi
, known professionally by her birth name of is a Japanese pop artist and former member of Hello! Project. She is a former member of Morning Musume and Tanpopo, one of its first sub groups, and also founded Minimoni...
and Coconuts Musume
Coconuts Musume
is a group from Hello! Project that was formed and promoted as the "girls from Hawaii". After nine years, the group officially disbanded when Ayaka Kimura graduated from Hello! Project.- Members :* 1998–2008 –...
member Mika Todd, formed a new subgroup named Minimoni. In addition to this, Kago was also admitted into established subgroup Tanpopo
Tanpopo
was the first official subgroup of Japanese pop girl group Morning Musume formed in November 1998. They specialized in singing slow and mature songs, which morphed to an old-fashioned and upbeat style—a genre somewhat similar to that of the band from which it originated.-History: The group...
as a second generation member.
From 2001 to 2004 Kago participated in the annual Hello! Project shuffle units, being part of the smallest units the first three times (3-nin Matsuri in 2001, Happy 7 in 2002, and Salt5 in 2003) and joining the 46-member H.P. All Stars in 2004.
In August 2004, Kago and Tsuji graduated from Morning Musume together after Minimoni began their indefinite hiatus. Under the arrangement of the Up-Front Works Agency, Kago and Tsuji formed a new pop duo, W, releasing two albums and six singles together.
As a hula hoop performer
Kago and Tsuji shared the world record for the largest hula hoopHula hoop
A hula hoop is a toy hoop that is twirled around the waist, limbs or neck.Although the exact origins of hula hoops are unknown, children and adults around the world have played with hoops, twirling, rolling and throwing them throughout history...
spun at in diameter. They set their record on January 1, 2004, during a live New Year's Day television special at Nippon Television Network, Tokyo, Japan. The record appeared in the 2005 and 2006 editions of the Guinness Book of World Records
Guinness World Records
Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...
and was the second time that Tsuji held the record, having previously held the record between January 2003 and June 2003. The record was eventually broken by Ashrita Furman
Ashrita Furman
Ashrita Furman has set more than 300 Guinness records since 1979 and currently holds131 Guinness records. He has set records on all seven continents and in more than 30 different countries...
(USA) in September 2005.
Post-Hello! Project life
On May 5, 2007, the Tokyo Broadcasting SystemTokyo Broadcasting System
, TBS Holdings, Inc. or TBSHD, is a stockholding company in Tokyo, Japan. It is a parent company of a television network named and radio network named ....
's newscast reported that Kago's mother was trying to sign her to a new talent agency in her hometown of Nara.
On August 25, 2007, an interview with Kago's mother in the magazine Josei Seven revealed that after parting company with Hello! Project, Ai Kago left Japan and started residing in New York City.
On April 6, 2008, it was reported by Yahoo! News
Yahoo! News
Yahoo! News is an Internet-based news aggregator provided by Yahoo!. It features Top Stories, U.S. National, World, Business, Entertainment, Science, Health, Weather, Most Popular, News Photos, Op/Ed, and Local news....
that Kago was returning to the entertainment industry. Also, in an interview by OhmyNews
OhmyNews
OhmyNews is a South Korean online newspaper website with the motto "Every Citizen is a Reporter". It was founded by Oh Yeon Ho on February 22, 2000....
, Kago admitted that she had begun smoking to feel more like an adult without realizing the impact it would have on her peers and young fans. She stated that she had actually not gone to New York, but rather to Los Angeles for three months in 2007 with her boyfriend. She said she took the trip because she felt like a criminal in Japan. While in LA she met many new people who encouraged her (including Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder is an American actress. She made her film debut in the 1986 film Lucas. Ryder's first significant role came in Tim Burton's Beetlejuice as a goth teenager, which won her critical and commercial recognition...
) and was able to reflect on her situation and begin her new life. She also admitted to having considered suicide and having inflicted self-injury upon herself by cutting her wrists. At the end of the interview, Kago states that even though she is now 20 years old and can legally smoke cigarettes, she no longer does or has any desire to do so.
On April 24, 2008, Ai Kago announced on her personal blog website, "Biscuit Club", that she will be appearing in Hong Kong
Cinema of Hong Kong
The cinema of Hong Kong is one of the three major threads in the history of Chinese language cinema, alongside the cinema of China, and the cinema of Taiwan...
movie Kung Fu Chef with Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung
Sammo Hung is a Hong Kong actor, martial artist, film producer and director, known for his work in many martial arts films and Hong Kong action cinema...
.
On July 4, 2008, in an interview with Akashiya Sanma, she stated that she had been in Kyoto filming for a movie about Princess Sen, followed by a joint Singapore/Hong Kong project.
In June 2011, Kago announced on her blog that she left R&A Promotions Co.,Ltd in November 2010 due to being unhappy with the direction of her work. Her current agency status is unknown at the moment.
After a while,in an empty stage had Tsunku
Tsunku
, better known professionally as , is a prolific Japanese record producer, songwriter, and vocalist.He is best known for having two major roles in the Japanese music landscape: first as the lead singer of the popular rock group Sharam Q, and now as the producer, primary composer, lyricist and main...
,Kago sings "Love Love Shine" by Kosaka Riyu and Tsunku got a heart attack.
As an author
On August 25, 2008, Kago released a book entitled . On a July 13, 2008 post to her personal blog website, "Biscuit Club", Kago described the book as "a book where I talk to young teens about their various troubles and dreams. Idols-in-waiting, exchange students, high school girls, and otaku. The teenage years can be tough, and I had a lot of troubles in those days. But it's important to break through those troubles."Smoking
On February 9, 2006 it was confirmed that the magazine (the same one that provoked Mari Yaguchi's sudden departure from Morning Musume) would publish photos showing Kago smoking. The legal age for smoking in Japan is 20, and Kago had just turned 18 two days prior to the incident. On February 10, Hello! Project issued a press statement saying that the singer had been suspended "indefinitely."According to an interview in the March 9, 2007 issue of Friday–the very same magazine responsible for her suspension–Kago revealed she had been serving tea, answering phones and doing assorted secretarial work at the Up-Front Works agency since January 23, 2007, when her employers found it fit for her to return to Tokyo, after she spent most of 2006 under house arrest at her family's residence in Nara
Nara Prefecture
is a prefecture in the Kansai region on Honshū Island, Japan. The capital is the city of Nara.-History:The present-day Nara Prefecture was created in 1887, making it independent of Osaka Prefecture....
.
In the same interview the young idol claimed to have had undergone several changes in regard to her outlook on life, to have become more responsible. Additionally she met up with the other members for the first time at Yokohama Arena
Yokohama Arena
is an indoor sporting arena located in Yokohama, Japan. The capacity of the arena is 17,000 and was opened in 1989. The arena was modeled after US sports venue Madison Square Garden in New York City. It is a five minute walk from the closest subway station, Shin-Yokohama Station on the JR/Yokohama...
, after a lengthy period of time, though the group couldn't quite recognize her at first, given the fact she had lost some weight
Body weight
The term body weight is used in daily English speech as well as in the contexts of biological and medical sciences to describe the mass of an organism's body. Body weight is measured in kilograms throughout the world, although in some countries it is still measured in pounds or stones and pounds...
.
The agency said that they were working on her comeback, though the details were not clear.
Smoking (2nd)
On March 26, 2007 following a newly publicized scandal involving Kago dating a 37-year-old man as well as smoking again, it was announced by Kawaguchi Yuukichi, the director of Up Front Agency that her contract had been canceled. An English translation of the announcement:In 2009 it was alleged that Kago had a relationship with 33-year-old actor Hidejiro Mizumoto. Mizumoto's wife Asato sued them both, stating that she has proof of the affair and that it was the cause for her pending divorce. On May 24, 2009 a family court found in Asato's favor and ordered Mizumoto to hand over his home in Kumamoto and his car to Asato as well as 300,000 yen in child support every month for his three children.
Yakuza, Suicide Attempt
In September 2011, it was widely reported that her boyfriend was arrested in relation to attempted extortion to bilk a portion of his own debt by saying that he had close affiliations with the Yamaguchi-gumiYamaguchi-gumi
is Japan's largest and most infamous yakuza organization. It is named after its founder Harukichi Yamaguchi. Its origins can be traced back to a loose labor union for dockworkers in Kobe pre-WWII....
yakuza
Yakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
crime syndicate. Her boyfriend, 44, allegedly told the victim that he was "in friendly affiliation with the Kodo-kai
Kodo-kai
The Kodo-kai is a yakuza criminal organization based in Nagoya, Japan. It is a secondary organization of the Sixth Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest known yakuza syndicate in Japan...
", and police reported that her boyfriend actually had a close relationship with the boss of the Komatsu-gumi (an affiliate of the Kodo-kai). Kago has been taken in for questioning as well. On September 11, 2011, Kago was rushed to a nearby hospital after agency officials found her on the floor of her apartment with cuts to her wrists. It is believed to have been a suicide attempt. Her life was reported to be not in danger.
Name
Kago's given name, "Ai", is a homonymHomonym
In linguistics, a homonym is, in the strict sense, one of a group of words that often but not necessarily share the same spelling and the same pronunciation but have different meanings...
for . Kago has sometimes said in interviews that she was named that by her parents because she was conceived out of wedlock. Written "亜依", it has no real meaning.
Discography
Singles| Release date | Title | Oricon Singles Charts | Album | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak Positions | Sales | ||||||
| Daily | Weekly | Yearly | Debut | Overall | |||
| June 24, 2009 | "no hesitAtIon" | 26 | 52 | — | 1757 | — | — |
Albums
- AI KAGO meets JAZZ (March 31, 2010 P-Vine)
Compilation Albums (Various Artists, Feb 10, 2010 P-Vine)
-
- Lum no Love Song (Urusei YatsuraUrusei Yatsurais a comedic manga series written and illustrated by Rumiko Takahashi that premiered in Weekly Shōnen Sunday in 1978 and ran until its conclusion in 1987. Its 374 individual chapters were collected and published in 34 tankōbon volumes. The series tells the story of Ataru Moroboshi, and the alien...
OP) / Ai Kago × Brian Hardgroove (Public Enemy) - Himitsu no Akko-chan (Himitsu no Akko-chanHimitsu no Akko-chanis a pioneering magical girl manga and anime that ran in Japan during the 1960s.The manga was drawn and written by Fujio Akatsuka, and was published in Ribon from 1962 to 1965. It predates the Mahōtsukai Sunny manga, printed in 1966...
OP) / Ai Kago × Paolo Scotti
- Lum no Love Song (Urusei Yatsura
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Pinch Runner Pinch runner A pinch runner is a baseball player substituted for the specific purpose of replacing a player on base. In the typical case, the pinch runner is faster or otherwise more skilled at base-running than the player for whom the pinch runner has been substituted... |
cameo appearance | |
| 2002 | Mini Moni ja Movie: Okashi na Daibōken! | Herself | |
| 2009 | Kung Fu Chefs Kung Fu Chefs Kung Fu Chefs is a 2009 Hong Kong action film starring Hong Kong martial arts superstar Sammo Hung. Co-starring Taiwanese actor Vanness Wu and Hung's son Timmy Hung... |
Shum Ying | |
| Benten-dori no Hitobito | Saku | ||
| Ju-on: Kuroi Shōjo Ju-on: Shiroi Roujo \ Kuroi Shoujo Ju-On: White Ghost—Black Ghost are two horror films produced in honour of the tenth anniversary of The Ju-on Series, released simultaneously on June 27, 2009... |
Yūko | ||
|Momoko
|
|-
| rowspan=2|2010
|
|
|
|-
|The Haunting Lover
|
|
|}
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Angel Hearts (2002) | ||
|Yumi Shiina
|
|-
|2003
|
|Yumi Shiina
|
|-
|rowspan=3|2004
|
|Yumi Shiina
|
|-
|
|Yumi Shiina
|
|-
|
|Hinako Niwa
|
|-
| 2005
|
|Yumi Shiina
|
|-
| rowspan=2|2008
|
|Mai Kurume
|ep3,6,11–12
|-
|
|Princess Sen
|
|-
| 2009
|
|
|ep3
|}
Books
| Title | Release date | Publisher ISBN |
Notes |
|---|---|---|
| August 25, 2008 | Media Kreis ISBN 978-4778803384 |
Photobooks
| Title | Release date | Publisher ISBN |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kago Ai Shashinshū | November 11, 2003 | Wani Books ISBN 978-4847027833 |
|
| Gekkan Kago Ai | January 23, 2009 | Shinchousha ISBN 978-4107901958 |
|
| Gekkan Kago Ai -Super Remix | March 19, 2009 | Shinchosha ISBN 978-4107901972 |
|
|August 22, 2009
|Kodansha
ISBN 978-4063528152
|
|-
|
|March 25, 2010
|Air Control
ISBN 978-4860847371
|}
DVDs
| Title | Release date | Publisher | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kago Channel (DVD) (Vol.1) | November 28, 2008 | avex trax | |
| Kago Channel (DVD) (Vol.2) | December 19, 2008 | avex trax | |
| Gekkan Kago Ai – marionnette | February 20, 2009 | E-net Frontier | |
| Micchaku Kago Ai | February 20, 2009 | E-net Frontier | Originally released exclusively to Lawson convenience stores Lawson (store) Lawson, Inc. is a convenience store franchise chain in Japan. The store originated in the U.S. State of Ohio, but today exists as a Japanese company and is the second largest convenience store chain in the country.... , Nationwide release July 30, 2009 |
|October 25, 2009
|GP Museum Soft
|
|-
|LOS ANGELES
|March 25, 2010
|Air Control
|}
External links
- Biscuit Club official fanclub and blog
- W's profile on Hello! Project's official site (prior to disbandment)