MUSIC Kaori Asada, better known as J-pop singer Bonnie Pink, loves Christmas, and her present to fans this year is a minialbum titled “Chain,” a sweet, fruity concoction that includes playful covers of yuletide classics, such as “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus.” Maybe it’s mushy, but hey — it’s Christmas. [THE JAPAN TIMES]

MUSIC Pop group Arashi announced during their performance at the Tokyo Dome on Sunday that the they will be holding a short Asia concert tour later this year. They completed their first Asia tour in 2006, but this one will include two significant milestones: a concert in Shanghai and a concert at Tokyo’s National Stadium. (1) [TOKYOGRAPH]

MUSIC Pop group Arashi has announced that they are doing a concert tour of the five major domes - Tokyo, Nagoya, Osaka, Fukuoka, and Sapporo. (2) [TOKYOGRAPH]

MUSIC Pop singer Kumi Koda was the number 1 CD and DVD seller in 2007, according to the latest Oricon ranking released Tuesday. Koda sold more than 7.3 billion yen worth of CDs and DVDs. (1) [TOKYOGRAPH]

MUSIC Pop group NEWS has announced their first two Tokyo Dome concerts, to be held on January 9 and 10 of next year. The shows have been squeezed into their winter tour, which begins on December 15. [TOKYOGRAPH]

MUSIC Japanese pop group B’z became the first Asian musicians Monday to be inducted into Hollywood’s Rockwalk of Fame honoring notable musical artists in the world. [KYODO]

MUSIC Seiji Ozawa, music director of the Vienna State Opera since was awarded an honorary membership of the opera house on Saturday night in recognition of his services. [KYODO]

MUSIC Japanese pop artist Hikaru Utada and U.S. best-selling R&B artist Ne-Yo have recorded a song together as a part in a series of Ne-Yo collaborations with female singers worldwide, it was announced on Tuesday. (2)

MUSIC Pop stars Sonim and Akane Osawa are forming a new unit called “tomboy,” it was announced on Wednesday. They will release their first single on November 14, a cover of the pop hit “Super Star” by Korean group Jewelry. [TOKYOGRAPH]

MUSIC Popular J-pop duo Yuzu held a 10-year anniversary concert at the Yokohama Arena on Thursday.

MUSIC Tokyo’s controversial Yasukuni Shrine has found itself with an unexpected hit on its hands — a rap song dedicated at kamikaze pilots. [MAINICHI]

MUSIC Comedian Shinji Yamshita, better known by the moniker Kenji Hirai, and bikini model Kana Tsugihara have formed a pop duo and will release their debut single on Nov. 7, it was revealed on Wednesday. (1)

MUSIC Transvestite make-up artist IKKO, who shot into TV stardom this year while popularizing the phrase “dondake!” (meaning, approximately, “what!”) will debut as a singer with the single “Dondake no housoku,” it was revealed on Thursday. (3)

MUSIC In kimono, wigs and elaborate makeup, the “chindonya” troupe dances down the street, banging on drums and gongs and blowing on flutes. One performer hands out fliers with advertisements. [THE JAPAN TIMES]

MUSIC Erimo Tsurui has watched a movie 13 times mainly because of its Hong Kong-born co-star and once viewed Chinese television dramas for 40 straight hours in a marathon session. [ASAHI]

MUSIC Bank Band, a music unit formed by musicians including Kazutoshi Sakurai of the popular group Mr. Children, is set to release a new single whose profits will be used in part to help victims of the recent Chuetsu offshore earthquake in Niigata Prefecture. [MSN MAINICHI]

MUSIC 61-year-old Singer Takuro Yoshida’s countrywide tour that was scheduled to have opened at the Tokyo Parthenon Tama on Friday was called off in the last minute, it was learnt on Saturday.

MUSIC Ayumi Hamasaki’s record company Avex announced it intends to release Hamasaki’s 42nd single “talkin’ 2 myself” September 19, earlier than previously announced. (14)

MUSIC Masayuki Sakamoto, member fo the popular boy band V6, will play the lead role in a production of “All Shook Up,” a Broadway musical which features the music of rock and roll legend Elvis Presley [TOKYOGRAPH]

MUSIC Lyricist Yu Aku, famous for writing many popular hit songs in the 1970s and 1980s, died of urethral cancer Wednesday, his office said. He was 70. [KYODO]