Profile

Name:  北川景子

Name (romanji):  Keiko Kitagawa

Meaning: blessed/ gift child (Keiko)/ north river (Kitagawa) 

Born: August 22, 1986

Sign: Leo

Birthplace: Suma-ku, Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan  

Blood Type: O

Height: 5'3''

Hobbies: Studying, reading, swimming,  playing badminton, writing, singing

Agency: Stardust Promotion

Official sites: Keiko,  Stardust, Stardust: Section 3

Family: mother, father, younger brother, and a cat named Jill (Gill)

Close Friends: Mew Azama, Miyuu Sawai, Ayaka Komatsu, Rika "Chisaki" Hama, and Kazuha Asaki

Favorite Artists: Destiny's Child, David Bowie, Se7en, Evanescence, Christina Aguilera, Fergie, U2, LINKIN PARK, and RADWIMPS

Works: [TV] Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (2003), Mop Girl (2007) [Movie] Mizu ni Sumu Hana (2006), Mamiya Kyoudai (2006), The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), Cherry Pie (2006), Dear Friends (2007), Sono toki wa kare ni yoroshiku (2007),  Heat Island (2007), Southbound (2007) [CM] Suntory 'Let's' Diet Water (2007), DoCoMo 2.0 (2007), Kanebo: COFFRET D'OR (2007)
 

Biography

   On August 22, 1986, Keiko Kitagawa was born in Hyogo Prefecture, Japan. When she was a young child, Keiko was hospitalized for about 2 months because she was hit by a car. She discovered that she didn't want to leave. The food was good, she had a TV, and she didn't have to go to school so she liked it there. Her father ran a hospital so Keiko was used to the environment and it was  there that she came to love the hard work and dedication that it took to be a doctor. She decided that she too wanted to help others the way they helped her. Growing up, Keiko studied hard to fulfill her dream to become a doctor, whether it was reading English novels to learn how to speak English, or reading just for fun, she was a hardworking student.

"I never really had any interest in the entertainment business..."

    In 2003, her initial dream took a backseat when through the agents at Neue Talent Agency, Keiko landed the role of  Sailor Mars/ Rei Hino in the live action version of the popular manga/anime, Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon, this time re-titled as Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (PGSM). PGSM debuted on Japanese television on October 4th, 2003. That same day Keiko auditioned for and later won the title of Miss Seventeen 2003, a competition affiliated with Seventeen Magazine in Japan. On February 1, 2004 Keiko switched agencies to Stardust Promotion and her career really began to take off.
  
"Now, this job [in the entertainment industry] is the most important, the job that suits me the most, in my opinion."

   Immediately, it became clear that Keiko had something more than just a pretty face when people fell in love with how well she portrayed the short tempered soldier of fire as Sailor Mars. Meanwhile, as the newest model for Seventeen, Keiko was steadily becoming a top model as they featured her in commercials for their affiliation with East Boy (a popular Japanese school uniform clothing line). She appeared on the cover numerous times and even had her own section of the magazine called, "Keiko's Beauty Honey." Even when she was not  featured on the cover, she graced almost every page in most of the issues. Keiko graduated from Seventeen Magazine in the September15, 2006 issue, ending her contract with them after three years of modeling.

"I want to try out different things. Like commercials, singing, modeling in various magazines. Right now, I don't feel that I can really say, "These are my ultimate goals!"

   Keiko's popularity is still on the rise since the end of PGSM and her modeling in Seventeen. Being described as "Japan's rising newest 'it' girl" Keiko has turned her attention fully towards acting and graduating Meiji University where she is majoring in Business Management.
   
sources: Shingestu, Stardust, dchart

Rumors

   For someone who doesn't give off the slightest air of promiscuity Keiko's name has been attached to major Japanese stars, with many claims of relationships beyond the friendship stage. None but one online  rumor has managed to reach Keiko's ear and prompt her to deny it. Still, one can't help but wonder how much of this stuff may or may not be true. In order from most recent to oldest rumor, here are articles about Keiko's supposed boyfriends. Please keep in mind that they are just RUMORS! Not proven true (or false, in one case) but not a FACT either. So don't go running off into the sunset saying Keiko is married to Yamapi or that she did in "fact" date Yamapi, when according to her, she didn't! ^_^ Other than that--enjoy!

Rumors: Keiko and Jun Matsumoto?! + March 12, 2007 

   Just remember this: DON'T SHOOT THE MESSENGER! Hey, it's just a rumor but still, wouldn't you like to know. RUMOR has it that an upcoming issue of the scandalous FRIDAY magazine (that Keiko was on the cover of for Dear Friends promotion, by the way) has revealing photos of Keiko chilling with the famous Japanese actor, Jun Matsumoto. Of course unless it's a direct interview, FRIDAY is one of the most unreliable tabloid magazines in Japan...then again, so is ANY tabloid magazine, but don't get excited. According to this entry on the Jun Daily LJ Community, Keiko has been seeing Jun since January 2007.
    
   Let's think for a minute. *thinks* Okay, first of all Keiko was busy traveling all over Japan to promote the release of Dear Friends all during the month of January. Second of all, as far as we know, Keiko has never met Jun a day in her life! But of course, I could be wrong. Never doubt that. But at least when that rumor about Keiko with Yamapi went around, they both shared classes at Meiji University so there was something to speculate with. And reading those comments also exposed another little rumor that has been floating around. Apparently Keiko supposedly dated Kamenashi Kazuya, another Jonny's Entertainment boy band member who just happens to be close friends with Yamapi. I mean, geez, how CRAZY is this? Honestly! All of this (which appears to be so ridiculously false, it's hilarious) could cause crazy trouble for Keiko (as it did before with Yamapi) strictly because of (a) crazy fan girls and (b) the crazy "no girlfriends allowed" boy band tyrant Johnny Kitagawa (no relation) himself. (a) is clearly a threat as shown when Keiko was forced to publicly (though indirectly) deny any relationship with Yamapi because a lot of his fans were leaving evil comments on her blog (back when it was possible to comment her). (b) is also a threat because Johnny is almost entirely merciless when it comes to his industry. He's the man behind big Japanese boybands like NEWS, Kat-tun, Kanjani 8, Tackey & Tsubaba, W-inds, ect. The list is maddeningly LONG! But in short he makes beastly amounts of money off of these gentlemen. He's EXCLUSIVE, thousands of young boys audition to even be CONSIDERED  talented by him and he's some type of genius because although some of the boys he's uses can't sing, they make up for it with good looks and dancing (and HORRIBLE costumes). He understands that a member with a girlfriends means less fans, and less money so therefore girlfriends (and scandals of any sort) are a BIG threat.

   So control your imaginations peeps, and THINK before you jump to conclusions. Of course the whole Jun x Keiko is up in the air right now until that issue of FRIDAY comes out on the 23rd. But until then, we'll just have to wait and see. He's not that bad looking though. Lol, I'm surprised no one at the forums has bashed him yet. When people found out Keiko might very well be dating Yamapi the poor boy got verbally torn apart. Although he's more popular now (and definitely sexier) I guess Jun is just easier for people to love. ^_^

---EDIT---

The scandalous photo as featured in FRIDAY magazine


Although the picture looks ALARMINGLY like Keiko and although Keiko is known to have hats EXACTLY like the one featured in this picture. Uh....we're just going to let this rumor water down.

Rumors: Keiko and Yamashita Tomohisa + July 9, 2007

   This has been revised, trimmed, and reordered due to request. Heh, you noobie fans are SO behind the times! This rumor stems as far back July 2005 and people STILL believe that it's true! Heh, can't shoot you for speculating can I?

   Depending on what end of the PGSM community you were on (be it Shingetsu or T-L.net)---there was NO WAY you could miss the uproar this image caused in the forums:

    And you're probably wondering WHY? Cause when this image was posted it was 100% stated that the picture was in fact Keiko. It it DOES look like her doesn't it? At that time Keiko was sporting that EXACT same look and hair color. The picture appears to be from a purikura with the kanji "chuu!" meaning "kiss." Cute, ne? But who's the guy? Sources were saying, "Yamapi" aka--Yamashita Tomohisa, hottie from the Johnny's Entertainment boy band, NEWS.

   LET THE SPECULATION BEGIN! Naturally there was quite a stir (and a slew of nasty comments about Yamapi). But the nagging question remained, "Where did this picture come from?" but most importantly, "Is it REAL?!" and "Are these people who we think they are?" Heh, some girl must be chuckling earnestly over her latest online prank if it isn't.
Things got pretty wild after that. "Is it from a commercial?" "Is it from Keiko's new movie? (at that time, Keiko's role in Mizu ni Sumu Hana was just announced) but no matter how many questions were asked, answers weren't turning up and different theories forced people to try other ways of making sense of the mess (while lamenting the loss of Keiko's heart to a boy band dork! XD).

   Then these pictures of Keiko in a classroom of Meiji University (which Yamapi conveniently attends by the way...Did I mention that they started off with the same major so they has some classes together? No? Well, yeah, they started off with the same major so they had some classes together.)

 

   Unless you're blind as a bat you can easily spot Keiko in blue. And that guy in the red that she appears to be smiling at? Due to the hairstyle (he sported blonde locks at that time) and gangly figure---yup---people said it was Yamapi. While it is certainly a shame that Keiko can't even go to school  without pictures  taken of her (and she was even nationally known in Japan yet) it did due well to doubly confirm that Keiko and Yamapi DID have classes together. But once again with the side shot that doesn't completely show the face and that meant no one could be 100% sure.

   By this time the rumor had gone, quite literally,  international. The internet is a powerful thing, ne? Enough for Hong Kong newspapers to report the rumor! Although there was no media coverage (that would've turned this rumor into an all out war!) fan EVERYWHERE seemed to think (or KNOW) that Yamapi and Keiko had or were currently, dating! Although things in the PGSM community eventually simmered down and people moved on to Keiko's latest career move (at that time rumor that eventually turned fact of her role in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift) Yamapi's fan's apparently didn't forget at all. And although people eventually dismissed the rumor altogether---some vicious Japanese Yamapi fans apparently couldn't forgive Keiko's association  with him. So what did they do? Well, what any other rabid, psychotic, "he loves me" obsessed, computer owning, Yahoo Japan user would do! They attacked her!

   In April 2006, Yamapi fans attacked the once open comments section of her blog, apparently leaving numerous nasty remarks. Let's be serious people, insulting an actress on her blog in front of her fans is rude and downright stupid. ESPECIALLY when getting angry when the fans retaliate. The result is an all out war! Naturally, the Stardust staff cleaned up the comments section and Keiko had to addressed the irritated fans. In response to the negative activity, the comments section on Keiko's blog was closed (and never re-opened) and she posted this entry (as translated by DB) to ease people's minds:

To all regular visitors of this BLOG. There have been rumors here about an association between a certain talent and myself. (タレント (talento) = "talent; star; personality") It seems that there are many people who know about this rumor. I myself didn't yet know about this particular often repeated rumor.

    However, there have been many inquiries about this rumor lately, so I think I owe this place an explanation. (説明 (setsumei) = "explanation; exposition") Simply put, he and I have absolutely no relationship of that sort at all. He's just a friend who goes to the same university. We go to the university as students, where I see him as a "friend at the same department", and there's no other connection than that.

   It's not me in that Print Club photo that has appeared on a certain site. There's absolutely no relationship. We do not associate with each other. All my fans, please do not worry. And all of his fans, please feel relieved."

Kitagawa Keiko

Her initial message contained too much "him and me", so it was changed. I guess she realized that she couldn't speak for him. I based the translation on that later version. She carefully didn't mention his name, so being the faithful translator I won't do so either, but since you're going to look for it anyway:

The explanation is a result of a bit of turmoil in the comment section of the mishima & graduation entry. Some intruders made nasty remarks about the "relationship" that upset the regulars. The comment area has since been cleaned up.

This entry caused both a comment record (despite some cleanup) and a daily visitor record of 6625 on the day it came out. (About 3500 was normal, see the visitor statistics.)

   Keiko certainly received some unwanted attention but she handled it well, I suppose. For the loyal fans, this should kill the rumor. In a way, it has. But every so often you'll run into those unknowing few Yamapi and Keiko fans who are 100% convinced they were, if not still are, a couple. I personally believed they might have been building a friendship and chatted with each other before this uproar. But as far as going out? No, though if they did I'd say Keiko ranks among the luckiest girl's alive because Yamapi can be hella sexy. XD

So for those of you who e-mailed me, DYING to know, you're very welcome! ^_^