Masaki Aiba

Masaki Aiba 相葉 雅紀
Born	December 24, 1982 (1982-12-24) (age 28)
Origin	Chiba, Japan
Genres	Pop
Occupations	Singer, actor, television personality, radio host, dancer
Instruments	Harmonica, saxophone, guitar
Years active	1996–present
Labels	Pony Canyon, J Storm
Associated acts	Arashi

Masaki Aiba (相葉 雅紀, Aiba Masaki^?) (born December 24, 1982) is a Japanese idol, singer, actor, television personality and radio host. He is a member of Japanese boy band Arashi.

Aiba began his career in the entertainment industry when he joined the Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates in 1996 at the age of 13. Prior to his debut as a singer with Arashi in 1999, Aiba started an acting career when he was cast as the lead role of Gordie for the stage play Stand by Me, which was based on the film of the same name. About five years after his debut as a singer with Arashi in 1999, he became one of the co-hosts of the variety show Tensai Shimura Dōbutsuen (天才！志村どうぶつ園, Genius! Shimura Zoo^?) in 2004, making him the first member of Arashi to regularly participate in a variety show not primarily hosted by Arashi.

Early life

Aiba was born in Hanamigawa, Chiba as the first child of his family. He has a younger brother who is four years younger.^[1][2] Aiba was raised by his grandparents until he was four years old because his parents were busy running their newly-opened Chinese cuisine restaurant then.^[3]

Prior to joining Johnny & Associates, Aiba watched a program called I Love SMAP (愛ラブSMAP, Ai Rabu SMAP^?) and saw SMAP playing basketball on television.^[4] Wanting to play basketball with them, he sent in the application to join the talent agency himself, without exactly knowing what the agency specialized in until the day of auditions.^[4] Aiba became a Johnny's Jr. in August 1996 at the age of 13.^[5]

Music career

For music-related releases and activities as a member of Arashi, see Arashi.

In collaboration with the other members, he has written the lyrics to "Fight Song" and "5x10". For his solo song "Hello Goodbye", Aiba played the harmonica portion of the song throughout Arashi's Arashi Marks 2008 Dream-A-Live and Arashi Marks Arashi Around Asia 2008 concert tours. Aiba also used to play the saxophone; however, due to the collapse of one of his lungs in 2002, he was forced to stop playing due to the operation he had to undergo.^[6][7]

Acting career

Stage

Aiba began acting in a 1997 stage play based on an American coming of age film called Stand by Me with future bandmates Jun Matsumoto and Kazunari Ninomiya.^[8] In 2005, Aiba took up the lead role of Keiji Takashima (高島 啓治, Takashima Keiji^?), a naive but honest station attendant living in a world after a World War III nuclear war, in Tsubame no Iru Eki (燕のいる駅, A Station with Swallows^?).^[9] In 2007, Aiba portrayed Adam, a shy young man with a heart defect, in Wasurerarenai Hito (忘れられない人, Unforgettable Person^?). It was the first stage adaptation of the 1993 film Untamed Heart.^[10] In early 2008, Aiba was given the lead role of Colin Briggs in the stage play called Greenfingers, which was adapted from the movie of the same name.^[11]

Aiba reunited with director Keiko Miyata (宮田 慶子, Miyata Keiko^?), who has been the director for his stage plays since 2005, and took on the lead role for Kimi to Miru Sen no Yume (君と見る千の夢, The Thousand Dreams I Dream With You^?), which ran from May 5 to May 24, 2010. He portrayed a young man hovering over life and death due to a violent traffic accident.^[12]

Drama

In 1997, Aiba made his drama debut portraying Akira, one of the many children left to survive in a city under government lockdown after a mysterious disease wipes out all the adults, in the drama Bokura no Yūki: Miman Toshi (ぼくらの勇気, Our Courage: Miman City^?). After the announcement of the formation of Arashi in September 1999 and their position as supporters for the 1999 Volleyball World Cup competition, all five members starred together for the first time in the volleyball-centered short drama V no Arashi.

Although Aiba was featured in a number of dramas such as Mukodono 2003 (ムコ殿2003, The Son-in-Law 2003^?) and Yankee Bokō ni Kaeru (ヤンキー母校に帰る, Drop-out Teacher Returns to School^?), he became more known for his appearances in variety shows instead and went on to focus on stage productions after Yankee Bokō ni Kaeru.^[13]

On August 2, 2009, it was announced that Aiba would not only act in his first drama series in nearly six years but also star as the lead actor for the first time.^[13] In My Girl, Aiba portrayed a young man who discovers that he has a five-year-old daughter after receiving the news that his girlfriend, who he has not seen in six years, was killed in an accident.^[14]

In January 2010, Aiba co-starred with the other members of Arashi in the human suspense drama special Saigo no Yakusoku. He portrayed Akira Tanada (棚田 昭, Tanada Akira^?), a 28-year-old coffee shop employee who is caught up in a building hijack.^[15][16] Starting January 2011, Aiba will star as genius bartender Ryū Sasakura (佐々 倉溜, Sasakura Ryū^?) in the drama adaptation of the manga Bartender.^[17] Aiba also made a guest appearance on the final episode of bandmate Ninomiya's drama Freeter, Ie o Kau (フリーター、家を買う。, Part-time Worker, Buys a House^?), which aired on December 21, 2010.^[18]

Film

In 2002, he made his motion picture debut in Pikanchi Life is Hard Dakedo Happy (ピカ☆ンチ Life is HardだけどHappy, Pikanchi Life is Hard But Happy^?), Arashi's first movie together, as the lead character Shun. He subsequently reprised his role for the 2004 sequel Pikanchi Life is Hard Dakara Happy (ピカ☆☆ンチ Life is HardだからHappy, Pikanchi Life is Hard Therefore Happy^?).

The group once again came together in 2007 to co-star in Kiiroi Namida (黄色い涙, Yellow Tears^?) with Aiba portraying an aspiring singer in the 1960s.^[19]

Other ventures

Radio

Since October 5, 2001, Aiba has his own radio show Arashi's Aiba Masaki no Rekomen! Arashi Remix, which currently broadcasts on JOQR. On May 17, 2009, Aiba hosted a special radio program on Tokyo FM called Muteki no Aiba-kun (ムテキの相葉クン!, Invincible Aiba^?).^[20]

Variety show host

In 2004, Aiba became a regular part of Ken Shimura's variety show Tensai Shimura Dōbutsuen. With co-hosts of the show such as Tomomitsu Yamaguchi, Sayaka Aoki and Becky, Aiba interacts with various wild animals such as tigers, pandas and crocodiles in zoos both in and out of Japan such as Singapore, South Africa, Philippines and Indonesia.

Field navigator

From July 18 to July 19, 2009, Aiba was appointed a Field Navigator for the Gymnastics Japan Cup 2009 (体操Japan Cup 2009, Taisō Japan Cup 2009^?).^[21] He was once again a navigator on October 18, 2009 for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships 2009: London Rally (世界体操選手権2009 ロンドン大会, Sekai Taisō Senshuken 2009 Rondon Taikai^?).^[22]

In July 2010, Aiba was a Field Navigator for the Gymnastics Japan Cup 2010 (体操Japan Cup 2010, Taisō Japan Cup 2010^?).^[23] Aiba was the official navigator for Fuji Television's coverage of the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, which was held in Rotterdam, Netherlands from October 16 to October 24, 2010.^[24]

Filmography

Drama

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Bokura no Yūki: Miman Toshi	Akira
1998	Shōnentachi	Kei Matsushita
1999	V no Arashi	Masaki Aiba	Lead role with other members of Arashi
2001	Mukodono 2003	Ryo Takeyama
2002	Shōnen Taiya: Second Story - Gypsy	Roku	Four-episode drama
2002	Shōnen Taiya: Third Story - Aoki-san Uchi no Oku-san	Masaki	Four-episode drama
2003	Kaigo Kazoku: Hana, Sakimakka	Akira Mataki	Television special
2003	Gekidan Engimono: Eleventh Story - Kurū ga Mama	Kazuya	Lead role, four-episode drama
2003	Yoiko no Mikata	Akira Mataki	Episode 7 guest appearance
2003	Yankee Bokō ni Kaeru	Tetsuji Yashiki
2006	Triple Kitchen	Eisaku Odajima	Television special
2006	Kuitan Special	Extra	Cameo appearance
2009	My Girl	Masamune Kazama	Lead role
2010	Saigo no Yakusoku	Akira Tanada	Lead role with other members of Arashi, television special
2010	Freeter, Ie o Kau	Hirata	Episode 10 guest appearance
2011	Bartender	Ryū Sasakura	Lead role

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1998	Shinjuku Shōnen Tantei-dan	Sōsuke Hashiba
2002	Pikanchi Life Is Hard Dakedo Happy	Shun Okano	Lead role
2004	Pikanchi Life Is Hard Dakara Happy	Shun Okano
2007	Kiiroi Namida	Shōichi Inoue

Stage

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1997	Stand By Me	Gordie	Lead role
2005	Tsubame no Iru Eki	Keiji Takashima	Lead role
2007	Wasurerarenai Hito	Adam	Lead role
2009	Green Fingers	Colin Briggs	Lead role
2010	Kimi to Miru Sen no Yume	Haruya Ikebe	Lead role

Awards

Year	Organization	Award	Work	Result
2010	13th Nikkan Sports Drama Grand Prix (Fall 2009)	Best Actor	My Girl	Won[25]
	TV Navi Drama Awards (Fall 2009)	Best Newcomer		Won[26]

References

1. ^ おしゃれイズム. NTV. December 21, 2008.
2. ^ Love So Sweet (Secret Talk). J Storm. 2005-11-16. http://www.j-storm.co.jp/arashi/disco/single/s_09.html. Retrieved 2010-10-20. 
3. ^ "そして僕らは嵐になった Arashi Story 1980–2009". Pia: 10–22. August 27, 2009. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Hey! Hey! Hey! Music Champ. Fuji TV. February 23, 2004.
5. ^ Shōnen Club Premium. NHK. January 18, 2009.
6. ^ All or Nothing. J Storm. June 12, 2002. http://www.j-storm.co.jp/arashi/disco/dvd/d_01.html. Retrieved October 12, 2009. 
7. ^ 24-Hour Television. NTV. August 22, 2004.
8. ^ Shōnen Club Premium. NHK. July 19, 2009.
9. ^ "相葉雅紀主演『燕のいる駅』制作発表" (in Japanese). Theater Guide. 2005-06-27. http://www.theaterguide.co.jp/theater_news/2005/06/27_03.php. Retrieved 2010-01-16. 
10. ^ "Aiba to star in "Untamed Heart"". Tokyograph. 2007-07-18. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-1404. Retrieved 2010-01-16. 
11. ^ "Masaki Aiba takes "Greenfingers" to the stage". Tokyograph. 2008-11-30. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-4098. Retrieved 2010-01-16. 
12. ^ "君と見る千の夢 [The Thousand Dreams I Dream With You]" (in Japanese). The Globe Tokyo. http://www.tglobe.net/lineup/new_kimitomiru.html. Retrieved 2010-03-06. ^{[dead link]}
13. ^ ^{a b} "Arashi's Aiba stars in television drama". Tokyograph. August 2, 2009. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-5098. Retrieved September 4, 2009. 
14. ^ "Shingo Murakami added to "My Girl" cast". Tokyograph. 2009-08-27. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-5198. Retrieved 2009-11-21. 
15. ^ "嵐が10年ぶりにメンバー5人全員でドラマ出演！ フジ新春ドラマ『最後の約束』" (in Japanese). Oricon. November 11, 2009. http://www.oricon.co.jp/news/movie/70541/. Retrieved November 11, 2009. 
16. ^ "新春スペシャルドラマ『最後の約束』" (in Japanese). Fuji Television News. November 11, 2009. Archived from the original on 2009-11-14. http://wwwz.fujitv.co.jp/fujitv/news/pub_2009/091111varashi.html. Retrieved November 11, 2009. 
17. ^ "Arashi's Masaki Aiba stars in "Bartender" drama". Tokyograph. 2010-11-23. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-7045. Retrieved 2010-12-12. 
18. ^ "二宮ドラマに相葉　メンバー出演"一巡"" (in Japanese). Sankei Sports. 2010-12-13. http://www.sanspo.com/geino/news/101213/gng1012130504000-n1.htm. Retrieved 2010-12-13. 
19. ^ "Masaki Aiba announces solo performance". Tokyograph. April 1, 2007. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-812. Retrieved October 10, 2009. 
20. ^ "Arashi Timeline 2001" (in Japanese). Johnny & Associates. http://www.johnnys-net.jp/j/artists/arashi/bio/bio01.html. Retrieved 2009-12-04. 
21. ^ "Arashi Timeline 2009" (in Japanese). Johnny & Associates. http://www.johnnys-net.jp/j/artists/arashi/bio/bio09.html. Retrieved 2010-01-16. 
22. ^ ""体操のお兄さん" 「嵐」の相葉雅紀が再び！" (in Japanese). Fuji Television. 2009-10-05. Archived from the original on 2009-11-14. http://www.fujitv.co.jp/fujitv/news/pub_2009/09-246.html. Retrieved 2010-01-16. 
23. ^ "番組" (in Japanese). Fuji Television. http://www.fujitv.co.jp/sports/gym/japancup2010/oa.html. Retrieved 2010-06-19. 
24. ^ "Masaki Aiba headed to Netherlands to cover gymnastics championships". Tokyograph. 2010-10-10. http://www.tokyograph.com/news/id-6783. Retrieved 2010-10-11. 
25. ^ "第13回ドラマＧＰ 秋投票　「マイガール」が３部門を制す" (in Japanese). Nikkan Sports. http://www.nikkansports.com/entertainment/dramagp/dgp-result_autumn.html. Retrieved 2010-01-23. 
26. ^ "ドラマ・オブ・ザ・イヤー２００９ 秋クール 【 １０月〜１２月期 】 結果発表！" (in Japanese). Tvnaviweb.jp. http://www.tvnaviweb.jp/TVnavi_contents/doYear/index.html. Retrieved 2010-01-27. 

External links

• Masaki Aiba at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Aiba, Masaki
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	December 24, 1982
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death