Meet the three Ryokos of Japan's showbiz scene - Ryoko Yonekura the sex icon, Ryoko Shinohara the office ladies' heroine and finally, Ryoko Hirosue the girl-next-door of yesteryear.

She has become one of Japan's most sought-after spokesmodels. A report revealed she commands a top price of 120 million yen per endorsement, alongside A-listers Nanako Matsushima and Yukie Nakama.

Starting out in a girl band in 1990, she went solo and scored a single that sold two million copies in 1994. Then she crossed over to TV, but made little impact playing supporting roles in more than 20 titles. Last year, she finally won her first leading role as a plucky career woman in the hit series Anego (Big Sister), and she has become every office lady's favourite heroine.

Now she has a new reel identity - Natsumi Yukihira, the most beautiful police detective in Tokyo with the highest arrest rate in the crime series, Unfair, which aired in Japan in January.

Not even marrying a man 24 years older than her - actor Masachika Ichimura - last year made a dent in her popularity. Despite pregnancy rumours, she'll reprise her Unfair role in a special to be shown in October.

The sweetie-pie with a wild streak returned to showbiz last year after a two-year break to have a baby boy - only to realise she has lost much of her former glory.

Arguably one of the hottest girls-next-door of the '90s, she even starred in French director Luc Besson's 2001 action flick opposite Jean Reno.

It didn't help that the paparazzi is always on her case - from criticising her acting to accusing her of being a bad mother who parties too much.

HE may play a rescue diver in the movie Umizaru 2, but in real life, Japanese hunk Hideaki Ito (left) took so long to respond to an e-mail interview with The New Paper that we nearly died just waiting.

Questions were submitted in late June, but the 31-year-old's replies finally arrived only last Wednesday - two weeks after the film opened here.

Hideaki: I had to be prepared physically and mentally. It's the final part of the series (which also includes a drama serial), so on the first day of shooting, I was nervous like it was my first time.

Hideaki: Shooting on all sets, whether underwater or on board, was difficult. We were lucky to be able to borrow a real ship, and I believe this greatly helped the movie seem more real.

This is cache, read story here