A real survivor and long-time favorite, it was inevitable that we would have to select the wonderful Takako Uehara (上原多香子) soon. Born in Okinawa, the singer is now 27 but kicked off her career way back in 1996. A model often seen on TV commercials, she delighted and disappointed her fans in equal measures when she released a several sexy photo book in 2003. To be honest, her solo singing and activities with (reformed) pop group SPEED have been quiet of late. We only hope that Takako's career is not over ...

For all those European fans of Morning Musume (モーニング娘), the moment you have all been waiting for has finally arrived! The ever-changing all-girl idol pop group will be appearing at the Japan Expo 2010 in Paris, France this July. [Image via Yeinjee.com. All right, I know it's a bit old -- there are now only eight girls, of course!] It's never been a secret how many otaku and anime fans there are in Le Republic, so it didn't surprise us that Momusu choose it as their launch pad into Europe. The Expo is expected to attract 180,000 fans! It's not their first foray ...