Nishikawa Arrested!

[Jei]

Pop superstar beats up brother's wife (Mainichi Shimbun, Oct. 7, 2002)
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20021007 ... 7000c.html

Takahiro Nishikawa, a former member of the enormously successful group Dreams Come True, was Monday arrested for bashing his sister-in-law following a spat over credits for a CD jacket, police said.

Nishikawa, 38, was arrested for inflicting bodily injury on his sister-in-law, Misako Nishikawa.

The one-time Dreams Come True keyboardist denies the allegations.

"I don't think what I did caused her any injuries," he told the police.

Police said that on the morning of Sept. 23, Nishikawa pushed to the ground his sister-in-law, who injured her hands, feet and neck as she struck the ground.

At the time, Nishikawa had been making a new CD together with his brother, Minoru, 41. The siblings started arguing when Nishikawa refused to allow his brother to have a credit on the CD, insisting that only his name should be listed.

Their argument turned into a fight, in which Nishikawa's sister-in-law became involved before she was flung to the ground, police said.

Nishikawa was born in Hokkaido. Her formed Dreams Come True with vocalist Miwa Yoshida in 1987. The group enjoyed spectacular success throughout the '90s, making the group one of the legends of Japanese pop music. Nishikawa left the group in spring this year, preferring to pursue a solo career.


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*SIGH*

[sdankoehler]

Never thought of him as the violent type...Hope he never fought with Miwa or Masa...You think he's guilty or do you think it's made up?

[jentutu]

i post this news in taiwan's forums or club...
nobody wants to talk about it..
hope it can end ASAP.

[Jei]

And it gets even worse....
(I'm not that worried about the drugs...I just hope it's not a sign of things to come...)

Dreams Come True member's nightmare worsens
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20021018 ... 4001c.html
(Mainichi Shimbun, Oct. 18, 2002)

A former member of pop sensation Dreams Come True who was arrested earlier this month for bashing his sister-in-law has been slapped with further charges of using narcotics, police said Friday.

Takahiro Nishikawa, 38, who has been released without being indicted for inflicting bodily harm on his sister-in-law in Tokyo, has admitted to the fresh charges of using illegal stimulants. "A guy I met at a nightclub gave me them saying, 'You won't get tired if you take these.' That's how I got hooked on drugs," the former Dreams Come True keyboardist reportedly said.

Police are trying to identify the pushers who provided Nishikawa, of Kawasaki, with drugs in the past few years.

Nishikawa, who left the band earlier this year, was originally arrested on Oct. 7 for pushing his 39-year-old sister-in-law to the ground following a spat over credits for the jacket of his new CD.

He had been making a CD together with his elder brother but they started arguing when Nishikawa refused to allow his brother to have a credit on the CD.

[Moebius]

So unlucky. His leaving DCT might have messed up his Feng Shui or something.

[sdankoehler]

When I saw DCT in San Francisco they said they were worried that people would not accept them without Taka...What do you think? I think they're doing just fine without him...and besides, it seems he has more personal problems he needs to deal with at this time. I personally think leaving the group was a dumb idea...Who would want to leave such a wildly successful band? Anyway, does anyone know if he's gone on trial yet, or if he's been sentenced? I hear the Japanese legal system is pretty strict. I wish him luck.

Dan

[Musubi]

When I saw DCT in San Francisco they said they were worried that people would not accept them without Taka...What do you think? I think they're doing just fine without him...and besides, it seems he has more personal problems he needs to deal with at this time. I personally think leaving the group was a dumb idea...Who would want to leave such a wildly successful band?

I also think they are doing fine w/o him. You never want to lose an integral member because sometimes, it can be like losing a limb but time has a way of sometimes taking its toll and you also don't want things to get acrimonious (in that case, splits are at times for the better). No one besides people close to him really know the exact details of when his personal problems began but it wouldn't be a far stretch that he has been dealing with them for quite a while. It is also pretty easy to drift apart even when you can be seemingly as tightknit as a unit as they were. Plus some peoples interests just change over time and you end up with the inevitable "differences in creative direction". Jason Newsted (the rock group Metallica's bassist left that band but the reasons for it are far too complex for me to get into because while it was amicable, the details are sort of like when you have a fight with a family member and was a result of years of varying issues, not just something that occurred over night). Lot of folks thought he was an idiot but because I personally followed the group closely, knew far more details about them. I respected his decision because I could see it from his and the bands point of view and his leaving was better for everyone because it ultimately revealed issues that would torn the band up in the longrun in a not so nice way. In Nishikawa's case, some of the above factors may have come into play in his decision and in hindsight, his recent problems might have also been his way to keep the rest of the band clear of them even though it may not have been a cognitive decision at the time.

The most loyal fans will stick with a group/artist through thick and thin. Line up changes are never easy especially when it is a core member but some groups become even better after such events. DCT still has 2/3rd the lineup and so Masa and Miwa really shouldn't be worrying about acceptance. Bands can never please everyone all of the time and they just need to march forward just the way they are doing.

[Moebius]

Welcome, Musubi. O.O;;

[sdankoehler]

Yeah. I'm sure there is more to it than any of us will ever know, but I think Miwa and Masa are doing just fine by themselves. Nishikawa wasn't with them last time they were in America either, and the reviews for their first shows here were good too. My first, and so far only time seeing them was last Oct. 16 at the Fillmore. Still can't believe how close I was. I was in front just right of center, between Miwa and Masa. It was quite easily the best concert I've ever been to, and working for HP Pavillion (formerly Compaq Center and formerly San Jose Arena), I see a lot of concerts. Really, they have nothing to worry about, at least as far as American fans are concerned. By the way, isn't next year another wonderland year?!

[Jei]

I'll add to the chorus..they're doing just fine without him. But let's be fair...they've been without him, musically at least, for quite some time. Everything's been pretty much Masa & Miwa for a good, long while. Always said something to me that Niha wasn't even the head keyboardist on the tours....and that he was barely mentioned in the song credits other than 'manipulation'.

But I could understand the worry they faced. He did represent them through radio shows and other appearances. He was so much as part of them, visually...and many fans liked him very much...
But the fans seem to know where the heart of the band lies and have stayed with M&M.

I just hope Niha can clean himself up and stay out of the spotlight....

[Jei]

And the beat goes on....

Pop superstar pleads guilty to stimulants
(Mainichi Daily News)
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20021217 ... 1000c.html

A former member of the pop sensation Dreams Come True pleaded guilty Tuesday to using stimulants.

Takahiro Nishikawa, 38, a former keyboard player for the pop band, entered his plea during his first hearing held at the Tokyo District Court.

He was initially arrested in October for inflicting bodily harm on his sister-in-law in Tokyo following a spat over credits for the jacket of his new CD, but was not indicted over the case.

Nishikawa, a native of Hokkaido, formed Dreams Come True with vocalist Miwa Yoshida and another member in 1988. However, he left the band last March and formed another unit with his elder brother. (Mainichi Shimbun, Dec. 17, 2002)

[jentutu]

maybe his leaving is good to the band.....

[jentutu]

<---oh my... THIS FACE is SO SAD...

[Jei]

Hopefully the finally word on all of this....
(Man...referring to him as a 'druggie pop star' )

Jail escape is dream come true for druggie pop star
http://mdn.mainichi.co.jp/news/20021219 ... 3000c.html
(Mainichi Daily News)

A former member of the pop sensation Dreams Come True is likely to evade imprisonment even though he was convicted Thursday of using stimulants.

The Tokyo District Court sentenced Takahiro Nishikawa, 38, a former keyboard player for the band, to 18 months in prison, suspended for three years, for using stimulants at his home and other locations on several occasions.

"The defendant's crime was not light in view of the way he used stimulants. However, as he sincerely regrets what he did, the court has concluded it's appropriate to give him a chance to rehabilitate himself," Judge Keita Nakajima said as he handed down the ruling.

Nishikawa will not be jailed unless the prosecution appeals the ruling and a higher court overturns it.

In his first hearing Tuesday, Nishikawa expressed apologies for the crime. "I would like to offer apologies for causing trouble to many people," he said. "I want to return to my parents' home in Hokkaido, and work as an assistant at a home for the disabled that my father is operating, while continuing to perform music."

He was initially arrested in October for inflicting bodily harm on his sister-in-law in Tokyo following a spat over credits for the jacket of his new CD, but was not indicted over the case.

Nishikawa formed Dreams Come True with vocalist Miwa Yoshida and another member in 1988. However, he left the band last March and formed another unit with his elder brother. (Mainichi Shimbun, Dec. 19, 2002)

[KogeJoe]

Miwa and Masato might be doing well without him, but I hope the feeling is they miss him and feel bad for what he's doing to himself...

So many years of being together can't just ..."fade into memory..." can they...

Oh well...