NEWS member Kato Shigeaki(加藤成亮) to publish first book in January 2012

Kato Shigeaki(加藤成亮)(24), a member of the boy band NEWS, will soon make his literary debut as an author, it has been learned. According to an announcement on the Johnny's Jimusho(ジャニーズ事務所)website, Kato will release his first published work on January 28, 2012, titled “Pink and Grey.”

Kato is the first Johnny’s artist to publish a novel. The story is described as a tale of two young men who were childhood friends. They both enter show business, but one finds success as a big star while the other experiences only frustration at being just an extra. Their friendship falls apart, but they later meet again.

The story seems to be influenced by Kato’s own personal experiences, and the setting includes Shibuya, where Kato spent much of his junior high and high school days. However, Kato maintains that the story is entirely fiction. “When I was 20 years old, I thought that if I was going to write, I want to write this kind of story,” he said.

It is said that Kato has loved literature and movies since a young age. “I loved writing since I was little, and even in my high school classes I was assessed highly, so I wanted to write a novel by the age of 25,” he explained.

Pink to Gray

Kato Shigeaki(加藤成亮)

Between mid-February and late March of this year, Kato took advantage of a lull in NEWS’ activities and began writing his novel, sometimes spending as much as 12 hours in a day in front of his computer.

Kato said that he was shocked when he first heard that Yamashita Tomohisa(山下智久)and Nishikido Ryo(錦戸亮) were going to leave NEWS last month. The remaining members had even considered disbanding, but for the sake of their fans they wanted to keep the name of NEWS going. With NEWS making a new start and Kato making his debut as an author, he has also chosen to change the way his name is written, from 加藤成亮 to 加藤シゲアキ.

He also said that he wants to keep NEWS as his main activity, but that he is already thinking about his next work. He commented that he wants to one day be able to win the prestigious Naoki Prize(直木三十五賞)

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“Pink and Grey,” which is being published by Kadokawa Shoten(株式会社角川書店), will retail for 1,365 yen.

Source: tokyograph.com