Manabu Oshio signs with Avex

Musician is lead vocalist for pop band Liv

By MARK SCHILLING

TOKYO -- Actor/singer Manabu Oshio has become the latest Japanese talent with international aspirations to sign with Avex, a record label and pic producer that is rapidly expanding its presence in Asia and elsewhere.

 Fluent in English from an eight-year sojourn in Los Angeles as a child, Oshio is lead vocalist for the pop band Liv. He was also a frequent presence in TV dramas and pics until he retired from acting in October 2005.

 He puts his comeback down to the responsibilities of parenthood. Oshio and actress wife Akiko Yada had a son in November.

Avex has been actively signing Japanese talent with overseas appeal, including "The Last Samurai" star Koyuki and "Letters From Iwo Jima" star Shidou Nakamura.