Last weekend, actor Shunta Nakamura was arrested for possession of hashish while sitting in a parked car in Suginami Ward, Tokyo. The suspect's father, veteran actor Masatoshi Nakamura, quickly obliged the showbiz media by performing one of those tearful apologies that everyone looks forward to under such circumstances.

Masatoshi is not only Shunta's father, he's also the president of the talent agency that manages his career. He told reporters that his son is no longer a client and that he will never work as an actor again. Such a strong statement might have made an impression if Nakamura Junior was popular or in-demand, but he's not. Still, from the tone of the pronouncement, it's clear that the elder Nakamura was speaking as a father, not a boss, and if Shunta is Dad's only client other than Dad himself, which seems to be the case, then it would be fair to assume that Shunta's calling has less to do with acting than with carrying on the family name. That's why Masatoshi took responsibility and unilaterally revoked Shunta's membership in the showbiz community. He can't very well fire him as his son.

If show business can be called a family business, it has more to do with ease of entry than anything else. As one showbiz reporter told Shincho magazine last week, in the 100-meter dash to viability as an entertainer, offspring of already famous entertainers start about 30 meters ahead of everybody else. Some, like Shunta, have been groomed and promoted by their parents, while others enter the trade simply through inertia.