Oricon: 2009's fresh stars

Oricon announced its "fresh star ranking" for the first half of 2009, which surveyed 1,200 men and women about young celebrities who have left the strongest impression on them. This time, actress Yuriko Yoshitaka and actor Hiro Mizushima led the rankings.

Yoshitaka, 20, has gained recognition through her roles in various television dramas, but her big break came last year when she received Best Newcomer awards for her performance in "Hebi ni Piasu" ("Snakes and Earrings").

The 25-year-old Mizushima, on the other hand, has been regularly topping recent popularity surveys and is likely to be one of the top young stars for a while.

Women:
1. Yuriko Yoshitaka
2. Haruka Ayase
3. Nana Eikura
4. Erika Toda
5. JUJU
6. Yui Aragaki
7. Maki Horikita
8. Aoi Miyazaki
9. Aya Ueto
10. misono
11. Ayaka

Men:
1. Hiro Mizushima
2. Audrey (owarai duo)
3. Takeru Sato
4. Hannya (owarai duo)
5. Hayato Ichihara
6. Yusuke Kamiji
6. Osamu Mukai
6. Eita
9. Hayato Sakamoto (baseball player)
10. Ryo Ishikawa (golfer)

Source : TOKYOGRAPH