author

 
Menu
Search
 
March 29, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

Meta

James Hadfield
Investigators involved in the case shed light on one of Japan’s biggest crime stories of the 2000s in “Tokyo Police Files: The Lucie Blackman Case.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 27, 2023
‘Tokyo Police Files: The Lucie Blackman Case’: Notorious crime story gets slick Netflix treatment
The detectives are the stars in the Japan-only version of Netflix’s true-crime documentary about a missing-person investigation that captured the nation’s attention.
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jul 13, 2023
‘Graveyard of Youth’ dispenses tough love for human flaws
Despite its discomforting scenes, Yosuke Okuda’s latest offering is his warmest and most rewarding film to date.
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jul 6, 2023
'With Each Passing Breath': A compassionate and richly textured documentary
As summer festivals return to Japan in full force, a film dives into the lives of the people who keep the cultural elements behind them alive.
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jun 29, 2023
'Hoarder on the Border': A film that gets better as the layers pile up
Hoarding is a serious social issue, but it’s given a disarmingly breezy treatment in Takayuki Kayano’s “Hoarder on the Border.”
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jun 23, 2023
‘River’: A creatively contained time-loop flick
Flooded with ingenuity, the team behind “Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes” renews a winning trope for a captivating, addictive watch.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 8, 2023
‘Firing the Lighter Gun’: A gripping addition to the post-Fukushima canon
Kohei Sanada’s sophomore feature doesn’t always hit the mark, but it’s a grimly compelling portrait of the aftermath of a nuclear accident.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 30, 2023
With ‘Monster,’ Hirokazu Kore-eda makes a welcome return to form
The Palme d’Or-winning director’s homecoming to Japanese-language cinema is powerful and poignant as it unspools an intimate story about bullying, misunderstandings and family dynamics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 18, 2023
‘Nagisa’: A beautiful fever dream of guilt and grief
Takeshi Kogahara’s drama is a ravishing and disquieting tale of hauntings and forbidden lust that rewards close attention.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 11, 2023
‘Hard Days’: Cop thriller remake proves bigger isn't always better
Michihito Fujii’s take on the South Korean movie “A Hard Day” is more convoluted, more implausible and not nearly as much fun as it should be.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 5, 2023
Meiko Kaji conjures the underworld of 1970s Japan
The 'Urami Bushi' singer harks back to a film era of vengeful women, smoke-wreathed bars and gambling dens on the reissue of “Hajiki Uta,” one of her solo albums from the 1970s.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Reviews
May 3, 2023
‘Sanctuary’: Bad boy of sumo’s journey doesn’t pack a punch
Centered on a brutish underdog, the Netflix series about professional sumo offers satisfying heft in its action sequences, but its uneven storyline is anticlimactic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 27, 2023
‘Tokyo MER: Mobile Emergency Room’: Ryohei Suzuki stands out in formulaic adaptation
The actor gives a blockbuster performance in an entertaining but predictable feature film spin-off of the hit TBS medical drama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 13, 2023
‘Side by Side’: A dreamy vision wrapped in an enigma
Chihiro Ito’s sophomore film in which mortal and spirit realms coexist marks her as a director with a distinctive style.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 6, 2023
‘From the End of the World’: An unlikely teen dream savior
Lead actor Aoi Ito lends believable vulnerability to Kazuaki Kiriya’s patchwork swansong about a young girl with the ability to avert an impending apocalypse in her sleep.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 5, 2023
The unyielding spirit of Ryuichi Sakamoto
The award-winning composer and member of Yellow Magic Orchestra showed a rebellious streak throughout his life, which not only influenced musicians worldwide but also effected social change.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 30, 2023
‘Self-Revolutionary Cinematic Struggle’ is an experimental slog
Gakuryu Ishii's rambling treatise on art and self-actualization spends much more time talking about the magic of movies than actually invoking it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 10, 2023
Elderly survivors fight to preserve memory of Tokyo firebombing in 'Paper City'
In his documentary, Australian filmmaker Adrian Francis explores the collective amnesia surrounding the wartime firebombings of Japan's capital.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 9, 2023
‘Downfall’: Tortured soul makes for a total bore
Naoto Takenaka’s faithful adaptation of Inio Asano’s manga strikes a chord with creators, but its nihilistic protagonist may leave audiences wanting.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 2, 2023
‘Winny’: True-life tale educates more than it entertains
Masahiro Higashide delivers a transformative performance as the embattled creator of a file-sharing program in Yusaku Matsumoto’s biographical drama.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 23, 2023
‘Tocka’: An existential end-of-the-road trip
Yoshitaka Kamada’s drama about a man looking to end his life is bleak, sometimes beautiful and shot through with dark humor.
Japan considers all possible options as Trump threatens new auto tariffs
Subaru cars awaiting export at a port in Yokohama on Thursday.
Massive quake kills at least 150 in Myanmar and Thailand
Medical workers treat a earthquake survivor on a bed in the compound of a hospital in Naypyitaw on Friday, after an earthquake in central Myanmar.
Tokyo police seek public's help on Setagaya family murder 24 years ago
Police seek information from the public on a high-profile murder case, in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, on Saturday
Student suicides in Japan hit all-time high
A volunteer handles an incoming call at the Tokyo Befrienders call center, a suicide hotline center in Japan's capital.
Copyright questions loom as ChatGPT's Ghibli-style images go viral
A screenshot of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman's Ghibli-style profile picture on X
Recent spate of wildfires in Japan and South Korea linked to climate change
Smoke and flames rise from a wildfire in Andong, South Korea, on Tuesday.
Hanami season to have record ¥1.39 trillion economic impact on Japan
Cherry blossoms along a road in Tokyo on Tuesday. The 2025 cherry blossom season is expected to have an economic impact of around ¥1.39 trillion on Japan.
Rise and shine with ‘The Wakey Show’
“The Wakey Show” is NHK’s first new daily children’s program in three years, and it carries on the station’s storied past in youth-centric educational entertainment.
Tokyo Series proves to be big business for MLB — and Japanese companies
An advertisement featuring Shohei Ohtani in Tokyo.
New SDF command will be key for contingency planning, Australian commander says
A Maritime Self-Defense Force SH-60K "Super Auk" from JS Shiranui prepares to land on HMAS Brisbane during Exercise Malabar 2023 while off the coast of New South Wales, Australia.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The sun shines from behind a waving Philippine flag at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial.
Eighty years after the Battle of Manila, old foes forge new ties
By Anton L. Delgado

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Supporting women’s social participation is Cartier’s commitment
Supporting women’s social participation is Cartier’s commitment

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER