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Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Feb 26, 2022

Pioneering virtual YouTuber Kizuna AI goes on 'indefinite hiatus'

Over five years, the digital character delivered a new kind of content geared toward digital natives. Now she's saying farewell with one last, livestreamed concert.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 21, 2022

Sky-Hi: Taking up the fight for artistic freedom

The artist-turned-talent agency CEO says Japan's music industry needs a major modern makeover.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Oct 16, 2021

COVID-19 is forcing video game companies to rethink remote work

Big game companies are spread out across the globe, from Canada to Japan to France, which has forced many developers to relocate each time they are laid off or their contracts expire.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 14, 2021

Kim Jong Un calls K-pop a ‘vicious cancer’ in the new culture war

K-pop's growing influence has drawn the leader's ire. But even a dictator may have trouble holding back the tide.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
May 9, 2021

A shaky future for Sony's Japan Studio after mass staff exodus

A slew of veteran game developers and producers announced their departure from the studio in advance of its April 1 restructuring.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos
Feb 1, 2021

Living in Japan doesn't have to break the bank

Japan is often touted as an expensive place to live. With a high quality of living, national health system, vibrant cultural scene, admirable levels of education and safety — it’s not hard to understand some of the reasons why people want to call it home. These desirable factors come at a cost, though....
Japan Times
CULTURE
Jul 11, 2020

Pac-Man: How a faceless character based on eating changed video game history

Examining the cultural and commercial legacy of Japan's iconic arcade game on its 40th anniversary.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Apr 11, 2020

Japan's streaming situation improved just in time to self-isolate

Doing your part to flatten the coronavirus curve by staying home? Luckily, the streaming situation has improved over the past few years so you don't have to be bored. And with local options, maybe you can pick up some Japanese while you catch up on pop culture?
Japan Times
CULTURE
Apr 4, 2020

Kamishibai: Rediscovering the fine art of storytelling in Japan

Artists are taking a traditional art form to a new audience but a battle rages over its true essence.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 2, 2020

All bets are off: Casino capitals Macao and Las Vegas slammed by virus

The vast, glitzy gaming halls of Macao are open, but thousands of baccarat tables are empty. The world's biggest gambling hub has barred entry to most travelers and hotels are being used to isolate new arrivals in case they have been infected by coronavirus.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Mar 2, 2020

Anime's evolution in lands down under

For the past quarter century, fans of Japanese pop culture in Australia and New Zealand have been served almost exclusively by a single distributor: Madman.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Jan 10, 2020

Yoshitaka Hori: The man on a mission to export Japanese musicals

HoriPro Inc. CEO and Chairman, Yoshitaka Hori, wants to take Japanese musicals out to the world and compete with the likes of Broadway and the West End.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2019

Anime, manga, pro-wrestling? Tokyo firm hopes Japan's next big cultural export comes from inside the ring

If one Japanese business has its way, wrestlers will be the next hit entertainment export from the country that introduced the world to Hello Kitty and animation sci-fi films such as "Akira."
Japan Times
Uncategorized / TICAD 7 Special
Aug 27, 2019

Port area the center of national firsts, lively excursions

Modern Yokohama might be second in Japan in terms of population but, historically, it has long been a city of firsts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 27, 2019

Makoto Shinkai isn't afraid of a bit of rain in the pursuit of his art

It has been raining for weeks, but director Makoto Shinkai doesn't seem to mind a bit.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jul 3, 2019

Japan is cool but has no clue about selling itself

The country is still struggling to make money off of its worldwide cultural cachet
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 14, 2019

Activist investor Dan Loeb calls on Sony to spin off its semiconductor business

Activist investor Dan Loeb has disclosed a $1.5 billion stake in Sony Corp. and pushed the company to make dramatic changes, including spinning off its semiconductor business and listing it in Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 28, 2019

Gang of Four's fluctuating degrees of animosity, 40 years on

British post-punk pioneers Gang of Four didn't come to Japan until 2005, nearly 30 years after the band formed. If guitarist Andy Gill had his way, it would have happened a lot sooner. "I clearly remember a conversation in the '80s about going to Japan," Gill says, sitting among an array of equipment...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jan 29, 2019

Arashi's hiatus spurs heartbreak, but hopes for a 2020 Olympic farewell

The 2020 Tokyo Olympics creep ever closer and one of the biggest arguments that remains is which musical performers will feature in the event's opening ceremony. Up until now, debate over who should represent Japan on the international stage has been raging.
Japan Times
SPORTS
Dec 15, 2018

Wrestle mania: The changing landscape of professional wrestling in Japan

In June 1976, professional wrestler Kanji "Antonio" Inoki took on iconic American boxer Muhammad Ali at the Nippon Budokan arena in Tokyo in a fight that would be broadcast to an estimated global audience of 1.4 billion.
Japan Times
JAPAN / United Nations Day special
Oct 24, 2018

Comedians boost SDGs awareness

"Why did an entertainment company such as Yoshimoto decide to become involved in promoting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)?" asked U.N. Information Centre Director Kaoru Nemoto when she recently reunited with Akihiko Okamoto, COO of renowned Japanese entertainment company Yoshimoto Kogyo Co. (Yoshimoto)....
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Feb 28, 2018

Executive meetings in Asia no longer boozy lunches as refined fare and tighter budgets hold sway

Entertaining clients has always been part of the world of finance. But it's no longer just about wining and dining. In an era of healthier lifestyles and tighter industry budgets, the boundaries of where to go and what to do have shifted. The legend of the boozy dinner sealed-with-a-deal may live on,...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Jan 31, 2018

'Country of cowards': Comedy duo's political satire stands out in gun-shy Japan

In what was perhaps a make-or-break moment for their careers, comedy duo Woman Rush Hour did something on prime-time television in December that most of their fellow comedians try their best to eschew: They talked about politics.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 3, 2017

Mobile gaming firm Akatsuki to adapt Japanese content for U.S. TV and movie screens

Mobile gaming company Akatsuki Inc. announced Tuesday the launch of a U.S.-based entertainment production company aimed at developing feature films for a global audience based on popular Japanese content including manga, anime and novels.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
May 14, 2017

Racial and ethnic hate speech thrives in online games

Spend enough time hunting terrorists or wandering dystopian wastelands in online games and you are bound to come across players hurling xenophobic and racist taunts at each other, from Islamophobes in Europe to South Koreans and Japanese bickering over disputed islands.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Mar 19, 2017

Missile row drives South Korean culture underground in China

Cai Yufang, 21, is a big fan of South Korean television dramas like "Shopping King Louie," a show about a profligate chaebol heir who loses his memory and learns the value of love and labor from a sweet, simple country girl.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?