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Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 6, 2018

Kazufusa Hosho: 'Noh is necessary in times of social unrest'

The challenge facing Kazufusa Hosho is one that many guardians of traditional Japanese art forms know well: ensuring the survival of a centuries-old culture by attracting new and younger audiences.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 15, 2017

Disney buying Fox film and TV units for $52 billion in digital push amid Netflix and Amazon surge

Walt Disney Co has struck a deal to buy film, television and international businesses from Rupert Murdoch's Twenty-First Century Fox Inc. for $52.4 billion in stock, giving the world's largest entertainment company an arsenal of shows and movies to combat growing digital rivals Netflix Inc. and Amazon.com...
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 14, 2017

South Korea's Moon tries K-Pop and TV stars in China charm offensive

South Korean President Moon Jae-in will unveil an array of TV talent and K-pop celebrities at events, including a state dinner, in China on Thursday as he attempts to smooth out a year of difficult diplomacy with a star-laden charm offensive.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies / Taking the Lead
Dec 3, 2017

Uuum CEO thrives helping YouTubers focus on what they do best

Kazuki Kamada lives the life he loves — just like the over 4,000 fellow YouTube creators he works with.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 4, 2017

Grammys boss knuckles under China censors as show readies tour

The Grammys is looking to break into China, but it will have to do so without the help of some of its top stars — Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, among others — after it pledged to bring only well-behaved artists to meet Chinese censors' demands.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 14, 2017

Nintendo unleashes a flurry of new games to fuel Switch momentum

Nintendo Co. has announced a slate of new titles for its new hybrid console Switch, moving to capitalize on early excitement for its newest game system.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 25, 2017

Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia teams up with Exile's Hiro to create a contemporary fusion of vision and sound

From its debut in 1999 as the passion project of actor Tetsuya Bessho, Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia has grown into a big event on the local and regional film calendar. Size is one reason: The 19th edition, which unspools from June 1 to 25 at six venues in Tokyo and Yokohama, features nearly 250...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
May 2, 2017

Love is in the air as racy play 'Spring Awakening' comes to theaters

The old never give the young an easy time. "They think they know everything," "They're lazy" — the cross-generational gripes have been around as long as people have.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Apr 12, 2017

Would-be livestreaming stars boost billion-dollar Chinese market

Jing Qi, a part-time presenter on the livestreaming platform Huajiao, underwent cosmetic surgery in March to improve her chances of becoming an internet celebrity.
Japan Times
JAPAN / OKINAWA BEAT
Apr 12, 2017

Naha firm to open miniature model theme park in Okinawa featuring tourist sites around the world

A company based in Naha, Okinawa Prefecture, is aiming to open a theme park in the prefecture around 2022 featuring exhibitions of famous cities around the world using miniature models.
Reader Mail
Feb 24, 2017

'Big Tobacco' is at it again in Japan

The health ministry's moves to consider exceptions to restrictions on smoking for small restaurants and bars reflects political slight of hand. This isn't about restaurant and bar businesses; it's about tobacco's business.
Japan Times
JAPAN / OBITUARY
Jan 30, 2017

'Father of Pac-Man,' Masaya Nakamura, dies at age 91

Masaya Nakamura, the founder of game developer and distributor Namco Ltd. and known as "the father of Pac-Man," died Jan. 22, Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. announced Monday via a corporate website.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 25, 2016

Love 'em or hate 'em, the end of SMAP marks the end of an era

The Olympics have always been popular in Japan, and this year's games in Rio de Janeiro were no exception. While NHK was broadcasting the games in the early hours of Aug. 14, a breaking news message flashed across the screen: "SMAP to disband Dec. 31."
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Dec 21, 2016

Quotes of 2016, from 'Die, Japan' to 'Trump shock'

Some of the good, bad and ugly of what various people said or shouted out loud in 2016.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Dec 1, 2016

Tokyo Comic Con calls on Hollywood's big guns for star power

As we sit down for an interview, Tokyo Comic Convention Committee Chairman Mitsuaki Munegumi casually points to a glass case in the center of the room.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 19, 2016

Is Japanese pop music losing its relevance?

Shukan Bunshun recently ran some articles describing how last year the talent management company LDH allegedly paid entertainment behemoth Burning Productions to ensure that one of LDH's acts would win the top prize at the 2015 Japan Record Awards (JRA). Accompanying one of the articles was a photo of...
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 13, 2016

Launch of Sony PlayStation VR could be game changer for industry

Sony Corp.'s PlayStation VR hit the stores on Thursday, capping 2016 as the year that many have called the dawn of virtual reality.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 30, 2016

Tokyo VR attraction puts you in the heart of a Gundam battle

In 2009, anime fans were delighted when a life-size statue of a Gundam robot was unveiled in Tokyo's Odaiba district. The statue has now become a landmark attraction in the shopping and entertainment area.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / TRAVEL INSIDER
Aug 30, 2016

Ethnic food on Korean Air; Garuda named top airline; Delta introduces 'suites'

Ethnic food on Korean Air
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Aug 11, 2016

Missile spat can't diminish China's K-pop love

In the war for Chinese hearts and minds, South Korean soap stars are clearly the winners.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Aug 10, 2016

Games industry unlikely to try to clone 'Pokemon Go'

Top video game companies, caught off-guard by the runaway success of "Pokemon Go," are wrestling with how to play catch-up after the augmented reality app became a worldwide phenomenon.
Japan Times
BASKETBALL / B. League
Aug 9, 2016

Alvark Tokyo transform operations for B. League's inaugural season

The team has changed its name from the Toyota Alvark to the Alvark Tokyo as Japan's men's pro basketball enters a new era with the launch of the B. League this fall.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Jul 24, 2016

Yumi Ito of The Peanuts was a muse to both moth and men

I learned of the death of Yumi Ito, the last remaining member of 1960s pop duo The Peanuts, while battling a giant moth that had found its way into my apartment.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
May 7, 2016

Matthew Ireton: 'Continuation is the key to success'

Radio/TV show host on calligraphy, singing shirtless and waking up ridiculously early.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 27, 2016

Why China's censors silenced a Net sensation

China's leaders, so determined to export their culture to the world, are instead cultivating a neutered entertainment industry with their censorship.
Japan Times
WORLD / Politics
Apr 27, 2016

Clinton dominates in Hollywood endorsements and cash

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders' positions on fracking, free tuition and breaking up big banks wouldn't sound out of place in an Oscar winning-actor's acceptance speech.

Longform

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