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A woman walks past a roadside television screen reporting the death of Johnny Kitagawa, founder of Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, in Tokyo in July 2019.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 16, 2023

Johnny's sex abuse scandal causing TV sponsors to reconsider

A growing number of Japanese companies have been rethinking their involvement as sponsors of television programs starring members of Johnny & Associates.
Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton celebrates his try against Tonga during their 2023 Rugby World Cup Pool B match in Nantes, France, on Saturday.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Sep 17, 2023

Johnny Sexton breaks records as Ireland eyes Springkoks at World Cup

The 38-year-old became his country's all-time top scorer in a convincing bonus-point win over Tonga.
Banking on strong investor appetite for emerging market growth in the absence of Chinese stock offerings, some Southeast Asian companies are considering listing in the U.S.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 19, 2023

More Southeast Asian firms consider U.S. IPOs

Senior executives at some firms have said they were looking into New York as one of their initial public offering venues.
Phil Mickelson has lost $100 million betting on sports, according to a book released in August by Las Vegas gambler Billy Walters.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Sep 19, 2023

Phil Mickelson: Gambling crossed the line 'into addiction'

The three-time Masters winner denied betting on the 2012 Ryder Cup.
The decision by Johnny & Associates during a news conference on Sept. 7 to retain the company name — despite its association with an alleged sexual predator — drew a lot of public criticism.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 20, 2023

Johnny & Associates considers changing name as criticism mounts

On its website, the agency said it was “discussing the future of the company, taking into consideration opinions and criticisms.”
An All Nippon Airways employee (left) escorts a group of Chinese tourists and a tour conductor (right) at the arrival lobby of Haneda Airport in Tokyo in August.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 20, 2023

Chinese visitors help Japan edge toward pre-pandemic tourism levels

Inbound tourism, counted as an export of services, has been a bright spot in Japan’s economic recovery.
For the first time since 2019, the Tokyo Game Show returns in full force.
LIFE / Digital
Sep 20, 2023

Your livestreaming guide to Tokyo Game Show 2023

Giants of Japanese gaming will be livestreaming their major presentations for anyone across Japan — or the globe — to follow.
Leaves of marijuana plants from which hemp fibers are extracted at Japan's largest legal marijuana farm in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, on July 5, 2016
PODCAST / deep dive
Sep 21, 2023

Does a university cannabis scandal point to a larger trend?

A drugs scandal at Japan’s biggest university draws attention to a troubling statistic: Cannabis use among young people is on the rise.
Disney said its parks, experiences and products segment has expanded at a combined annual growth rate of 6% since fiscal 2017, and generated $32.3 billion in operating income over the last 12 months.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 21, 2023

Disney to nearly double parks spending to $60 billion

Disney CEO Bob Iger and Josh D'Amaro, the company's parks chief, announced the accelerated pace of investment at a gathering of Wall Street analysts.
What recent reports indicate is that, while abusers are being outed, the institutions that protected them for so long remain in place.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Sep 23, 2023

As #MeToo outs more abusers, is anything changing for good?

After years of assault revelations, the institutional responses that have long enabled abuse must start to change.
Players compete against one another during the Just Dance event at the Olympic Esports Week in Singapore in June.
MORE SPORTS / FOCUS
Sep 24, 2023

China hosts esports’ biggest moment with Tencent at the wheel

The once-in-four-years Asian Games, effectively a regional Olympics, is the first time that competitive video games will be eligible for medals.
An exterior view of MGM Grand hotel and casino, after MGM Resorts shut down some computer systems due to a cyberattack earlier this month, in Las Vegas, Nevada
BUSINESS / Tech
Sep 25, 2023

'Power, influence, notoriety': The Gen-Z hackers who struck MGM and Caesars

Experts say they appear to be more sophisticated, disciplined and organized than many cybercriminal actors, and probably between 17 and 22 years old.
Members of the Writers Guild of America picket outside of Universal Studios in Universal City, California, on Friday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Sep 25, 2023

Striking Hollywood writers reach tentative deal with studios

The WGA settlement, while a milestone, will not return Hollywood to work. The SAG-AFTRA actors' union remains on strike.
(From left) G.R.D.V., Marao and Ryuseigun Saionji make up BBBBBBB (seven Bs pronounced one letter at a time), an Aichi Prefecture-based project whose brand of digital hardcore has made it one of the up-and-coming figures in Japan’s contemporary underground scene.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 28, 2023

BBBBBBB's sense of humor cuts through the noise

The Aichi Prefecture-based digital hardcore project finds inspiration in the loud chaos of Hollywood blockbusters from the 1990s.
Singer Taylor Swift (right) watches the game with Donna Kelce, Travis’ mother, on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Sep 28, 2023

Travis Kelce's celebrity hits new level after brush with Taylor Swift

A spokesperson for Fanatics, the NFL’s official retailer, said that sales of Kelce’s jersey had spiked by 400% as of Monday.
From left: Prin, Sen and jiGook of QI.X call themselves one of the first openly queer, transgender K-pop acts.
CULTURE
Sep 30, 2023

Queer K-pop group QI.X wants to change South Korea

In conservative South Korea, few LGBTQ entertainers have ever come out. The young members of QI.X don’t see the point of staying in.
Johnny & Associates' outgoing head Julie Keiko Fujishima and its new chief, Noriyuki Higashiyama, bow to express their apology during a news conference in Tokyo last month.
BUSINESS
Oct 1, 2023

Johnny's looks toward a revamp as it seeks to salvage tarnished brand

Recent attempts to distance the agency from the long shadow of its namesake have been met with public backlash.
Akira Otsuka (left) and Miki Tamaki formed the performing arts troupe DamaDamTal in 2016. They have performed in every edition of the Nakanojo Biennale in Gunma Prefecture since 2017 and credit the festival as a source of inspiration for new productions.
CULTURE / Stage
Oct 4, 2023

DamaDamTal turns abstract dreams into visual art

The Japanese performing arts troupe led by Miki Tamaki and Akira Otsuka gets creative in the mountains of rural Gunma Prefecture at Nakanojo Biennale.
A reporter raises their hand during a Johnny & Associates news conference on Monday. Journalists were limited to a “one question per company” at the event.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 4, 2023

Johnny’s news conference had journalist ‘blacklist,' reports say

Johnny & Associates has said it never made a request that specific journalists be passed over for questions.
Police officers work to control a crowd gathering to celebrate Halloween in the Shibuya district of Tokyo on Oct. 31, 2022.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 5, 2023

Shibuya mayor vows to keep things civil as Halloween nears

The mayor made headlines last month when he told would-be partiers to stay away from the Tokyo ward this year for the occasion, citing safety concerns.
Taylor Swift attends the MTV Video Music Awards at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey, on Sept. 12.
WORLD / Politics / FOCUS
Oct 8, 2023

Taylor Swift and the political needle

With hundreds of millions of social media followers and a staunchly loyal fan base, she can move any dial with the tiniest of efforts.
The "Toyoko" area in Tokyo's Kabukicho entertainment district
JAPAN / Society
Oct 8, 2023

Japan considers shelters for young runaways

The Children and Families Agency hopes the shelters will help prevent youth involvement in downtown area crime.
NHK's building in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, where sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa reportedly took place
JAPAN
Oct 10, 2023

Johnny’s founder accused of sexually abusing teen in NHK bathroom

The man, who was a high school student at the time, said that he was assaulted in the fall of 2002 when he attended a dance lesson.
The remains of a rocket fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel lies on a road where it fell in Ashkelon, southern Israel, on Tuesday.
WORLD
Oct 11, 2023

Who is the secretive Hamas commander behind the attack on Israel?

Mohammed Deif has topped Israel's most wanted list for decades, held responsible for deaths of dozens of Israelis in suicide bombings.
OpenAI chief executive officer Sam Altman speaks during a forum in Taipei on Sept. 25.
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 12, 2023

OpenAI plans major updates to lure developers with lower costs

The new features mark the company's ambition to expand beyond a consumer sensation into one also offering a hit developer platform.
Over 20% of actors, stunt performers, voice actors and announcers in Japan said between October and December last year that they had experienced sexual harassment, according to a government white paper released on Friday.
JAPAN
Oct 13, 2023

Over 20% of actors in Japan say they've been sexually harassed

Over 20% of actors, stunt performers, voice actors and announcers in Japan said between October and December last year that they had experienced sexual harassment, a government white paper showed Friday.
A sign at a Johnny & Associates store in the city of Osaka is peeled off late Monday after the shop closed.
JAPAN / Society / FOCUS
Oct 17, 2023

With new name for Johnny's, focus shifts to victim compensation

The talent agency will face challenges in identifying those eligible for compensation due to the sheer number of victims of abuse by Johnny Kitagawa.
Vagaries in Japanese law mean single mothers are sometimes left without financial support from their former partners.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Oct 23, 2023

Documentary shines a spotlight on Japan’s single mothers

"The Ones Left Behind" explores the successes and struggles of single mothers in modern Japan.
Police watch over the Dotonbori area in Osaka on Oct. 20 as Tigers fans flocked to the area to celebrate the team's advance to the Japan Series.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 30, 2023

Police prep crowd control plans in case Tigers win Japan Series

The Tigers are facing off against the Orix Buffaloes in the series, which kicked off on Saturday.
Becoming the lone bidder for the 2034 World Cup, just 27 days after its campaign was announced, caps a stunning year where the unheralded Saudi Pro League has snapped up some of soccer's top stars including Cristiano Ronaldo (center).
SOCCER
Nov 1, 2023

Bridging the Gulf: How the World Cup is key to Saudi revamp

While human rights controversies have not gone away, the kingdom is gaining a reputation for extravagant forays into sport.

Longform

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