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Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jul 14, 2023

Actors go on strike in new blow to struggling Hollywood studios

The Screen Actors Guild, which represents some 160,000 performers, announced the walkout after failing to reach a new labor agreement.
A building under construction in Osaka. Singapore investors are snapping up Japanese real estate, particularly in Osaka where a large casino resort is set to open.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jul 27, 2023

Singapore property investors bet on Osaka casino

International property agent FM Investment said it has seen a fivefold increase in inquiries since Japan opened its borders in October.
A participant operates the "Flappy Bird," a self-made flying machine, during an event in Hong Kong in May 2014. Vietnam first caught the attention of global gamers in 2013 after Hanoi developer Dong Nguyen created, Flappy Bird, a simple but addictive game app.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 7, 2023

A decade after Flappy Bird, Vietnam becomes gaming powerhouse

Moving beyond outsourced software and sneaker factories, Hanoi views mobile games as a crucial part of its emerging tech sector.
Members of Johnny’s Sexual Assault Victims Association who allege they were abused by famed-talent agent Johnny Kitagawa speak to reporters in late July in Tokyo following a hearing by United Nations human rights experts.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 23, 2023

Kishida faces leadership test over Johnny's sexual abuse scandal

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, who prides himself on his “ability to listen,” faces a test of his leadership amid the Johnny's sexual abuse scandal.
Nihon University's American football team restarts training on Aug. 11 in Tokyo after it was suspended.
JAPAN / FOCUS
Aug 23, 2023

Nihon University scandal puts focus on 'collective responsibility'

Critics of the approach of punishing an entire team for wrongdoing by some say it can unfairly affect athletes that weren't involved.
Former Prosecutor-General Makoto Hayashi (center) and two other experts speak about their investigation into Johnny Kitagawa's sexual abuse allegations, in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Society
Aug 29, 2023

Expert team reports on decades of sexual abuse by Johnny Kitagawa

The team urged Johnny & Associates President Julie Keiko Fujishima to step down after the family-run business left the issue unaddressed for decades.
Former Johnny & Associates performer Kauan Okamoto, who publicly accused Johnny Kitagawa of sexually abusing him after a BBC documentary on the Johnny & Associates founder in March, sheds tears during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN / Society
Sep 8, 2023

Kauan Okamoto finds some closure after recognition of Kitagawa abuse

“I felt a bit better. There’s nothing more I want to say to Johnny & Associates,” Okamoto said.
Lachlan Murdoch, the elder son of Rupert Murdoch, solidified his rise to the top on Thursday, when his father announced that he would retire from the boards of Fox Corporation and News Corporation.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 22, 2023

Rupert Murdoch leaves media empire to son Lachlan

Murdoch’s decision to step aside is unlikely to take Fox and News Corp in new directions right away.
Rupert Murdoch in his office in New York in 2007. Murdoch's decision to step down from the boards of News Corp. and Fox Corp. marks the end of a decadeslong media career.
COMMENTARY / World
Sep 25, 2023

Rupert Murdoch, the last of the press barons

No living person has influenced the media landscape like Rupert Murdoch. Should we view his career in a favorable light, or is his legacy one of darkness?
Jim Ryan, president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment, speaks during the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 28, 2023

Sony gaming chief Jim Ryan to retire in March

Ryan became CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment in 2019 and oversaw initiatives including the launch of the PlayStation 5.
An AI-generated model is featured in Ito En's latest green tea brand commercial.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 19, 2023

Beverage company Ito En taps AI actress for TV commercial

The commercial is receiving mixed reviews from netizens, with some praising the quality of the tech while others worry about job loss.
Japan’s crime thriller genre owes a lot to Kido Okamoto and Taro Hirai, who is better known by his pen name of Edogawa Ranpo
CULTURE / Books
Oct 22, 2023

Japanese thrillers and crime mysteries to curl up with this fall

As the nights grow colder, pick up a recommended read in crime fiction and dive deep into this unique intersection of art and entertainment.
People demonstrate against the government on Nov. 5, 2022, after nearly 160 people died in a crowd crush in Seoul's Itaewon district on Halloween that year.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Oct 21, 2023

Little punishment or change after South Korea’s Halloween calamity

Families of the 159 people crushed to death last year say the government has never acknowledged its mistakes or accepted responsibility.
Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe speaks during an interview at his office on Oct. 19.
JAPAN / Society
Oct 26, 2023

Can Shibuya's mayor turn his ward into a global icon?

For Mayor Ken Hasebe, reining in Halloween revelers is just one step on the way to transforming Shibuya.
Hulu was founded in 2007 as a joint venture between News Corporation and NBC Universal, with Disney joining soon after as a partner.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 2, 2023

Disney to complete takeover of Hulu with $8.6 billion deal

The acquisition comes as the company strives to boost subscriber numbers at its Disney+ streaming service.
The words of encouragement that star player Shohei Ohtani gave his teammates before their final game against the United States during the World Baseball Classic in March were among those nominated on Thursday to be the buzzwords of the year.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 2, 2023

Japan's 2023 buzzwords reflect light and dark sides of the year

From the year's scandals to its champions, the annual list of buzzword candidates highlights the nation's hope, fears and diversions.
Sony Group has raised its full-year outlook after its media divisions outperformed.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 9, 2023

Sony raises sales and profit outlook as media helps offset mobile

The adjustments suggest resilient consumer spending and a weaker yen are stabilizing the business.
By the finale, I had completely bought into Samurai Restaurant Time's spectacle — a neon-lit festival with chants and cheers.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Nov 12, 2023

Samurai Restaurant Time gives kitschy thrills fit for Kabukicho

To replace the defunct Robot Restaurant, the neon-soaked streets of Kabukicho are serving up a kitschy second course.
Petroleum pipelines and fuel storage tanks at a refinery near Manama, Bahrain, in 2017
ENVIRONMENT
Nov 18, 2023

To meet climate goals, Gulf countries will have to overhaul everything

The growing oil-rich region faces myriad challenges as the world pushes to decarbonize.
Max Verstappen celebrates winning the Las Vegas Grand Prix on Saturday
MORE SPORTS / Auto Racing
Nov 19, 2023

Verstappen battles through to win Las Vegas Grand Prix thriller

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc overtook Red Bull's Sergio Perez on the last lap to grab second place ahead of the Mexican.
Disney CEO Bob Iger
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 29, 2023

Disney CEO Bob Iger says company is ready to start building

CEO Bob Iger said the company is poised to begin building its business again, after a year of restructuring.
If we let writers and translators be replaced by AI tools such as ChatGPT, we lose control over language and how it shapes us.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 30, 2023

When we abandon language to AI, we abandon our humanity

Not only does AI threaten writers' and translators' jobs, giving it control over how we shape and are shaped by language is detrimental to who we are.
Developed by Larian Studios, Baldur's Gate 3, a Dungeons & Dragons-inspired action-adventure role-playing game, is the consensus game of the year.
LIFE / Digital
Dec 16, 2023

Critical success: Baldur’s Gate 3 wins Game of the Year honors

First presented in 2014, the Game Awards decides on winners through a voting jury of the news media and input from players.
Tokyo police officers head to host clubs in the Kabukicho district in Shinjuku Ward for inspections on Friday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 20, 2023

Women arrested for prostitution in Shinjuku tripled in 2023

The issue of women going into prostitution as a result of loans used to finance host club visits has become a huge problem.
Attendees play the Fate/Samurai Remnant video game on PlayStation 5 video game consoles at the Tokyo Game Show in September.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 21, 2023

Sony highlights PS5 momentum as hardware sales top 50 million

Sony is seeing strong momentum for its PlayStation 5 console, a senior games executive has said, with lifetime sales exceeding 50 million units and the company recording its best-ever Black Friday period sales for the device.
A toy gun is assembled at an Aequs toy manufacturing facility in the city of Belgaum in India.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 16, 2024

Infrastructure hurdles hinder toy manufacturers' shift from China

That other countries struggle to match China for efficiency is limiting firms' efforts to shift to lower cost bases and raising the risk of higher toy prices in the future.
According to Hitoshi Matsumoto’s lawyer, he is suing Bungei Shunju, the publisher of the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine over an article that was published in the magazine and online on Dec. 27.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 23, 2024

Comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto sues publisher over sexual assault article

The Downtown member is suing Bungei Shunju, the publisher of the Shukan Bunshun weekly magazine, for defamation.
Sony trimmed its revenue forecast after sales of its flagship PlayStation 5 in the December quarter came in roughly a million units lower than analysts’ estimates.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 15, 2024

Sony dives most in two years after cutting PS5 sales outlook

Shares fell as much as 8.4% in early Tokyo trading, the biggest intraday fall since February 2022.
Doosan Bears fans during a game in Seoul in April 2022
SPORTS
Feb 21, 2024

Women outnumber men in South Korea’s sports stadiums

Women in South Korea make up 55% of fans at professional sporting events, including baseball, basketball, soccer and volleyball.
Sean Bailey, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production, at his office in Burbank, California
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 27, 2024

Disney reshuffles leadership at troubled namesake movie division

New President David Greenbaum oversaw the release of Oscar nominated "Poor Things" and previous winners such as "The Shape of Water" and "Nomadland."

Longform

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