Tag - celebrities

 
 

CELEBRITIES

The headquarters of Bungeishunju, Shukan Bunshun's publisher, in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 8, 2024
Comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto to withdraw Bungeishunju defamation suit
The lawsuit was filed over a Shukan Bunshun article that detailed sexual assault allegations made by two women.
Peeco, the elder twin brother of the TV personality duo Osugi and Peeco, died of multiple organ failure due to sepsis on Sept. 3.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 21, 2024
TV personality and fashion critic Peeco dies at 79
The elder twin brother of the duo Osugi and Peeco died of multiple organ failure due to sepsis on Sept. 3.
Toshiyuki Nishida has been a mainstay in entertainment for decades, with an expansive career in film, TV, music and theater.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 17, 2024
Actor Toshiyuki Nishida dies at 76
The actor, known for his roles in works including “Beyond Outrage” and “Tsuribaka Nisshi,” was found dead at his residence in Tokyo on Thursday.
Yoshimoto Kogyo, the agency that manages comedy trio Jungle Pocket, announced in mid-September that group member Shinji Saito had been experiencing health issues and underwent hospitalization, and that he requested a hiatus.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 7, 2024
Comedian Shinji Saito investigated over sexual assault
The member of comedy trio Jungle Pocket is alleged to have performed nonconsensual sexual intercourse on a woman in a bus at a filming location in Shinjuku.
Dame Maggie Smith, a star of the stage, film and television, died Sept. 27 in London. She was 89. The actor is pictured here in 2015.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Sep 27, 2024
'National treasure' U.K. actor Maggie Smith dies aged 89
Over the course of her long career, Dame Maggie Smith won a Tony, two Oscars, three Golden Globes and five Bafta Awards.
James Earl Jones in the Broadway revival of "Gore Vidal’s The Best Man” at the Gerald Schoenfeld Theater in New York in March 2012. Jones, once a stuttering farm child who became a voice of rolling thunder as one of America’s most versatile actors in a stage, film and television career that plumbed race relations, Shakespeare’s rhapsodic tragedies and the faceless menace of Darth Vader, died on Monday at his home in Dutchess County, New York. He was 93.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 10, 2024
James Earl Jones, actor whose voice could menace or melt, dies at 93
He gave life to characters like Darth Vader in “Star Wars” and Mufasa in “The Lion King,” and went on to collect Tonys, Golden Globes, Emmys and an honorary Oscar.
Popular commentator and journalist Akira Ikegami speaks about investment fraud on social media at the Aichi Prefectural Police in Nagoya in July.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 14, 2024
Japanese celebrities raising alarm over social media fraud
The amount of money stolen in social media investment fraud schemes between January-June rocketed about seven times from a year earlier, according to police.
Covers for paper fans used for oshikatsu activities are sold at a Sanrio shop in Nagoya.
JAPAN / Society
Jul 22, 2024
60% of Japanese moms enjoy supporting their favorites through 'oshikatsu'
68.5% of mothers spend less than ¥50,000 a year on oshikatsu, with those who spend ¥50,000 or more and less than ¥300,000 accounting for 20.7%.
A fake online ad that solicits investments using the name and picture of economic analyst Takuro Morinaga without permission. Morinaga said he is not involved in the ad in any way and does not have social media accounts.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 19, 2024
Fake celebrity ad victims in Japan increase tenfold
Victims lost an average of ¥6.87 million, with the largest single loss hitting ¥170 million.
Boys watch smoke billowing during Israeli strikes east of Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on Monday.
WORLD / Politics
May 14, 2024
Celebrities face digital backlash over Gaza silence
For months, activists have flooded the comments sections of social media sites, urging stars to join calls for a cease-fire in the war.
Hitoshi Matsumoto
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 28, 2024
Comedian Hitoshi Matsumoto's defamation trial kicks off
Identities of two women accusing the comedian of forcing them into having sex, as reported by Shukan Bunshun, becomes the focus on Day 1.
Yoshikazu Higashitani, who goes by the name GaaSyy, leaves the Tokyo Detention House on Sept. 21 after being released on bail.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 9, 2024
Four-year prison term sought for ex-lawmaker GaaSyy
GaaSyy, whose real name is Yoshikazu Higashitani, is accused of making threats against actor Go Ayano and others in online videos.
Taylor Swift attends the 81st Annual Golden Globe Awards in Beverly Hills, California, on Jan. 7.
CULTURE / Music
Jan 27, 2024
Outrage over deepfake porn images of Taylor Swift
One image of the U.S. megastar was seen 47 million times on X, the former Twitter, before it was removed Thursday.
Researchers eager to be hailed as the next world-changing genius may cut corners they shouldn’t — and that reflects badly on science.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 23, 2023
Science hype and celebrity culture make a bad pair
There is a broad problem of questionable research results being published in prestigious journals, with some prioritizing sensational findings.
Tupac Shakur
CULTURE / Music
Sep 30, 2023
Suspect in rapper Tupac Shakur's 1996 slaying charged with murder
The charges marked a breakthrough for a long-unsolved case that was a defining moment in the history of rap music.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 5, 2023
Everyone wants to make Ryan Reynolds money
Celebs are looking for equity-based endorsements in the hope of a big pay day — but this strategy won’t work for everyone.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / Japan Pulse
Feb 11, 2023
Minami Minegishi: AKB48’s tear-stained pioneer
One J-pop idol’s shocking show of penance in 2013 foreshadowed the price of fame on the internet.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Nov 27, 2022
‘Gangnam Style’ brought K-pop to the world, but haunted its creator
In 2012, the song took over the internet, and it helped pave the way for the global success of Korean pop. But Psy spent years trying and failing to replicate the phenomenon.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 29, 2022
Pioneering rocker Jerry Lee Lewis dead at 87
Famous for his flowing blond locks, rowdy piano beats and outrageous stage presence, the star best known for his classic 'Great Balls of Fire' died of natural causes, his publicist said.
Japan Times
WORLD
Sep 19, 2022
Russian pop music icon comes out against the war in Ukraine
Alla Pugacheva is the most significant celebrity to come out against the war, as President Vladimir Putin faces growing challenges on and off the battlefield.

Longform

Professional cleaner Hirofumi Sakurai takes a moment to appreciate some photographs in a Gotanda apartment whose occupant died alone. 
The last cleanup: Life and death in a lonely Japan