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August 15, 2024
 

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SMAP

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.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 18, 2023
How Japanese media companies enabled Johnny’s abuse
The power dynamics of Japan's entertainment and media industries ultimately meant that accusations of sexual abuse were not investigated.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 23, 2021
Former SMAP stars test broadcast television’s relevance
Rival talent agencies move into the void left by Japan's former J-pop kings.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 4, 2019
'Stormy Family': Dysfunctional family, dysfunctional film
Masahide Ichii delivers a drama about family members dealing with their own long-standing resentments while facing an impending typhoon
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 3, 2019
News outlets in Japan less afraid to tackle entertainment issues
Ever since Johnny Kitagawa died on July 9, the media has been filled with sentimental tributes to the pop idol impresario, mostly by the young men whose careers he cultivated, but also by those with a stake in Japan's hermetic show biz world.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news / Heisei Icons,Heisei Icons
Apr 7, 2019
SMAP: The pop idol media monopoly that dominated the Heisei Era
Many can't let go of the most successful male idol group the Heisei Era and continue to share favorite songs and clips of the outfit on sites such as Twitter.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 23, 2019
Idols and agencies in Japan navigate a brand new landscape
Television personality Masahiro Nakai made an appearance as a "surprise guest" on the March 10 installment of Nippon TV's law-related variety show, "Gyoretsu no Dekiru Horitsu Sodanjo" (“Line-up Law Office”). Earlier, guest Koji Kato had related an anecdote featuring Shingo Katori, Nakai's former...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Feb 7, 2019
Where will fans go after Arashi?
Fans of Arashi still haven't come to terms with the news that the J-pop group will go on a hiatus at the end of 2020, bringing a close, at least temporarily, to one of the 21st century's most popular Japanese acts.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Dec 4, 2018
On the road to new experiences, post-SMAP, with Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
It has been almost two years since pop group SMAP split up, but its demise after over two decades at the forefront of entertainment in Japan is still fresh in everyone's memory.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 2, 2018
Is the feudal era over for Japan's talent agencies?
Japanese show business definitely has a feudal side. Talent agencies control their tarento (talent) much in the way the daimyō (feudal lords) controlled the samurai in their clans, supporting their livelihoods in return for absolute fealty. And just as samurai were expected to stay with one clan their...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 27, 2018
SMAP star's Instagram foray reflects weakening grip of Japan TV ads
Shingo Katori commanded the adoration of millions of fans across Asia as a member of SMAP, one of Japan's most successful boy bands. After decades as a ubiquitous TV presence, he finally decided in November it was time to get an Instagram account.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 13, 2017
Music acts found new ways to get noticed in 2017, but nothing beats an established brand
The path to J-pop stardom used to be pretty simple: Align yourself with the right talent agency and label — they'll do all the work.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Nov 9, 2017
Former SMAP stars find freedom online
When a wrecking ball fell on and destroyed a car, I was hooked on a 72-hour live stream starring three former members of pop group SMAP.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Sep 22, 2017
Ex-SMAP trio launch fan site hinting at October debut under new management
Three ex-members of the disbanded all-male pop group SMAP have launched an official fan site with a video alluding to freedom from the group's past troubles and a fresh start under new management.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / NEWS IN NIHONGO
Jun 26, 2017
Three former SMAP singers to leave talent agency in September
Johnny & Associates announced June 18 that three former members of the pop idol group SMAP, which broke up at the end of last year, will leave the talent agency on Sept. 8, when their contract terms expire.
Japan to revise consumption tax exemption for overseas tourists
Tourists walk through Nakamise shopping street near Sensoji Temple in Tokyo in April
Japan's tourism industry hit by cancellations after megaquake alert
A beach closed due to a megaquake alert in Hiratsuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, from Friday to Thursday.
Focus shifts to incoming typhoon as Tropical Storm Maria dissipates
Newly formed Tropical Storm Ampil, which is forecast to approach eastern Japan this weekend, is seen on the left side of this satellite image.
Kishida to step down in September in bid to show ‘LDP has changed’
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida speaks during a news conference Wednesday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
Publisher finds surprise audience after translating history textbooks
Yamakawa Shuppansha president Takeshi Nozawa holds the publisher's textbook on Japanese history — used in high schools across Japan — alongside the new English version in Tokyo on May 23.
Economic security is about strengthening and sustaining growth, former minister says
Former economic security minister Takayuki Kobayashi says changes in the international balance of power, along with deepening economic interdependence, have led some countries to attempt to use their economic power to impose their will on others.
Ice bandanas, convenience store breaks: Running under Japan’s summer sun
Blistering heat is becoming a fixture of summer in Japan, but a few tweaks to your routine can make your outdoor runs bearable — if not enjoyable — until cooler temperatures return.
Japan issued its first-ever megaquake alert. What does that mean?
Naoshi Hirata (center), chairman of a committee tasked with evaluating the risk of a Nankai Trough earthquake, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
France brings down the curtain on its Olympic party with Tom Cruise and Leon Marchand
Fireworks are set off during the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics at Stade de France in Saint-Denis on Sunday.
Japan fuels U.S. LNG boom even as climate targets and impacts loom
Flaring at the Cameron LNG export terminal in Hackberry, Louisiana. Flaring, a common sight at LNG plants, is a controlled burning of gas for reasons ranging from depressurizing equipment to disposing of gas that can’t be used. The practice is a "waste of money" and negatively impacts climate change and human health, says the International Energy Agency.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Sociologist Gracia Liu-Farrer argues that even though immigration doesn't figure into Japan's autobiography, it is more of a self-perception than a reality.
In search of the ‘Japanese dream’
By Thu-Huong Ha

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