Economy | ANALYSIS
Households to take hit from tax hike
by Tomoko Otake
The consumption tax increase will hit every household in Japan hard, with many people’s financial future hanging on whether their wages rise enough to offset the hike's impact.
CD Review | BEST-SELLER Jul 17, 2013
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu "Nanda Collection"
by Patrick ST. Michel
“Am I an adult? Or am I a kid?” sings Kyary Pamyu Pamyu on “Furisodation,” a song about the Harajuku blogger-turned-model-turned-pop-star turning 20 earlier this year. That’s the question that looms over all of her sophomore album, “Nanda Collection.” The album is obsessed with ...
CD Review | BEST-SELLER Mar 21, 2013
NMB48 "Teppen Totande!" (Laugh Out Loud Records)
by Patrick ST. Michel
Contrary to popular hemming and hawing, the big problem with Oricon chart-dominating act AKB48 isn’t their music. Their discography certainly contains misfires, but producer Yasushi Akimoto and company can pen great material for the dozens-strong group. Last year, they boasted two of the best ...
Music | BEST-SELLER Jan 23, 2013
“Mr. Children 2005-2010 <macro>”
by Patrick ST. Michel
My Japan Times colleague Ian Martin nailed the state of Japanese pop music when he wrote that it was “clinging on to the hoary old remains of the past.” The Oricon Chart’s top albums of 2012 list was dominated by “Best Of” compilations, with ...