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.
National Sep 10, 2013
Manga majors a big draw in the job market
by Kaoru Otsu
With manga becoming more popular internationally, an increasing number of Japanese universities have been providing courses on the subject, producing graduates who have gone on to work in a broad spectrum of society. “The number of students finding employment at companies unrelated (to manga) ...
Events Outside Tokyo Sep 5, 2013
Lupin III still looks good at 40
by Edan Corkill
One of Japan’s most popular manga and anime series, Lupin III gets the exhibition treatment at the Kawasaki City Museum this month. “Lupin III — 40th Anniversary of the Anime” coincides with the 25th anniversary of the museum and, somewhat belatedly, the 40th anniversary ...
Events Outside Tokyo Sep 5, 2013
Manga fans to gather in Kyoto for annual fair
by Magdalena Osumi
Kyoto is well-known for temples, geisha and other pieces of Japan’s past. This weekend, though, the city will be abuzz with the country’s present treasured artifacts. The annual Kyoto International Manga Anime Fair (also known as KYOMAF) will be held Sept. 7 and 8 ...
Art Aug 21, 2013
Spreading the word through manga
by Patrick ST. Michel
Videos of anime conventions in America greet visitors to Tokyo’s Museum of Contemporary Art at this summer’s “The Power of Manga — Osamu Tezuka and Shotaro Ishinomori” exhibition. Looped footage of attendants in cosplay at the Los Angeles Anime Expo and other similar events ...
Review Aug 17, 2013
Burying the truth to survive in postwar, modern Japan
by David Cozy
It is hardly necessary to note that comics and manga are capable of conveying just about anything. Philosophy? See Ryan Dunlavey and Fred Van Lente’s Action Philosophers series. Travel? Try Guy Delisle’s accounts of his sojourns in tourist hot spots such as Pyongyang and ...
Our Lives Jul 5, 2013
Mom who blogged about tsunami wants people to remember
by Kris Kosaka
Stranded for three days after March 11, 2011, with her mother-in-law and young children on the second floor of their home near the industrial port of Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture, Naoko Nakayama fought panic by communicating the only way she could: scribbling on torn scraps ...
Openings in Tokyo Jun 27, 2013
'The Power of Manga: Osamu Tezuka and Shotaro Ishinomori'
by Alisa Yamasaki
Osamu Tezuka, creator of “Astro Boy” and “Black Jack,” and Shotaro Ishinomori, the man behind the “Super Sentai” and “Kamen Rider” series, are regarded as two of the most influential manga artists in Japan. Showcasing previously unreleased Tezuka and Ishinomori manga manuscripts and anime ...
Openings outside Tokyo Jun 27, 2013
'Evangelion and Japanese Swords'
by Alisa Yamasaki
There have been many collaborations with the popular Japanese science-fiction manga and animated series “Evangelion,” which have resulted in a range of licensed products — from eye drops to pachinko machines. For this touring exhibition, the series collaborates with the traditional craft of Japanese ...
Culture Jun 18, 2013
The 'Sunny' side of Taiyo Matsumoto
by Anne Ishii
The Toronto Comics Arts Festival, which celebrated its 10th anniversary this year, has of late made its name bringing over cutting-edge Japanese artists for signings, live drawing sessions and speaking events. The atmosphere at this year’s event, held in May, in many ways like ...
National Apr 26, 2013
Alarmed Russian parents demand ban on 'Death Note' manga series
A group of parents in the central Russian region of Ural called on President Vladimir Putin on Thursday to ban the popular “Death Note” manga series, complaining in an open letter to him that it is harmful to children. According to local media reports, ...
National Mar 25, 2013
Sino-Japanese manga exhibit opens in Nanjing
A Japan-China manga exhibition opened in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, on Sunday after heightened bilateral tensions over a group of disputed islands delayed the event for some six months. At the opening ceremony, Hideaki Omura, governor of Aichi Prefecture — an organizer of the event ...
Digital | JAPAN WEB WATCH Mar 20, 2013
Japan expresses its love for Apple and Steve Jobs, in manga
by Akky Akimoto
Apple Inc. has been always loved by people in Japan. Even during its toughest years, in the 1990s, after cofounder Steve Jobs had been expelled and the company was almost dead, its Macintosh computer held a much greater market share in Japan than in ...