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October 03, 2025
 

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SANRIO

People take photos of Sanrio characters at an event organized by a transportation and real estate firm in the city of Okayama in July. Hello Kitty celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024, while My Melody reached its 50th anniversary this year.
BUSINESS
Sep 28, 2025
Oshikatsu consumption grows in Japan, buoying related stocks
According to research company Intage, 35.1% of 5,000 people said they support certain characters or celebrities, and this proportion was higher among younger respondents.
Sanrio characters Kuromi (left) and My Melody star as rival bakers in a big contest in Netflix’s “My Melody & Kuromi.” When mystical forces threaten their world, the pair team up to find a solution.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Aug 27, 2025
From foil to fan favorite, Kuromi embodies Sanrio’s darker side of cute
Once My Melody’s mischievous antagonist, Kuromi is now outshining her pastel-pink counterpart, with a rebellious personality that resonates with today’s audiences.
Originally debuting on a coin purse, Hello Kitty became a national phenomenon in Japan and is now the second highest-grossing media franchise worldwide.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 20, 2024
Hello Kitty looks pretty at 50 (and is worth more than ever)
Kitty’s broad appeal, especially to adults, helped popularize the Japanese concept of kawaii (cuteness), which has since become a global trend.
A Hello Kitty fan poses with a costumed character at the Sanrio Smile Shop on its opening day at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, California. Hello Kitty marks its 50th anniversary on Nov. 1.
CULTURE
Oct 30, 2024
The 'CEO of supercute': Hello Kitty turns 50
She is the undeniable queen of kawaii culture in Japan — and her likeness continues to make billions for her creators at Sanrio.
Sanrio, the owner of the Hello Kitty brand that operates two indoor theme parks, has enjoyed a 93% gain in its stock this year, as the ongoing heat and heavy rain keep visitors away from outdoor entertainment.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 4, 2024
Hello Kitty stock soars 93% as Tokyo heat sends tourists indoors
Ongoing heat and heavy rain have been key factors in keeping visitors away from outdoor entertainment facilities.
Sanrio is marking Hello Kitty's 50th anniversary this year. The character's rise mirrors that of kawaii culture globally, and her longevity offers important clues as to the future of cute culture.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Apr 22, 2024
Hello Kitty turns 50. What will the next cat's meow be?
The global rise of Hello Kitty, who turns 50 this year, tracks that of Japanese culture. What, then, does the next half-century of kawaii have in store?
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Mar 4, 2023
'Aggretsuko' swansong urges youth to rage
The Netflix show's fifth and final season turns its attention from workday dilemmas to death-metal outbursts aimed at the political state of modern Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Dec 11, 2022
Gudetama, the incredible, miserable egg
Sanrio's world-weary character stars in a new Netflix series.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jan 8, 2022
‘Aggretsuko’ digs into toxic work culture and self-worth
The newly released fourth season of 'Aggretsuko' digs into some truly bleak storylines about the realities of work, but still finds a way to humanize even its most unlikeable characters.
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / DESSERT WATCH
Oct 5, 2019
Floresta's doughnuts get a (sort of) spooky spin for Halloween
'Nature doughnuts' chain Floresta is getting into the spooky Halloween spirit with a corporate tie-up with Sanrio's kawaii My Melody characters.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 6, 2019
Hello Kitty headed for Hollywood after years of talks on film rights
One of Japan's most beloved cat cartoon characters is headed for Hollywood.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Dec 1, 2018
Netflix hopes to attract new anime fans with old favorites
After launching in Japan in September 2015, Netflix has aggressively gone after the nation’s streaming market with an array of content. Original programming such as “Aggretsuko,” “Terrace House” and a reboot of “Ainori” have helped capture the attention of many cordcutters who want the...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
May 19, 2018
Sanrio characters in 'Aggretsuko' reflect the realities of life at work — rage included
Sanrio Co. is known for churning out some of the most adorable creatures out there, including Hello Kitty and the bunny My Melody. Its characters are often cute and colorful, and usually silent.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 23, 2016
Shibuya's tourism car gets Sanrio makeover to ward off Halloween chaos
In a bid to thwart the more rambunctious revelers who gather in Shibuya Crossing on Halloween night, the green train car and information center in front Shibuya Station has been dressed up to look like Sanrio's popular character Pom Pom Purin.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design / ON: FASHION
Jan 9, 2016
Avatar models, Sanrio menswear and disheveled clothing — fashion at its oddest
Louis Vuitton is being struck by Lightning
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 22, 2015
Sanrio database leak seen covering info on 3.3 million Hello Kitty fans
A database for Sanrio, the Japanese owner of the Hello Kitty brand, was breached, putting the data of 3.3 million of its users at risk, according to security website CSOonline.com's report.
A secret no more: Russia and North Korea's battle against Ukraine is celebrated in Moscow exhibit
A woman visits an exhibition of North Korean art at a museum in Moscow on Monday.
Prices to rise for 3,024 food products in Japan in October
A wide range of products will see higher prices due to rising material and labor costs.
Koizumi and Takaichi continue to lead in LDP presidential race, polls show
Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi (right) reacts as former economic security minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during the Liberal Democratic Party Presidential Election Candidate Debate at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, on Sept. 24. Koizumi and Takaichi remain head-to-head in the race, media polls show.
The party that ruled Japan for decades is in danger of crumbling
Haruo Tsukamoto, a rank-and-file member of the Liberal Democratic Party and a rice farmer in Ibaraki Prefecture, questions if the party still stands for people like him.
Same-sex partners recognized under more laws in Japan
A couple poses with the rainbow flag, which they brought from their home for a wedding photoshoot in Tokyo in November 2023.
Japan's far-right party courts Trump allies and vows not to get 'wacky'
Sanseito party leader Sohei Kamiya speaks during an interview in Tokyo on Sept. 25.
How Ohtani has boosted Japan's soft power and made LA even more baseball-obsessed
Fans at Dodger Stadium pose in front of a mural highlighting the Dodgers' Japanese stars from past and present during a game earlier this year.
Japan faces fresh energy challenge as it seeks to expand power-hungry data centers
Data storage tapes at the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center facility in Berkeley, California. Data centers consume massive amounts of electricity and water, and that will only rise as generative artificial intelligence takes off in earnest.
Architecture art exhibition highlights unsung industry artists
Yuanhui Li's illustration is one of the awardees in the student category of the American Society of Architectural Illustrators' annual award for artists.
On defense and foreign policy, LDP candidates largely align — except where they don’t
The Liberal Democratic Party presidential election candidates in Nagoya on Friday

Podcast

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

Longform

Growing families are being priced out of Tokyo’s condo market, forced to choose between downtown convenience and suburban space.
Is living in central Tokyo still affordable?
By Alex K.T. Martin

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