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September 01, 2025
 

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Matt Schley
CULTURE
Aug 13, 2019
Remembering the staff of Kyoto Animation
Almost a month after the main studio of Kyoto Animation was set on fire, killing 35 and injuring many more, details of the victims are still emerging after police released the names of 10 workers on Aug. 2.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 8, 2019
Shoji Kawamori: 40 years spent designing an anime future
If you've watched any robot anime in the past 40 years, there's a decent chance Shoji Kawamori had a hand in it.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 27, 2019
Makoto Shinkai isn't afraid of a bit of rain in the pursuit of his art
It has been raining for weeks, but director Makoto Shinkai doesn't seem to mind a bit.
CULTURE
Jul 20, 2019
Kyoto Animation: A unique force in Japan's anime industry
It took Kyoto Animation Co. almost 40 years to establish itself as one of the leading animation production studios in the country.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jul 10, 2019
'Five Million Dollar Life': Assessing the value of a single life
The weight of expectations — from family, friends, community — can be tough on any young person. Now imagine those people once paid $5 million to save your life.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 19, 2019
'Ride Your Wave': Love, loss, the sea and a surfboard
Since his theatrical debut "Mind Game" (2004), director Masaaki Yuasa has been known for warped, psychedelic films and TV series that stretch the limits of the imagination. Over the past few years, though, Yuasa has signaled an interest in making more accessible films. The culmination of those efforts,...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Jun 13, 2019
'Akira' is all set for its Hollywood remake
Like it or not, Hollywood's "Akira" is finally happening.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 11, 2019
Breaking down the barriers of animation with Hiroyuki Imaishi
One does not tune into an anime directed by Hiroyuki Imaishi for subtlety.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Jun 5, 2019
'Children of the Sea': Diving deep into animated beauty
"Children of the Sea" has achieved the impossible.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 29, 2019
'Lupin the IIIrd: Fujiko Mine's Lie': A classic anime franchise goes back to basics
Last month, Japan lost a cultural giant. April 11 saw the passing of Kazuhiko Kato — better known by the pen name Monkey Punch — the creator of "Lupin the Third." The manga, about a playboy thief descended from fictional French gentleman thief Arsene Lupin, debuted in 1967 and has been a pop-culture...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
May 15, 2019
'Promare': A burning need for rage control
Ever been so angry you felt like you were going to explode? In "Promare," the new anime film from studios Trigger and Xflag, that's no metaphor. The story goes that when the members of a certain segment of the population get mad enough, flames burst from their bodies, leading to fiery death and destruction....
Japan Times
CULTURE
May 8, 2019
Younger animators still struggling amid anime boom
By all outward appearances, Japan's animation industry is thriving. A recent report by The Association for Japanese Animations indicates the industry's worth as a whole topped over ¥2 trillion in 2017 — a new record. International streaming services like Netflix and Crunchyroll have begun producing...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 24, 2019
'The Wonderland': Surface-level charm, but no true wonder
"The Wonderland," the new film from director Keiichi Hara ("Miss Hokusai"), certainly has the building blocks of something wondrous: a skilled director, top production values, and a story by beloved children's author Sachiko Kashiwaba.
CULTURE / Film / Heisei Icons,Heisei Icons
Apr 19, 2019
Hayao Miyazaki: Universally acclaimed weaver of unforgettable anime worlds
Animators and live-action filmmakers around the world acknowledge his influence. His talents have even been described by fans as “godlike.”
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 20, 2019
'Shinjuku Tiger': A story of one man and his mask
Spend enough time on the streets of Shinjuku, and you'll eventually spot a flamboyantly dressed figure in a tiger mask carrying fake flowers, stuffed animals and a boombox. This is Shinjuku Tiger, the subject of a documentary of the same name out this week.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Feb 21, 2019
Fans: Don't worry about a live-action 'Your Name.' remake; 'Alita' shows it can be done
It was the groan heard 'round the internet. Back in September 2017, J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Productions announced it had picked up the live-action rights to 2016 anime megahit "Your Name." Reaction from anime fans online was not exactly positive.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 6, 2019
'City Hunter The Movie: Shinjuku Private Eyes': Dated gags in modern-day Tokyo
It's back. "City Hunter," the Tsukasa Hojo-penned manga about a crime-solving "sweeper" for hire named Ryo Saeba (Akira Kamiya) was pretty much an anime institution in the 1980s, adapted into a string of anime series and films starting in 1987. It even spawned a live-action version in Hong Kong starring...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2019
'School-Live!': Zombie flick lands dead on arrival
A manga series whose time in the public consciousness peaked years ago? Check. A cast of idol singers whose acting chops are questionable at best? Check. A script in dire need of a rewrite? Check. You guessed it: It's time for another manga-to-live-action adaptation.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Jan 24, 2019
Anime Feminist: Tackling anime's gender bias
Over the past few years, there has been more mainstream recognition of the idea that discourse is better served when it is expanded outside the sole realm of heterosexual, white, cisgender men. That's true of major forums, and no less true when it comes to niche media, including the world of anime fandom....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 23, 2019
'The Relative Worlds': A rough ride across two universes
The concept of parallel universes is a fascinating one. What if there was another you out there, making the big bucks, fighting in a war or writing bad poetry? And what would happen if you and your alternate self were ever to meet up?
Top Japan trade negotiator canceled U.S. trip over rice, report says
Ryosei Akazawa
‘Mount Fuji Lawson’ becomes a symbol of Japan’s overtourism problem
A couple poses for a wedding photo in front of a Lawson in the town of Kawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Aug. 25.
Philippine bid to acquire used Japanese warships gains steam
Tokyo is looking to transfer Abukuma-class vessels to the Philippines as part of broader efforts to boost the defense capabilities of like-minded neighbors amid growing Chinese military assertiveness in the region.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
The Nobel Prize and a testy phone call: How the Trump-Modi relationship unraveled
U.S. President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi greet one another at the start of a joint news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington in February.
Japan to launch broad review of immigration policies amid rise in foreign nationals
Foreign tourists at Narita Airport in June. A report released Friday stresses that Japan is at a turning point and that current ad-hoc measures on immigration are no longer sufficient.
Japan is warming up to tattoos — just not permanent ones
Tattoos have a complex history in Japan, but new types of temporary ink are letting locals curious about body art experiment without the commitment.
YouTube Music Weekend is where Japan’s internet-born performers go global
Headlining the second day of YouTube Music Weekend is Vocaloid artist Kikuo, who, with 1.46 million YouTube subscribers, is one of the most popular artists in the genre.
Japan looks to build drone ‘shield’ in record defense budget request
A group of Ground Self-Defense Force service members discuss drone operations and capabilities at a joint static display during the Orient Shield 24 opening ceremony at the Yausubetsu Training Area in Hokkaido in July last year.
Can anime carry the memories of World War II?
Many schools in Japan show "Grave of the Fireflies" as educational material to tell the emotionally grueling story of a boy who has no means to prevent his sister from starving to death.

Podcast

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

Longform

Tetsuzo Shiraishi, speaking at The Center of the Tokyo Raids and War Damage, uses a thermos to explain how he experienced the U.S. firebombing of March 1945, when he was just 7 years old.
From ashes to high-rises: A survivor’s account of Tokyo’s postwar past
By Alex K.T. Martin

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