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November 19, 2025
 

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CULTURE

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The latest “Demon Slayer” film has become the first Japanese movie to top ¥100 billion ($644 million) in global box office revenue, its distributors said.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
New ‘Demon Slayer’ film becomes first Japanese movie to break ¥100 billion
Released outside of Japan in August, including in North America and China, the film has attracted 89.17 million viewers internationally.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Chanmina and aespa among 10 acts to debut on NHK’s ‘Kohaku Uta Gassen’
The New Year’s Eve music spectacle on NHK will feature first-time acts such as idol group Fruits Zipper and long-awaited returns from bands like Okinawa’s Orange Range.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Renowned Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai dies at 92
The actor was best known for his role as an aging warlord in Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran.”
The award winners from this year's Tokyo International Film Festival pose for a photo at the closing ceremony on Wednesday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 7, 2025
‘Palestine 36’ wins top honor as TIFF wraps a 10-day celebration of cinema
By Alyssa I. Smith
The Tokyo International Film Festival closed its 38th edition with a screening of Chloe Zhao’s “Hamnet.”
London-based composer Dai Fujikura speaks during an interview in London on Oct. 6.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 4, 2025
Hokusai-themed opera 'The Great Wave' to premiere in Scotland
The opera is the latest work by London-based composer Dai Fujikura and is a joint production with Scotland's Scottish Opera.
Director Junji Sakamoto (left) walked the Tokyo International Film Festival red carpet with Sayuri Yoshinaga (center) and Non (right), who both play mountaineer Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Mount Everest, in the biopic "Climbing for Life."
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 28, 2025
Tokyo Film Festival opens with global stars and a spotlight on Asian storytelling
By Alyssa I. Smith
From Juliette Binoche’s directorial debut to Paul Schrader’s Mishima biopic, this year’s festival celebrates cross-cultural creativity.
Gene Simmons (left) and Ace Frehley of the rock group Kiss perform before the start of Super Bowl XXXIII on Jan. 31, 1999.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 18, 2025
Kiss lead guitarist Ace Frehley dies at 74
By Daniel Trotta
As “Spaceman,” Ace Frehley turned rock concerts into cosmic theater, fusing loud guitars, pyrotechnics and pure showmanship.
British singer-songwriter Sam Fender performs at the BRIT Awards in 2022. Fender won the 2025 Mercury Prize for his third album, "People Watching."
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 18, 2025
Indie singer Sam Fender wins U.K. Mercury Prize
The British singer-songwriter won for his album "People Watching," as the awards moved out of London for the first time.
Acclaimed neo-soul singer D'Angelo, who found fame with an innovative and sensuous take on R&B, died Tuesday after a battle with cancer.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 15, 2025
D'Angelo, trailblazing neo-soul singer, dies at 51
By Jasper Ward and Danielle Broadway
Grammy-winning musician, known for “Brown Sugar” and “Untitled,” died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Actress Diane Keaton speaks during the handprints and footprints ceremony to celebrate "Mack & Rita" at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, in August 2022. Keaton, known for her Oscar-winning performance in 1977's "Annie Hall" and her role in "The Godfather" films, has died at age 79.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 12, 2025
Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton dead at 79
Keaton was a frequent collaborator of director Woody Allen, portraying the titular character in "Annie Hall," the charming girlfriend of Allen's comic Alvy Singer.

A beloved Tokyo penguin’s end presages Suica’s shift to payments giant
JR East is retiring the beloved Suica penguin as part of a rebrand to transform the contactless payment platform, used for both transit and retail, into a mobile fintech powerhouse.
Japan sends senior official to China to cool boiling tensions
A Chinese tour group in the Ginza shopping district of Tokyo on Sunday. China has advised its citizens to avoid traveling to Japan, following a diplomatic feud sparked by remarks from Tokyo's new prime minister about a hypothetical attack on Taiwan.
More Japanese firms relax rules in tussle for workers
Hinako Mori, 22, arranges products at a Don Quijote outlet in Tokyo in October. The Japanese retailer, which relaxed its rules concerning hair and nail polish three years ago, says nearly a quarter of its employees sport brightly colored hair.
What you need to know about the shift to My Number health insurance cards
With the government's integration of health insurance with My Number cards, conventional health insurance cards will no longer be accepted at clinics and hospitals across Japan from Dec. 2.
Bears attacks and sightings continue in northern Japan
A bear walks in front of a box trap set up at a park in the city of Akita on Nov. 2.
How Band-Maid brought anime energy into the hard-rock sound of ‘Scooooop’
Members of Band-Maid combine heavy riffs and maid-inspired visuals in their latest project, "Rock Is a Lady’s Modesty."
Japan uses series against South Korea to prep for World Baseball Classic title defense
Japan's Ryuhei Sotani pitches against South Korea at Tokyo Dome on Saturday night.
Who is cricket’s Shohei Ohtani?
South African cricket legend Jacques Kallis plays a shot during the final day of a cricket test match against India in Johannesburg in December 2013.
Good fortune, wrapped in fried tofu
Golden "age-fukuburo," a culinary take on Japan's new year "lucky bags," can be served on their own.
Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan celebrates 80 years at the forefront of press freedom
Located near the Imperial Palace, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan prides itself on the accessibility of its events and the support it offers to budding and established journalists. The club is currently headed by Dan Sloan, a former reporter for Reuters.

Podcast

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

Longform

An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo
By Kathryn Wortley

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