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Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 2, 2022

'Spider-Man' propels Sony to forecast-smashing third-quarter profit

The firm is benefiting from strong demand for its PlayStation 5 games console, which it launched in November 2020.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Feb 1, 2022

Sony buys Halo game developer Bungie for $3.6 billion

Sony is a regular acquirer of video game studios, though Bungie is by far its largest of the past decade.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / ANALYSIS
Jan 26, 2022

Microsoft’s Activision purchase could leave Japanese video game-makers out in the cold

Japanese gaming firms, which are generally less agile and outward-looking than their U.S. peers, may struggle as companies invest in the metaverse.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jan 19, 2022

Microsoft will buy Activision Blizzard, betting $70 billion on the future of games

Microsoft has framed the deal as strengthening the company's hand in the so-called metaverse, claiming that 'gaming will be at the forefront of making that mainstream.”
Japan Times
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jan 14, 2022

Netflix needs new subscribers. Its Korean playbook is its secret weapon.

Following the popularity of the 'Squid Game' series, Netflix is hoping to ride its Korean surge to greater success elsewhere in the Asia-Pacific region in order to attract more subscribers.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Dec 6, 2021

‘Modern girls’: Japan's first recognizable youth culture movement

Young women in the late 1920s and '30s exuded a sense of affluence and independence that is still apparent today.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Nov 12, 2021

The limitations of audio-visual translation in shows like ‘Squid Game’

Entertainment translation is a constant juggling act, and viewer criticisms are sometimes made with a lack of understanding of how translation for subtitles and dubbed overlay work.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 3, 2021

China cracks down on showbiz for 'polluting' society and youth

Beijing's latest moves come in the wake of celebrity scandals, but also targets entertainment portraying 'effeminate' behavior and other content deemed 'warped.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 5, 2021

Former AKB48 idol Miyu Takeuchi takes her musical career into her own hands

Singer Miyu Takeuchi got her start just shy of the spotlight in Japan's idol-pop group, but has taken her creative output into her own hands as a solo performer on YouTube.
Japan Times
Hong Kong report 2021
Jul 30, 2021

Lai Sun Group: Michelin stars and megaprojects

Hong Kong is one of the world’s most vibrant cities and home to industry-leading global companies.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jul 24, 2021

China orders Tencent to give up exclusive music rights

The penalty on Asia's most valuable corporation is indicative of Beijing's escalating campaign against home-grown tech giants.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 24, 2021

Hikari makes soft-power moves with anime and Vocaloid covers

In 2021, the performer launched Singing Cosplayer Hikari, a multiplatform project anchored by her YouTube channel, to harness the booming popularity of anime and Japanese music.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 17, 2021

AT&T prepares to merge media assets with Discovery in major strategy shift

The move, to combine Discovery's reality-TV empire with AT&T's vast media holdings, would be a surprise reversal and position the new firm to take on Netflix and Walt Disney.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Dec 6, 2020

OnlyFans is a billion-dollar media giant hiding in plain sight

While OnlyFans is closely associated with adult models, more traditional celebrities are turning to the platform.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Kyushu
Nov 6, 2020

Pandemic keeps salarymen away from Fukuoka adult nightlife district

Though circumstances of infections and anti-prevention measures have differed from shop to shop, all have been treated as if they present the worst risks.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Nov 3, 2020

K-pop's social media power spurs Thailand's youth protests

From raising hundreds of thousands of dollars for Thai protesters to inspiring the youths who join demonstrations through dances and social media, K-pop fans have emerged as a potent political force in Thailand's anti-government movement.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT
Oct 16, 2020

BLM Tokyo continues the conversation on race with webinar series

Speakers Jamie Smith and Eric L. Robinson will participate in BLM Tokyo's online series that provides information on racial inequality and systemic injustice.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 17, 2020

'Midnight Swan' highlights transgender issues and self-expression through dance

Director Eiji Uchida hopes to raise awareness of transgender issues in Japan with his film, which stars SMAP's Tsuyoshi Kusanagi.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 5, 2020

SoftBank backs 29-year-old’s venture aiming to become Netflix for fiction

Radish's growing stable of in-house soap-opera scriptwriters conceive new episodes in various genres every four or six hours.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 4, 2020

Group behind Golden Globe Awards accused of monopoly conduct

The press group that organizes the annual Golden Globe awards was accused of excluding journalists that might compete with its members.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Jul 11, 2020

Social media finds itself in a new role as businesses reopen

Many residents of Japan are still a long way from feeling remotely like they did before the COVID-19 pandemic began, but that hasn’t stopped a number of nonessential businesses from starting up again after months of being closed.
JAPAN
Jun 2, 2020

Osaka introduces QR contact tracing system as bars and restaurants reopen

Users who scan the code at establishments will be notified if another patron is later found to have become infected.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 16, 2020

In a rare move, entertainers air criticism of Japan's response to COVID-19 crisis

Members of the show business industry usually avoid anything smacking of politics so as not to jeopardize employment opportunities.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Companies
May 13, 2020

Las Vegas Sands folds on $10 billion Japan casino project

Announcement of the end of long-term courtship seen as likely to deal further blow to Japan's pandemic-hit tourism numbers.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 22, 2020

Video games see 35% sales jump amid pandemic

With large portions of the U.S. population quarantined at home due to the coronavirus pandemic, the demand for video games to provide entertainment is growing dramatically.

Longform

The byzantine process for converting a foreign driver’s license into a Japanese one entails mountains of paperwork and significant stamina — unless you're a lucky license holder from a country or region where these requirements are waived.
Driving in Japan isn’t hard. Getting the license is.