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A young boy (Tsukao Oga) struggles to survive in a war-ravaged city in “Shadow of Fire.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 30, 2023

The human costs of war linger in ‘Shadow of Fire’

While the film’s message about the lasting traumas of war is at times overt, newcomer Tsukao Oga centers the drama with an unsentimental performance.
A psychopathic lawyer (Kazuya Kamenashi) finds himself targeted by a serial killer — and decides to fight back — in Takashi Miike’s “Lumberjack the Monster.”
CULTURE / Film
Nov 30, 2023

‘Lumberjack the Monster’ will talk you to death

Takashi Miike’s film about a psychopath battling a serial killer fails to deliver on its schlocky potential.
JAPAN
Nov 29, 2023

Nihon University to disband American football club over drug scandal

The decision brings an end to the 83-year history of one of the nation’s most prominent college football teams.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 29, 2023

Russia becomes latest country to pull out of Osaka Expo

The announcement is more bad news for the troubled event, which already faces pavilion construction delays, skyrocketing costs and little public support.
University students attend a job fair. If Japanese companies continue hiring people based on the university they graduated from, acquiring extra qualifications or reskilling won't impact candidates' job prospects.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Nov 29, 2023

Kishida’s stimulus package needs rethinking, not reskilling

The government aims to promote reskilling for nonregular workers to boost their job prospects, but this won't matter if hiring practices don't change.
Ukrainian servicemen of the 22nd Mechanized Brigade take part in a military training exercise in Ukraine's Donetsk region on Tuesday.
WORLD / Politics
Nov 29, 2023

'Point of no return': Why Kyiv won't sit down with the Kremlin

Pleas for a return to talks are building as concerns grow over the West's commitment to supporting Ukraine, and disruptions to ammunition deliveries.
Rules changes will limit the weighing of gymnasts in Britain.
MORE SPORTS
Nov 30, 2023

Britain restricts weighing of gymnasts in wake of abuse

Gymnasts who are 11 and older in Britain may now be weighed only with their permission and with the permission of a parent if they are under 18.
Real-time strategy game Last Train Home tells an overlooked story of the Czechoslovak Legion’s evacuation across Russia in the embers of the Great War.
LIFE / Digital
Dec 2, 2023

Last Train Home traverses murky morality of a WWI escape

Czech studio Ashborne's first full release follows a legion of soldiers fleeing across revolutionary Russia — and all the dilemmas of war that entails.
As well as writing scripts for movies and plays, Taichi Yamada was successful as a novelist, winning many prizes including the Yamamoto Shugoro award, given in 1988 for his novel "Ijintachi tono Natsu."
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 1, 2023

Screenwriter Taichi Yamada dies at 89

Yamada is known for popular TV dramas such as "Fuzoroi no Ringotachi" and "Otokotachi no Tabiji."
New Zealand's Ardie Savea (right) in action with South Africa's Jean Kleyn at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis, France, on Oct. 28
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 1, 2023

All Black Savea eager to test himself with Japan move

The All Blacks loose forward has signed for Kobe Steelers on a one-season deal that means he will not miss any games for his country.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 1, 2023

Abe's former faction in focus as LDP political fund scandal deepens

Prosecutors are investigating the faction as part of a scandal involving the alleged underreporting of funds by groups within the ruling party.
Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong Jr. visits wounded victims of an explosion that happened during a Catholic Mass in a gymnasium at Mindanao State University, in Marawi, the Philippines, on Sunday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
Dec 3, 2023

Philippine military on high alert after bombing called terrorism

The blast happened during a regular service at Mindanao State University's gymnasium in Marawi, the country's largest Muslim city.
Buyouts by management and controlling parties have surged this year in Japan, with the total value now set to pass ¥1 trillion.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Dec 3, 2023

Being a listed company in Japan is losing its luster

Japan's corporate landscape is shifting as companies opt for management buyouts.
Yoshiaki Saito
ESG CONSORTIUM
Dec 4, 2023

How Nomura Research Institute cultivates local entrepreneurship

Creating a startup ecosystem is easier said than done, especially in rural areas.
JAPAN / Society
Dec 4, 2023

Nihon University chair vows to continue reforms despite calls to quit

The vice president and president have decided to resign to take responsibility for a drug scandal involving the American football team.
Kim, 31, who loaded his family into a homemade wooden boat in May and sailed away from his native North Korea, attends a job fair for North Korean defectors in Seoul while holding a whiteboard that reads "Navigator."
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 6, 2023

North Korean defector plans new life after high-risk escape by sea

Tens of thousands of North Koreans have fled to South Korea since the peninsula was divided by war in the 1950s, but most go overland.
Filmmaker Kah Wai Lim (left) interviews the owners of 22 independent cinemas across Japan about the difficulties and joys of running a “mini-theater” in “This Magic Moment.”
CULTURE / Film
Dec 7, 2023

‘This Magic Moment’: Mini-theaters keep indie cinema love alive

Kah Wai Lim highlights the resilient determination of small theater owners across the country who keep their businesses afloat against the odds.
Tomo Kasajima (left) and Asami Shibuya rehearse a scene in Natsuka Kusano’s striking sophomore feature, “Domains.”
CULTURE / Film
Dec 7, 2023

‘Domains’: Hypnotic and truly original

Natsuka Kusano’s experimental, multilayered drama breaks down a tragic event and probes how performances are constructed.
All Blacks captain Sam Cane following a news conference to announce his debut in Japan Rugby League One
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 7, 2023

World Cup stars 'make some coin' as Japan rugby season kicks off

Seven All Blacks and six Springboks from the World Cup final are now in Japan Rugby League One as it looks to take its profile to a new level.
A sign for "Oppenheimer" at a movie theater in Los Angeles. The film will open in Japan next year.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 7, 2023

'Oppenheimer' to screen in Japan next year after nuclear controversy

The film will open in 2024, Tokyo-based distributor Bitters End said in a statement, but it did not give a specific date for the release.
PODCAST / deep dive
Dec 7, 2023

Feeling anxious? Wastewater, heat and Japan’s year in climate

In a year that saw Japan release 24,000 tons of wastewater (so far) from Fukushima No. 1 as the planet smashed heat records, it’s no wonder climate anxiety is on the rise. Mara Budgen joins us to break down the year in environment news, where we could see hope, and what we should be worried about....
Beet carpaccio served with fresh cream and caviar, the signature dish of three-Michelin-star chef Mauro Colagreco, features at Cycle, his much-anticipated new restaurant in Otemachi.
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Dec 9, 2023

Tokyo dining finally kicked the pandemic blues in 2023

The further we got into 2023, the more it really started to feel like COVID-19 had finally dissipated like a malodorous mist.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 8, 2023

Johnny’s changes name to Starto Entertainment

The announcement signals a new chapter in the talent agency’s history as it scrubs references to its disgraced founder from its current structure.
A tourist poses for a photograph under signs for karaoke nightclubs in the Mong Kok district of Hong Kong. The government crackdown on neon signs stems from safety and environmental concerns, but the campaign evokes the fading of the city itself.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Dec 11, 2023

Where did all the Hong Kong neon go?

A government crackdown on neon signs stems from safety and environmental concerns, but the campaign evokes the fading of the city itself.
Yuka Tada and her friend pose for a photograph at a BTS fan cafe in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 12, 2023

BTS members head for South Korea military service; fans vow to wait

With three members already serving, the remaining four members of the K-pop supergroup begin their 18-month service.
Australia rugby union coach Eddie Jones poses with Rugby Australia Chairman Hamish McLennan and CEO Andy Marinos after his first news conference since his reappointment, in Sydney on Jan. 31. Jones left the Wallabies in October.
MORE SPORTS / Rugby
Dec 12, 2023

Australia to have strong Japan ties regardless of Jones: RA boss

Japanese media outlets have reported that Eddie Jones will be confirmed as head coach of the Brave Blossoms in the coming days.
The Royal Theater in the city of Gifu screens 35-millimeter films.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Dec 18, 2023

Mini-theater showing 35mm films is struggling to survive

Massive amounts of funds are needed to renovate the aged facility and people involved in the theater are seeking ways to keep the place alive.
Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” received Golden Globes nominations for best animated motion picture and best original score for a motion picture this week.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Dec 12, 2023

'The Boy and the Heron' and 'Godzilla Minus One' win over U.S.

While both Japanese films broke records at the North American box office, Hayao Miyazaki's latest also received two Golden Globes nominations.
Liberal Democratic Party policy chief Koichi Hagiuda (center) attends a party hosted by his faction, which was previously led by former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, in May in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 13, 2023

Focus turns to replacements as scandal-hit LDP ministers face ax

In a news conference Wednesday evening, Fumio Kishida said he would make replacements the following day but declined to comment on the details.
A sullen high schooler (Haruka Fukuhara, left) travels back in time and falls in love with a kamikaze pilot (Koshi Mizukami) in “Till We Meet Again on the Lily Hill.”
CULTURE / Film
Dec 14, 2023

‘Till We Meet Again on the Lily Hill’ has its head in the clouds

Yoichi Narita’s romance about a time-traveling teenager who falls for a kamikaze pilot in wartime Japan has the wholesome feel of a propaganda film.

Longform

Koichi Tagawa’s diary entry from Aug. 9, 1945, describes the day of the atomic bombing of Nagasaki.
The horrors of Nagasaki, in first person