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ASIA PACIFIC
Aug 30, 2016

China regulator to curb news that promotes 'Western lifestyles'

China will crack down on social and entertainment news that promotes improper values and "Western lifestyles," the country's broadcasting regulator said, the latest effort at censorship in an already strictly regulated media environment.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 27, 2016

Japan zoos could be an endangered species

In terms of zoos per capita, Japan is No. 1 in the world, despite the fact that attendance has been dropping for more than two decades.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Aug 27, 2016

Games you've been waiting a long time for

An endless exploration
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 14, 2016

It's true: SMAP to split up at year's end

After a quarter-century run, the Japanese boy band SMAP has decided to call it quits on Dec. 31, its management agency said in a press release Sunday, shocking die-hard fans in Asia and around the world.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 26, 2016

Penny-pinching Japanese households spend less on having fun

Whether it is the young or the old, Japanese consumers are spending less on fun, and that is bad news for Abenomics.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jul 16, 2016

Ultraman: Ultracool at 50

Ultraman has been defending humanity against monsters and aliens for half a century. We examine the superhero's enduring legacy.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Jul 6, 2016

Video games may become China's best cultural export

When Chinese internet giant Tencent acquired the Finnish video game developer Supercell last month for $8.6 billion, it became the world's dominant publisher and distributor in the $100 billion gaming market. It was a blockbuster deal: No other Chinese entertainment company in any field — television,...
Japan Times
LIFE
Jun 25, 2016

Indulging Hawaiian culture, cuisine in Japan

Boasting beautiful beaches and endless sunsets, Hawaii has long been a popular holiday destination for tourists from Japan.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Apr 26, 2016

Young dramatists mark the Bard's anniversary in style

Hot on the heels of Hideki Noda's radical adaptation of "Richard III" being staged by Singaporean director Ong Ken Seng at Shizuoka Performing Arts Center from April 29 to May 1, another intriguing transformation of Shakespeare's Machiavellian king will follow at Theatre Fuusikaden in Tokyo from May...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 22, 2016

Prince's desire for control of own music set example for today's musicians

Music legend Prince left as big a mark behind the recording industry scenes as he did on his millions of fans.
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Apr 16, 2016

Anime biz sings the praises of shows

The first time I attended AnimeJapan, the industry's annual spring showcase in Odaiba, Tokyo, it was called the Tokyo International Anime Fair. Members of the public couldn't enter during the first two days, amateur cosplay (costume play) was prohibited, and while there were some presentations, most...
LIFE / Travel / HOTELS & RESTAURANTS
Apr 14, 2016

Osaka stay includes aquarium ticket; enjoying a taste of downtown fare; cocktails and tea to celebrate 20 years

Osaka stay includes aquarium ticket
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 3, 2016

Ryoma Suzuki bet on a musically diverse line-up for Unborde — and it paid off

Media attention has become a mixed blessing for Ryoma Suzuki. Unborde, the label he founded in 2010, is currently celebrating five years in the game and will hold a special show at Makuhari Messe on April 10.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 6, 2016

It's risky to bash Donald Trump on talk radio

Talk radio, a bastion of the right wing in the U.S., has gone easy on Donald Trump throughout the campaign.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 24, 2016

Why Sony Music can't easily cancel Kesha's contract

After a New York judge refused to release pop star Kesha Sebert from a recording contract with producer Lukasz "Dr. Luke" Gottwald, a quarter-million fans signed a petition calling for a boycott of Sony Music Entertainment Inc. And while the ruling last week was a setback for the singer, it wasn't that...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Feb 3, 2016

Japan's epic samurai dramas are in a tight spot

Japanese can roughly be split into two camps: those equipped with an encyclopedic knowledge of history and those who have only a vague idea of who the samurai were or that a Shogun once lived in what is now the Imperial Palace. The history geeks on one side and those who couldn't care less on the other....
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 28, 2016

Black or white? Actor Fiennes cast to play singer Michael Jackson

British actor Joseph Fiennes has been cast as pop star Michael Jackson in an upcoming TV comedy, provoking scorn on social media on Wednesday and fueling a controversy in the entertainment industry over opportunities for black artists.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 23, 2016

SMAP dodges bullet; Becky isn't so lucky

When media leaked intelligence on Jan. 10 that eternal boy band SMAP might be dissolving, the outpouring of fan emotion overwhelmed anything else that was happening in the show business world. One person who was probably grateful for the distraction was Rebecca Eri Ray Vaughan, the TV personality better...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 19, 2016

SMAP fans relieved but perplexed by apology over rumored breakup

Exceptional TV ratings, the apparent overloading of Twitter's servers and even a comment by the prime minister show the importance that Japan placed on the announcement that SMAP isn't breaking up.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 13, 2016

SMAP may split as boy band bolts from management feud

It looks like it may be splitsville for the princes of Japanese showbiz.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jan 13, 2016

'Paddington': Can the 'other bear' crack the Japanese market?

'I can't pinpoint the exact reason, but Paddington remains a somewhat distant character for me." So wrote teddy bear aficionado Satomi Terakawa in an email interview. Terakawa harbors a lifelong love for stuffed toy bears, and spent 15 years designing and making teddy bears for a toy boutique in Ginza....
Japan Times
CULTURE / CULTURE SMASH
Nov 14, 2015

Get the goods on manga and anime

Back in the Stone Age of streaming media, the most notorious and popular of pirate anime websites suddenly went legit. In January 2009, after securing distribution agreements with Japanese studios, and a licensing deal with TV Tokyo that included episodes of the global hit series Naruto Shippuden, the...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 29, 2015

The gorgeous world of Japanese gore

Zerai Naoi makes his living by keeping gore hounds fed on a shoestring budget. If you want to sample his work, it helps to have a strong stomach.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan / SENTAKU MAGAZINE
Oct 23, 2015

Kodo-kai still raking in funds despite tougher yakuza laws

The Kodokai is emerging as Japan's strongest yakuza group, thanks to its prodigious money-making skills.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Oct 18, 2015

Dan teaches us how to be 'the man' in Japan

Every time I turn around, it seems, people are always asking me, "Do you know Dan Smith?" Or, they'll assume I already know him — what with his being black, working in the media and living in Japan for, like, forever and all. Sometimes I nod that I do, sometimes I even front like I know him ("Oh yeah,...
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / World
Oct 13, 2015

Corporations lie, and some get away with it

In the midst of so many contexts where we expect people sometimes to lie — sports, entertainment, certainly politics — it is disturbing that the one place to which we run for truth is private corporations.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 8, 2015

Sony triggers clause to allow it to sell half of music venture stake to Jackson estate, or buy other half

Sony Corp. triggered a contract clause that would allow the Japanese electronics maker to to sell its half of the Sony/ATV Music Publishing venture it co-owns with Michael Jackson's estate, according to people familiar with the situation.

Longform

Mamoru Iwai, stationmaster of Keisei Ueno Station, says that, other than earthquake-proofing, the former Hakubutsukan-Dobutsuen (Museum-Zoo) Station has remained untouched.
Inside Tokyo's 'phantom' stations — and the stories they tell