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“Ravens” stars Tadanobu Asano as Masahisa Fukase, a real-life figure who was known for his photos of the psychedelic party scene of 1960s Shinjuku, portraits of his wife and images of the ravens of his home prefecture of Hokkaido.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 14, 2025

‘Ravens’ is a portrait of art, love and inner demons

Director Mark Gill brings the turbulent life of celebrated photographer Masahisa Fukase into focus in his new film.
Iga Swiatek returns the ball to Qinwen Zheng during their quarterfinal at the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells, California, on Thursday.
TENNIS
Mar 14, 2025

Swiatek to face Andreeva, Sabalenka meets Keys in Indian Wells semis

The world number two from Poland will get a chance to avenge another upset loss in a semifinal clash with Mirra Andreeva.
Japanese dentist Yusuke Kamimura poses for a photograph in front of a private collection dedicated to MLB player Shohei Ohtani, inside his dental clinic in Koshigaya, north of Tokyo, on Feb. 28, 2025.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 14, 2025

Japanese superfans turn dental clinic into Ohtani mini-museum

Lining the walls of the waiting room are glass-encased displays of gloves, helmets, autographed balls and jerseys, countless bobblehead dolls and much more.
Artist Adrian Steckeweh 3-D prints otherworldly clothes and accessories for himself, in a way augmenting his reality with tangible objects.
CULTURE / Art
Mar 16, 2025

Augmented reality artist Omega C navigates a precarious scene for XR art

Just this year, XR art featured heavily in the digital art festival Dig Shibuya and is the focus of the ongoing “Machine Love” exhibition at Mori Art Museum.
K-Ballet Tokyo celebrates its 25th anniversary with an extended lineup including a revival of the vibrant pirate-story ballet "Le Corsaire."
CULTURE / Stage
Mar 15, 2025

K-Ballet Tokyo marks 25 years of passion and perseverance

The dance company celebrates a milestone anniversary with an extended lineup including a revival of the vibrant pirate-story ballet "Le Corsaire."
Takuya “Moby” Okamoto after Game 5 of the 2016 World Series, which the Cubs went on to win in seven games to snap a 108-year drought
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 14, 2025

In a sea of Dodger Blue, Japanese superfan ready to cheer on the Cubs

The Dodgers may garner the lion's share of attention in Japan among MLB clubs, but don't tell that to Takuya “Moby” Okamoto, Japan's biggest Cubs fan.
President Donald Trump’s order making English the official language of the country is unnecessary, as nearly 80% of people in the U.S. already speak it at home.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 14, 2025

America doesn’t need an official language

After all, what is our shared culture if not the mix of cultures — including languages — that make and remake America every day?
Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani arrives for practice on Friday at Tokyo Dome.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 14, 2025

Hype reaches fever pitch as Ohtani and the Dodgers get set for games in Tokyo

Shohei Ohtani talked about getting over jet lag and his excitement for the Tokyo Series as the Dodgers prepare to put on a show for Japanese fans.
Cubs pitcher Shota Imanaga and teammate Seiya Suzuki during a news conference in Tokyo on Friday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 14, 2025

Cubs see Tokyo trip as great chance to bond as a team

The Chicago Cubs plan to make the most of their time in Japan, both as a way to kickstart the push to reach the postseason and as a way to come together as a team.
Cubs pitcher Colin Rea pitches against the Guardians in a spring training game in Mesa, Arizona, on March 1.
BASEBALL
Mar 15, 2025

Former Hawks pitcher Colin Rea happy to be in Japan with Cubs for Tokyo Series

Rea pitched for the Pacific League club in 2021 and 2022. 
Cubs slugger Seiya Suzuki at the dish during an exhibition game against the Tigers on Saturday in Tokyo.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 15, 2025

Seiya Suzuki hit with dose of nostalgia as he dons Cubs uniform at Tokyo Dome

Facing the Hanshin Tigers and hearing the team’s cheering section was a blast from the recent past for the former Hiroshima Carp star.
Denmark's Holger Rune hits a backhand to Russia's Daniil Medvedev during their Indian Wells semifinal clash on Saturday.
TENNIS
Mar 16, 2025

Rune shocks Medvedev while Draper upsets Alcaraz to set up surprise Indian Wells final

Rune, ranked 13th, snapped a seven-match losing streak in semifinals and will face Britain's Jack Draper on Sunday.
Jalen Brunson of the Knicks during an NBA All-Star Game event in San Francisco on Feb. 16.
BASKETBALL / NBA
Mar 16, 2025

To get big in China, NBA stars enlist social media surrogates

The trend comes as recently fraught ties between the NBA and China thaw.
Hanshin pitcher Hiroto Saiki threw five scoreless innings as the Tigers topped the Dodgers in an exhibition game on Sunday in Tokyo.
BASEBALL
Mar 16, 2025

Tigers shut down Ohtani to take exhibition game over Dodgers

After giving up a home run to the Dodgers star two years ago, Hiroto Saiki got the best of Shohei Ohtani on Sunday as the Tigers completed a weekend sweep of MLB clubs.
Mirra Andreeva with the championship trophy after defeating Aryna Sabalenka in three sets in the women’s final of the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on Sunday.
TENNIS
Mar 17, 2025

Russian teen Andreeva beats top seed Sabalenka in Indian Wells final

The 17-year-old Andreeva is the youngest women's champion at the tournament since Serena Williams in 1999.
The Dodgers' Yoshinobu Yamamoto during training at Tokyo Dome on Monday
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 17, 2025

How Yoshinobu Yamamoto rebounded after his disastrous MLB debut

Yamamoto is a different pitcher than he was a year ago when he was still adjusting to the transition from NPB to MLB.
The Tigers Teruaki Sato (center) celebrates with his teammates after their win over the Dodgers.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball
Mar 17, 2025

NPB clubs show there's more to Japanese baseball than MLB stars

The four exhibition games between the MLB and NPB clubs showed that the well of talent in Japan runs deeper than the nation’s big leaguers.
Shohei Ohtani greets manager Dave Roberts before the team's game against the Tigers at Tokyo Dome on Sunday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 18, 2025

In Tokyo, Dodgers get taste of the Shohei Ohtani experience

The Dodgers have explored various parts of the Japanese capital, and it's a safe bet that wherever each player went, Ohtani was not far behind in some form.
Cubs infielder Matt Shaw drove in two runs in his team's win over the Giants on Sunday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 18, 2025

Top Cubs prospect Matt Shaw excited to start MLB career in Tokyo

Shaw showed the Cubs coaching staff enough during spring training to earn a seat on the plane for the trip to Tokyo.
Okayama goalkeeper Svend Brodersen reaches for the ball against Urawa's Thiago Santana (front) at Saitama Stadium on March 8.
SOCCER / J. League
Mar 18, 2025

Manga-loving German goalkeeper finds peace, and himself, in Japan

Svend Brodersen moved to Japan in 2021 and now plays for top-tier J. League side Fagiano Okayama, but he admits that initially he felt like he was "on another planet."
Rieko Tamaki (left) tells her story about the Battle of Okinawa to university student Hinata Kinjo at a park in Yaese, Okinawa Prefecture, near the area where Tamaki’s brother was killed during the conflict.
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
Mar 24, 2025

Battle of Okinawa survivor passes down memories of war

The 90-year-old woman still remembers the final moments of her then-14-year-old brother's life during the 1945 battle.
Releasing on March 20, Assassin's Creed Shadows excels in atmosphere and open-world gameplay but falls short of narrative expectations.
LIFE / Digital
Mar 19, 2025

Assassin’s Creed Shadows puts samurai style over substance

Ubisoft’s latest game is a gorgeous jaunt through feudal Japan entirely unworthy of the controversy surrounding it.
Poland's Iga Swiatek reacts while playing against Russia's Mirra Andreeva during their women's singles semi-final tennis match at the BNP Paribas Open at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden on March 14.
TENNIS
Mar 18, 2025

Swiatek surprised at 'harsh judgments' after Indian Wells incident

The five-times Grand Slam champion was criticized heavily over the incident, where she nearly hit a ball boy after smashing a ball into the ground.
Shohei Ohtani runs home to score during the Dodgers' win over the Cubs in the MLB season opener at Tokyo Dome on Tuesday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 18, 2025

Shohei Ohtani and Dodgers get title defense off to winning start against Cubs

The Dodgers started the MLB season strong, defeating the Cubs 4-1 in the first of two Tokyo Series games. The matchup also celebrated the Japanese stars on both teams.
Naomi Osaka (JPN) hits a forehand against Yulia Starodubtseva at the Miami Open on Tuesday.
TENNIS
Mar 19, 2025

Osaka battles back to advance in Miami

Osaka dropped the first set and trailed 4-2 in the second against the tournament qualifier before finding her rhythm in front of a supportive crowd on a sunny day in south Florida.
Shohei Ohtani tips his batting helmet during the opening game of the MLB season between the Dodgers and Cubs on Tuesday at Tokyo Dome
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 19, 2025

At Tokyo Dome, a stage so big that even Shohei Ohtani felt nervous

Even the game's preeminent superstar admitted to feeling nervous as the MLB season kicked off with what amounted to a celebration of Japan and its place in the sport.
Elon Musk and President Donald Trump's assertion that U.S. aid cuts to programs including PEPFAR and USAID in Africa aren't causing harm is not true. Children and others are already dying as a result.
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 19, 2025

Musk says aid cuts haven’t killed anyone. That's not true.

In South Sudan, one of the world’s poorest countries, the efforts by Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump are already leading children to die.
Roki Sasaki throws the first pitch of his MLB career to open the Dodgers' game against the Cubs at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday.
BASEBALL
Mar 19, 2025

Shohei Ohtani homers to help Dodgers earn second straight win over Cubs

The Dodgers swept the two-game Tokyo Series.
Nick Kyrgios pumps his fist after winning a point during his win over Mackenzie McDonald at the Miami Open on Wednesday.
TENNIS
Mar 20, 2025

Kyrgios gets much needed boost with first win since 2022

Kyrgios's career has been blighted by injuries in the last two years and he had to retire from his first round match at Indian Wells earlier this month.
Japan forward Mina Tanaka dribbles during a SheBelieves Cup match against Australia in Houston on Feb. 20.
SOCCER
Mar 20, 2025

How Mina Tanaka evolved into a prolific striker for Nadeshiko Japan

Mina Tanaka is having a moment. The Nadeshiko Japan and Utah Royals striker dominated the SheBelieves Cup, winning both MVP and top scorer as Japan defeated the U.S.

Longform

Ichiro Suzuki, one of the most iconic players in NPB and MLB history, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame with 99.7% of the vote.
With Hall of Fame induction, Ichiro makes himself heard loud and clear