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How Fuji TV responds to the results of a third-party probe will be crucial to restoring public trust — and could determine whether sponsors, whose TV ads are the company's main source of revenue, choose to return.
JAPAN
Mar 28, 2025

Fuji TV returns to spotlight as deadline for scandal probe looms

How Fuji TV responds to the report will be crucial to restoring public trust — and could determine whether sponsors choose to return.
Lawyer Akira Takeuchi (center), the head of a third-party panel commissioned by Fuji TV to investigate a series of scandals at the broadcaster, fields questions along with other panel members at a news conference on Monday in Tokyo's Minato Ward.
JAPAN / Media / FOCUS
Apr 1, 2025

What the Fuji TV third-party probe uncovered

The panel concluded that TV personality Masahiro Nakai committed "sexual violence" against a female newscaster and that there is a culture of harassment at the broadcaster.
Among those arrested, 1,011 were ringleaders or individuals who gave instructions. About 90% were perpetrators, including people who received defrauded money, and around 40% became involved in the crimes through recruitment via social media.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 3, 2025

New ‘tokuryū’ crime groups outpace yakuza in arrests

The term was coined by the National Police Agency to describe a new form of criminal group that has emerged as an alternative to traditional yakuza organizations.
Akari Takaishi gets laughs playing a woman who is possessed by the ghost of a middle-aged hitman who bears a grudge in “Ghost Killer.”
CULTURE / Film
Apr 10, 2025

‘Ghost Killer’: Spirited action and sharp humor make for deadly fun combo

“Baby Assassins” collaborators Yugo Sakamoto and Kensuke Sonomura team up again for an action-packed comedy with Akari Takaishi.
The Osaka tax bureau found ¥1.3 billion in unreported income as Kawasaki Heavy Industries pooled funds through fictitious transactions related to repair contracts for MSDF submarines.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 8, 2025

Kawasaki Heavy hit with ¥1 billion in back taxes over MSDF scandal

The defense contractor was found to have wined and dined Maritime Self-Defense Force personnel.
In the dystopian society of Sayaka Murata's latest book to come out in English, sex between married couples is considered incest and therefore taboo.
CULTURE / Books
Apr 14, 2025

'Vanishing World': Sayaka Murata’s vision of a sex-hating society

In Sayaka Murata’s latest book to come out in English, sex between married couples is considered taboo, and humans reproduce predominantly via IVF.  
Fuji Media's headquarters in Tokyo's Minato Ward
JAPAN
Apr 16, 2025

U.S. investor to propose candidates for Fuji Media's board

Dalton Investments said in a statement that the old-fashioned corporate structure of Fuji Media must be swept away.
When a bomber holds a high-speed train to ransom, it’s left to conductor Kazuya Takaichi (Tsuyoshi Kusanagi) and his colleagues to save the day in “Bullet Train Explosion.”
CULTURE / Film
Apr 17, 2025

'Bullet Train Explosion’: High-speed disaster movie doesn’t get the pulse racing

Netflix’s most lavish Japanese movie to date whizzes by without doing much damage to the image of the high-speed rail it’s promoting.
Comedian Takaaki Ishibashi
JAPAN
Apr 17, 2025

Comedian Ishibashi apologizes over sexual harassment dinner incident

The scandal has been compared to the Fuji TV sexual harassment case involving former television star Masahiro Nakai.
SBI Holdings CEO Yoshitaka Kitao speaks during a news conference on Thursday in Tokyo.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 17, 2025

SBI Holdings CEO to 'fight to the end' if Fuji Media resists leadership rethink

Yoshitaka Kitao said he will increase SBI Holdings’ stake in Fuji Media Holdings depending on how the TV network responds.
Ado opened her Sunday night concert at the 2025 Osaka Expo with “Shin Jidai” (New Genesis)” after a rain-soaked lead-up to the show’s 7:45 p.m. start.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 18, 2025

Japan wanted a cultural do-over. Ado gave it one.

The 22-year-old J-pop singer cast a spell on the first weekend of the Osaka Expo
Hyundai Motor vehicles bound for export are loaded aboard a cargo ship at the port in Ulsan, South Korea, in July 2015.
COMMENTARY / World
Apr 17, 2025

Can Trump’s tariffs restore U.S. manufacturing?

Rather than encouraging foreign direct investment in local manufacturing, Trump’s tariffs are deterring it.
Rory McIlroy celebrates on the 18th green after winning the Masters at Augusta National Golf Club, in Augusta, Georgia, on April 13.
MORE SPORTS / Golf
Apr 24, 2025

Rory McIlroy moved by way Masters win resonated with fans

The Northern Irishman completed the career Grand Slam 10 days ago at the Masters, with an emotional playoff win over England's Justin Rose.
Apartments in the district of Miyazato in Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, where many students live
JAPAN / Regional Voices: Okinawa
May 12, 2025

Rents soar in northern Okinawa ahead of Junglia theme park opening

While large-scale hiring may help to revitalize the area, it is also creating a housing supply shortage, affecting students and others who are moving in.
Sony is considering spinning off its semiconductor unit, sources say.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 29, 2025

Sony weighs chip spinoff that Dan Loeb called for years ago

The chip business makes industry-leading image sensors that go into cameras inside Apple and Xiaomi phones.
Tetsuya Yamaguchi at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on April 8
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 30, 2025

How a Japanese fraud group ran scams from Southeast Asia

Police suspect that Tetsuya Yamaguchi, who was arrested on April 8 after being deported from Thailand, was involved in fraud totaling at least ¥3 billion ($21.1 million).
A Shein pop-up store in New York. Many goods imported from China now face a 145% tariff.
BUSINESS
May 3, 2025

Young Americans sour on Trump’s China tariffs despite election-year bump

For Republicans, the trade war is poised to reverse gains with a demographic that could be key to maintaining control of Congress.
Japan's Rui Hachimura walks off the court after being disqualified for a second unsportsmanlike foul against France at the Paris Olympics in July last year.
BASKETBALL / B. League
May 6, 2025

Basketball bust-ups threaten ambitious Japan's hoop dreams

A row involving star player Rui Hachimura and disagreements over the domestic league's direction mean the path ahead is full of hurdles.
Though the protagonist of “Jinsei” (voiced by rapper Ace Cool) is an emotional blank slate, his journey throughout the film takes wild turns.
CULTURE / Film
May 15, 2025

‘Jinsei’: Ryuya Suzuki’s solo animation is a singular debut

The 30-year-old wrote, directed, animated, edited and soundtracked in isolation — creating one of the most striking films of 2025 so far.
In part due to low awareness that placing bets using overseas sports gambling sites is illegal, access to such platforms in Japan has surged in recent years.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 15, 2025

Illegal wagers on overseas sports betting sites top ¥6.4 trillion, study finds

The findings, reported by a sports organization, comes after two baseball players were sent to prosecutors earlier this month for allegedly placing bets from Japan.
"Jinsei," which follows its protagonist over a century, probes themes of identity and societal issues with a dark comic touch. The director, however, says he created the story without knowing where it would lead.
CULTURE / Film
May 16, 2025

For his first feature film, director Ryuya Suzuki created a masterpiece

With no script or crew, the animator created "Jinsei," a bold debut inspired by classics such as "Citizen Kane" and "Scarface."
Walking along Osaka's Kanjosen brings you closer to a different side of the city that the head-in-the-clouds Expo 2025 misses.
LIFE / Travel
May 17, 2025

Fighting Osaka Expo fatigue? Walk the 21-km Loop Line for a cure.

Officially completed in 1961, the Osaka Kanjosen runs through the city’s most famous and less touristed neighborhoods alike.
A Mexican Navy training ship is seen near the Manhattan Bridge after it slammed into the nearby Brooklyn Bridge in New York on Saturday.
WORLD
May 18, 2025

Mexican Navy training ship crashes into Brooklyn Bridge, killing two

Nineteen others were injured after the ship lost power and hit the Brooklyn Bridge, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said Sunday.
Wendy McMahon, CEO of CBS News, speaks during the Axios BFD event in New York on Oct. 12, 2023.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 20, 2025

CBS News boss resigns amid tensions with Trump admin

"The past few months have been challenging," CEO Wendy McMahon wrote in a goodbye letter to staff. "It's become clear that the company and I do not agree on the path forward."
An Upper House committee approves new rules drawn up in April following a revision of the law governing lawmaker allowances.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
May 22, 2025

Parliament moves to boost transparency in lawmaker allowances

Both chambers have adopted new rules mandating the disclosure of how the allowances are spent and requiring the return of unused funds to government coffers.
Greek swimmer Kristian Gkolomeev poses after winning the men's 50-meter freestyle final at the European championships in Belgrade on June 23, 2024.
MORE SPORTS
May 22, 2025

Enhanced Games, where athletes can use banned substances, to start in 2026

The Enhanced Games operate under the principle that banning performance-enhancing drugs in major competition does not protect athletes but rather stifles their performance.
Swimmer Andriy Govorov speaks during a news conference about the Enhanced Games in Las Vegas on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS
May 23, 2025

Anti-doping bodies speak out against drug-fueled Enhanced Games

WADA, the global anti-doping watchdog, condemned plans for the event as "dangerous."
Modern pentathlete Ayumu Saito competes in the laser run at nationals in 2022.
MORE SPORTS / Modern Pentathlon
May 25, 2025

2028 Olympic hopeful giving modern pentathlon some time in the sun in Japan

As modern pentathlon takes on a Japanese flavor with a "Sasuke"-inspired event, Ayumu Saito is working to raise the sport’s profile in Japan.
Dancers perform ahead of Lee Jae-myung's campaign event in Incheon on May 21.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics
May 31, 2025

K-pop and breakdance power South Korea’s high-stakes presidential race

Both major parties are leaning on Korean pop hits to energize voters, blending choreography and catchy lyrics with political messaging.
A man weaves cane into a chinlone ball, used in the ancient Myanmar game considered a blend of sport and art, at a workshop in Hinthada township in the Irrawaddy delta region.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Jun 3, 2025

Ancient Myanmar ball game battles for survival in troubled nation

Myanmar's 2021 military coup and subsequent civil war have made it increasingly difficult for craftsmen to source materials for chinlone balls.

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