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July 06, 2025
 

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DOCUMENTARIES

Takuro Adachi’s documentary “Sono Kodo ni Mimi wo Ateyo” follows doctors working in Aichi Prefecture’s busiest ER over nine months.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 1, 2024
‘Sono Kodo ni Mimi o Ateyo’: An absorbing dive into pressures of the ER
Filmed at the height of the pandemic, Takuro Adachi’s documentary spotlights emergency room doctors who attend to patients from every strata of society.
"The Ones Left Behind" documents the successes and struggles of single mothers in Japan.
PODCAST / deep dive
Nov 2, 2023
Why single mothers in Japan have been left behind
Filmmaker Rionne McAvoy joins us to discuss the hidden poverty present in one of the world’s richest nations.
Vagaries in Japanese law mean single mothers are sometimes left without financial support from their former partners.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Oct 23, 2023
Documentary shines a spotlight on Japan’s single mothers
"The Ones Left Behind" explores the successes and struggles of single mothers in modern Japan.
Veteran broadcaster and DJ Peter Barakan has been a fixture in Japanese music media for decades. He is now in his third year as curator and namesake of Peter Barakan’s Music Film Festival, which kicks off in Tokyo today.
CULTURE / Film
Sep 1, 2023
Peter Barakan's Music Film Festival celebrates cinema and song
The three-week event kicks off its third edition with 31 films including documentaries, concert films and narrative films centered on music.
Japan Times
Film / Reviews
Jul 6, 2023
'With Each Passing Breath': A compassionate and richly textured documentary
As summer festivals return to Japan in full force, a film dives into the lives of the people who keep the cultural elements behind them alive.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 14, 2023
A few small tips for the Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia
Our film critic provides his recommendations for Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, which is currently unspooling at cinemas across Tokyo.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 2, 2023
'The Night Before Upheaval' navigates the murky waters of overseas film festivals
Japanese indie director Mutsuki Kameyama explores the ins and outs of the overseas festival circuit in their new documentary.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 10, 2023
Elderly survivors fight to preserve memory of Tokyo firebombing in 'Paper City'
In his documentary, Australian filmmaker Adrian Francis explores the collective amnesia surrounding the wartime firebombings of Japan's capital.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 26, 2023
French documentary and Spanish girl clinch top prizes at Berlinale
The top prize went to a documentary and the best acting award to an 8-year-old actress at a Berlinale awards ceremony full of surprises.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 7, 2021
Let them eat pancakes: A new film looks at Yoshihide Suga's brand of politicking
Producer Mitsunobu Kawamura hopes that a new political documentary, 'Tasting the Pancake for Poison,' will entice younger voters to take part in the upcoming election.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Jun 13, 2021
Sari Kaede: 'It's possible to be an ordinary person who just happens to be a trans woman'
Sari Kaede brings her journey as a transgender woman to the screen in a documentary titled 'You Decide.' She hopes to provide some support for young people in the process.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 28, 2021
Daido Moriyama documentary brings the photographer’s legacy into focus
A new film by Gen Iwama centered around reproducing photographer Daido Moriyama's out-of-print book from 1968 captures a master unconcerned with reliving past glories.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 20, 2020
Docu Meme highlights unseen victims of coronavirus pandemic in Japan
As the number of novel coronavirus infections continues to grow, so do the stigmas and stereotypes associated with certain segments of Japan's population, be they caregivers, entertainment-district workers, foreign residents, students or the unemployed and homeless.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Aug 22, 2020
Political documentaries in Japan struggle to inspire
Japanese documentaries analyze entrenched political power with largely unsurprising results.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Aug 13, 2020
‘Zero as You Are’: An intimate look at a journey of self-discovery
Director Miyuki Tokoi documented Takamasa “Sky” Kobayashi's life as a transgender teenager and adult over the course of nine years.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Jun 11, 2020
‘Why You Can’t Be Prime Minister’: A Sisyphean slog toward the top office
Shinzo Abe has been with us for so long now, it’s easy to forget that there was a time when Japan’s premiership seemed to rotate as frequently as the membership of AKB48.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Apr 23, 2020
'Zero': Practicing kindness in life and in love
In Japan, people with mental illnesses have long been stigmatized, marginalized and isolated from broader society. In 2009, documentary filmmaker Kazuhiro Soda released “Mental,” a film about Masatomo Yamamoto, an elderly psychiatrist in Okayama Prefecture who respected his patients as individuals...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 26, 2020
'Mishima: The Last Debate': Careful revival of a battle of wits
It was the title match of the decade: the rumble in the academic jungle. On May 13, 1969, literary titan Yukio Mishima strutted onstage in front of a 1,000-strong audience at the University of Tokyo to debate with representatives of the All Campus Joint Struggle Committee, otherwise known as Zenkyoto....
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 8, 2019
Documentary juxtaposes both sides of contentious debate on 'comfort women'
On May 30, three people held a news conference in Tokyo to speak out against a documentary titled "Shusenjo: The Main Battleground of the Comfort Women Issue," which focuses on the rhetorical battle over the women who sexually serviced Japanese soldiers before and during World War II. The participants...
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / WHY DID YOU LEAVE JAPAN?
Sep 16, 2017
Documentary filmmaker Megumi Sasaki learns to live in the moment in New York
For a long time Megumi Sasaki felt that something did not quite fit.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
U.S. military apologizes over Okinawa sexual assault case
Col. Neil Owens (right), chief of staff for the 3rd Marine Division, bows in apology at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office in Naha on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

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