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September 18, 2025
 

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GAMES

Super Mario soft toys in various sizes at collector Kikai's residence in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, on Aug. 19
LIFE / Digital
Sep 12, 2025
'He's a regular man, not unlike us': Marking 40 years of Mario games
Super Mario Bros., released for Nintendo's home consoles in Japan on Sept. 13, 1985, was a landmark of early video gaming.
Melos Han-Tani is a game designer of eclectic interests whose upcoming releases, Angeline Era and Danchi Days, are set in alternate-history Ireland and a public housing complex in Japan, respectively.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Sep 12, 2025
Melos Han-Tani: ‘Figuring out what you value is valuable for any artist’
A designer, programmer and composer, Han-Tani draws inspiration from a wide range of sources and channels his creativity through games, music and writing.
Umamusume: Pretty Derby is the latest overnight success to come from the world of Japanese video games — never mind it was originally released in 2021.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Sep 6, 2025
Racehorses, anime girls and gambling: Umamusume’s recipe for success
The latest overnight hit from Japan’s gaming world relies on a quirky mix of elements from the worlds of pop culture and sports.
The Indian national flag is projected onto a balloon during the Commonwealth Games closing ceremony at the Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in New Delhi on Oct, 14, 2010.
MORE SPORTS / Athletics
Sep 2, 2025
2030 Commonwealth Games to be held in India or Nigeria
Canada, which hosted the first Commonwealth Games in 1930 in Hamilton, was expected to be in the running but did not bid.
Shinobi: Art of Vengeance makes excellent use of stages dripping with atmosphere to punch up the feel of its tight combat mechanics.
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Aug 25, 2025
Sega's ninja-themed Shinobi series is back from the dead
The long-running series hasn’t had a console release since 2003, but the new title is nearly enjoyable enough to make the wait worth it.
The Saudi Arabia delegate waves the OCA flag during the closing ceremony of the Asian Winter Games in Harbin, China, on Feb. 14.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 25, 2025
Olympic Council of Asia says Asian Winter Games in Saudi Arabia 'on schedule'
Saudi Arabia is supposed to host the next edition of the regional winter competition in a move derided by environmental groups.
Trojena, the ski resort that is scheduled to host events during the 2029 Asian Winter Games, is part of the planned Saudi megacity of NEOM, which has faced a string of challenges in recent years.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 24, 2025
Saudi Arabia and Olympic Council weigh moving Asian Winter Games
The event is seen as a key marker for Saudi Arabia’s global ambitions and the kingdom could eventually simply choose to scale back plans for the planned ski resort.
McDonald's Japan has canceled its plan to bundle "One Piece" trading cards with its Happy Set meals, after a similar Pokemon-themed campaign sparked a frenzy and uproar over uneaten food being discarded.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 21, 2025
McDonald's Japan to skip 'One Piece' Happy Meal promo
The cancellation follows a similar Pokemon-themed campaign that sparked a frenzy and uproar over uneaten food being discarded.
Eighth dan go player Kazuko Sugiuchi during a match in Tokyo in January last year
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2025
Time to go: Japan pro board game player retires at 98
Kazuko Sugiuchi turned professional in 1948, and she is set to be promoted to the rank of ninth dan after retiring, becoming the first woman to reach that level.
Members of Italy's delegation wave their country's national flag as they take part in the athletes' parade during the opening ceremony of the 2025 World Games at the Tianfu International Convention Centre in Chengdu, in China's southwestern Sichuan province on Aug. 7, 2025. Italian orienteering athlete Mattia Debertolis died at the Games on August 12, 2025 after collapsing during competition, organizers said.
MORE SPORTS
Aug 12, 2025
Italian orienteering athlete dies at World Games in China
Mattia Debertolis was rushed to hospital after being found unconscious during the men's middle-distance competition.
Cosplay fans hold small fans to cool down while outside the World Cosplay Summit in Nagoya on Aug. 3, 2024.
JAPAN
Aug 7, 2025
Japan's World Cosplay Summit to escape summer heat in 2027
The annual extravaganza, usually held in Nagoya, sees thousands of people from all over the world embody their chosen anime, manga and gaming stars in elaborate costumes.
Merchandise are pictured for sale at a Nintendo store in central Tokyo on Friday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Aug 2, 2025
Nintendo to raise U.S. pricing of original Switch hardware
Nintendo attributed the changes to "market conditions," a hint at the impact of the Trump administration’s tariffs.
Nintendo said its quarterly revenue had more than doubled year-on-year thanks to the Switch 2, which became the world's fastest-selling console after its launch in June.
BUSINESS / Companies
Aug 1, 2025
Nintendo keeps Switch 2 forecast unchanged despite hot start
The Kyoto-based company said on Friday that it still expects to sell 15 million units of its next-generation hardware by March, maintaining a conservative view.
Visitors play Hades 2, an upcoming independent game for Nintendo's Switch 2, during the BitSummit indie gaming expo in the city of Kyoto on Friday.
BUSINESS / Tech / FOCUS
Jul 19, 2025
Indie game studios battle for piece of Switch 2 success
With Nintendo game sales long dominated by in-house franchises, it can be hard for outsiders to break through.
Sega's first brick-and-mortar store in Japan is an example of how the country's video game industry is thinking of its digital products as tangible experiences.
LIFE / Digital
Jul 18, 2025
Sega’s first Japan store signals ‘immersive entertainment’ push
Opened on July 18 in the Shibuya Parco building, the video game company’s brick-and-mortar venture hints at a broader trend in Japan’s gaming landscape.
After nearly shuttering earlier this year, the Tokyo-based Game Preservation Society continues its work to save the early history of Japanese gaming.
LIFE / Digital
Jul 12, 2025
‘Our ultimate goal is to save every single Japanese video game’
The Tokyo-based Game Preservation Society almost shuttered earlier this year, but a flood of support has buoyed efforts to save games on extinct media.
Hideo Kojima, the leading auteur in Japanese video games, has skirted controversy in the wake of the release of Death Stranding 2: On the Beach
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Jul 12, 2025
Is Japanese skin really ‘too smooth’ for Hideo Kojima’s games?
When it comes to Hideo Kojima’s visuals, art imitates life — and it’s more often Hollywood’s version of life than Japan’s that influences his games.
Australian Arisa Trew won gold in the women's skateboarding park competition at the Paris Olympics in 2024.
MORE SPORTS / Skateboarding
Jul 3, 2025
Teenage skateboarding star Arisa Trew has no plans to slow down
Trew is set to defend her Olympic title at the Los Angeles Games in 2028 at age 18.
Microsoft’s gaming division began cutting hundreds of employees on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jul 3, 2025
Microsoft makes deep Xbox job cuts and cancels games
Microsoft announced Wednesday that it’s eliminating 9,000 workers companywide in its second wave of layoffs this year.
Australian singer Donna Burke in Tokyo on May 29. People comment on how familiar her voice is when footage of Burke performing shinkansen announcements go viral online.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 27, 2025
A trained star: The Australian singer who became the voice of the shinkansen
The “JR voice” has built a career that encompasses voice work for prominent game franchises including Metal Gear Solid and Final Fantasy.
Wealthy foreign nationals picking up ultimate souvenir — a condo in Tokyo
A high-end property in the fashionable Daikanyama district in Tokyo
Japan dispatches five language education 'partners' to India
Five members of the Japan Foundation's Nihongo Partners program (front) gather at the Japanese Embassy in New Delhi on Monday.
Struggling train firm in Chiba Prefecture turns to self-deprecating humor
"Laughter is important when you're in a difficult situation," said Katsunori Takemoto, president of Choshi Electric Railway, on Aug. 5 in Choshi, Chiba Prefecture.
Japan's elderly population down at around 36.2 million
The estimated number of people age 65 or older in Japan stands at 36.19 million as of Monday, accounting for record 29.4% of the country's total population, according to the internal affairs ministry.
Japan’s front-line researchers see bright path ahead for dementia treatment
A scientist looks at scans of grains at the Memory Centre at the Department of Readaptation and Geriatrics of the University Hospital (HUG) in Geneva, Switzerland, on June 6, 2023.
Japanese athletes inspired by raucous home fans at World Athletics Championships
Fans cheer on the home favorites during the women's marathon at the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo on Sunday.
Japan's major art events converge this fall
Shinji Ohmaki’s “Tokinokage” exhibited at Fuji Textile Week 2021 shows the use of fabric as art.
Tara Davis-Woodhall leaps to gold and finds redemption at world championships
Tara Davis-Woodhall celebrates after winning the women's long jump final at the World Athletics Championships at Tokyo's National Stadium on Sunday night.
An aesthetic escape to Hakone’s art-drenched hills
Between traditional examples of fine art and sleek, modern exhibitions that blend with nature, Hakone offers a unique escape from Tokyo's urban sprawl.
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.

Podcast

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

Longform

Sumadori Bar on Shibuya Ward's main Center Gai street targets young customers who prefer low-alcohol drinks or abstain altogether.
Rethinking that second drink: Japan’s Gen Z gets ‘sober curious’
By Alex K.T. Martin

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