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April 28, 2024
 

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IDOL

Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 8, 2017
18-year-old member of pop idol group Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku dies
An 18-year-old member of all-female Japanese pop idol group Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku died Wednesday, apparently after suffering an illness, the police said.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jan 24, 2017
All-girl idol group AKB48 to launch sister group in Inland Sea region
Japan's all-girl idol group AKB 48 is launching yet another sister group, this time to be based in the Seto Inland Sea area.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Dec 18, 2016
'Chubby' group Pottya takes aim at obesity prejudice
Competition is cutthroat among Japan's thousands of idol wannabes, but one approach seems to be working for a group of "chubby" girls deploying their cheeky cuteness to combat prejudice against obesity.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 4, 2016
Israeli Embassy on social media offers Holocaust 'seminar' to Nazi-clad Japan idol group
The Embassy of Israel in Japan on Thursday referred to a Japanese all-girl "idol" group that drew criticism at home and abroad for wearing outfits resembling Nazi uniforms in its social media accounts, saying it will invite the band to a "special seminar" about the Holocaust.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 31, 2016
Girl group's Nazi-like costume draws online backlash
The idol group Keyakizaka46, a branch of Japan's top-selling girl band AKB48, has sparked outrage on social media over their Halloween costume, which resembled the uniform worn by Nazi SS officers before and during World War II.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Sep 21, 2016
Hany Abu-Assad: Making strong voices heard
Ever since the first series of "Pop Idol" screened on British TV in 2001, the televised music competition has become practically inescapable, with franchises springing up everywhere from Macedonia to the Maldives. Given how cannily stage-managed these "reality" shows really are, though, it almost comes as a surprise when a genuinely inspirational story emerges from one of them.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 27, 2016
Police failed to record previous stalking case linked to idol-stabbing suspect
Police failed to record an earlier stalking incident of another woman by the 27-year-old man arrested last week for attacking an idol singer with a knife in Tokyo.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 23, 2016
Anti-stalking law under fire after stabbing of Japanese idol singer
The attack on idol singer Mayu Tomita has sparked a discussion over the effectiveness of the anti-stalking law, which some experts say should include a clear statement on preventing online stalking.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 13, 2016
Resistance is futile to Babymetal's ascent
Babymetal — "Metal Resistance" (Toy's Factory)
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 10, 2016
Idol group Kamen Joshi share a video tribute to Donald Trump
Uh-oh! What have the young women of Kamen Joshi gotten themselves into?
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Apr 1, 2016
Japan's 'Masked Girls' seek fame under cover
Standing out from Japan's many girl groups can be a daunting task, but one act, Kamen Joshi (Masked Girls), has found the answer by hiding behind masks.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 6, 2016
Silent Siren delivers a dose of idol-pop pep on 'S'
With a proliferation of idol-pop groups in the music scene these days, getting a start in the industry isn't always easy — even for a band made up of former models.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 25, 2015
Court ruling sparks online outcry after teen idol told to pay damages for dating
A recent Tokyo court ruling ordering a teen idol to pay damages for violating a "no dating" clause in her contract has spurred an online outcry, reigniting debate over an industry many say is rife with male-chauvinist views.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 17, 2015
AKB48 "Koko ga Rhodes da, Koko de Tobe!"
Idol group AKB48 elicits extreme reactions from people. The unit has nurtured a rabid fanbase who are willing to buy multiple copies of a single CD to show their devotion. On the other hand, critics despise the group's brand of by-the-book pop and the sideshow shenanigans the members engage in (or are pulled into).
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 3, 2015
Negicco's new album turns the onion idols into Shibuya-kei's new hope
The crowd at the sold-out Liquidroom show furiously pumps glowsticks shaped like green onions in time with the beat coming out of the venue's sound system. They scream when three young women appear, and the energy only grows as the first song of the night gets rolling. It gets especially loud when they reach the part where they spell out their group's name: "N! E! G! I! CC! O!"
CULTURE / Japan Pulse
Jan 26, 2015
I wanna rock 'n' roll all night, and be kawaii, ev-er-y day
The Momoiro Clover Z + Kiss collaboration transcends generations, styles and sense.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Dec 23, 2014
Who was music being made for in 2014?
When looking back on the year in music, the big question music fans should be asking themselves is, "Who was music being made for in 2014?" Looking at the broader picture, we can find the answers writ large across the Japanese music scene.
CULTURE / Music / STRANGE BOUTIQUE
Nov 25, 2014
Pop artifice was never better with Aya Matsuura
When a pop singer who has long faded from the limelight suddenly starts appearing in your Twitter timeline in the form of glowing, nostalgic re-evaluations, they're either gearing up for a comeback . . . or dead.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Oct 28, 2014
Idol-pop act Necronomidol is taken to the dark side
It's a week until Necronomidol's big show and, practicing at a dance studio in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward, the four members make a decision to change one line from "We've come to bring about the Apocalypse" to "We've come to enact Armageddon." Manager Ricky Wilson agrees; another problem solved.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 11, 2014
In-debt idols send wrong message to girls
Two weeks ago a female pop group called The Margarines debuted via a Tokyo news conference. Since Japanese show business has no shortage of young women who want to sing and dance in order to "fulfill their dreams," the new ensemble needed a gimmick.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Ukraine is far from doomed
When comparing Ukraine’s military situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Tokyo's Koto Ward by-election a race unlike any other
Natsumi Sakai, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan’s candidate and one of four female candidates running in the by-election, touts her experience as a cancer survivor and midwife as having prepared her to tackle issues that women currently face.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

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[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

Longform

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.
The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability
Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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