How virtual streamers like Kizuna Ai became Japan's biggest YouTube attraction
Kizuna Ai, the most popular streamer in Japan, is an anatomically exaggerated, perpetually adolescent girl in frilly thigh-high socks and a pink hair ribbon. She's also an entirely virtual character, given life by the actions and voice of an invisible actress. In the home of ...
Ex-pop idol Mayu Tomita files ¥76 million lawsuit against Tokyo and attacker
Mayu Tomita, a former pop idol who was seriously injured during an attack by an obsessed fan before giving a live music performance about three years ago, filed a damages lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court on Wednesday against the Tokyo Metropolitan Government as ...
Junnosuke Taguchi, a former member of Japanese all-male idol group Kat-tun, was released on bail Friday after he was charged with possessing marijuana. Taguchi, 33, and his partner Rena Komine, 38, who faces the same charge, each posted bail of ¥3 million the same day ...
Man arrested for allegedly threatening to kill member of AKB48 spin-off group
A 24-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of threatening to kill a member of a sister group of the popular AKB48 girl band, police said. Kazuki Domoto was arrested Monday for threatening Yuka Ogino, a member of NGT48 based in the city of Niigata, by ...
Ex-AKB48 idol Minami Takahashi gets married on Day One of Japan's Reiwa Era
Singer and TV personality Minami Takahashi, a former member of Japanese all-girl pop group AKB48, ushered in the enthronement of Emperor Naruhito and the Reiwa Era by getting married on Wednesday, her agency said. "I decided to move forward with a new family at the ...
William Gibson's 'Idoru': Tokyo sci-fi becomes full-blown reality
Satirical yet eerily plausible, William Gibson's "Idoru" is a complex sci-fi novel set in post-quake Tokyo that addresses the often negative impacts technology has on our lives.
Atsuko Maeda, an original member of all-girl pop group AKB48, has given birth to a baby boy, her first child, her husband said Monday. "I'd like to report that a baby boy was safely born the other day," 32-year-old actor Ryo Katsuji, Maeda's husband, posted ...
High-profile talent agency Johnny & Associates creates first virtual idols
Major entertainment agency Johnny & Associates Inc. announced Tuesday that it is creating its first virtual idols in collaboration with video streaming service Showroom. The virtual idols — all-singing, all-dancing digital performers — will be able to interact with fans during videos that started to ...
Popular boy band Arashi's decision to take a break at end of 2020 shocks fans in Japan and overseas
In a move that shocked fans, popular Japanese boy band Arashi said Sunday that it will go on hiatus at the end of 2020. "Around the middle of June 2017, I told other members that I wanted to end the activities as Arashi for now ...
NGT48 agency removes manager from post over handling of assault on idol group member Maho Yamaguchi
The operator of popular all-girl band AKB48 and its sister groups said Monday it has removed one of its officials from a key post amid criticism of its handling of an assault against a member of idol group NGT48. The company, AKS, announced the change ...
Outrage erupts online in Japan after assaulted NGT48 pop idol apologizes for 'causing trouble'
Idol says the group’s management did not act even after she spoke with them, and asked who would be responsible in “the worst-case scenario.”
Atsuko Maeda, 27, a pop cultural icon and original member of the all-girl group AKB48, has married actor Ryo Katsuji, 31, an official of his management company said on Tuesday. "We will continue to support each other and sincerely engage in each and every project ...
