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July 05, 2025
 

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IDOLS

CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 15, 2023
Major Japanese talent agency apologizes over sexual assault claims
Allegations by former entertainers against the founder of Johnny & Associates have made headlines both domestically and internationally.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 12, 2023
Former teen idol alleges sexual abuse by boy-band mogul Johnny Kitagawa
The artist is one of the first to publicly address Kitagawa's long-alleged sexual abuse, saying he was molested '15 to 20' times while with the agency starting when he was 15 years old.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Nov 13, 2022
Johnny's departures signal growing pains
Though netizens speculated wildly after Johnny & Associates announced the departure of notable figures, the likely explanation is simply that the talent agency is in a moment of transition.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 21, 2022
Ex-member of J-Pop group KAT-TUN found guilty of drug possession and use
Koki Tanaka 'seems highly addicted to illegal drugs,' Nagoya District Court presiding Judge Fumiaki Hiraki said.
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC
Sep 3, 2021
China cracks down on showbiz for 'polluting' society and youth
Beijing's latest moves come in the wake of celebrity scandals, but also targets entertainment portraying 'effeminate' behavior and other content deemed 'warped.'
Japan Times
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Feb 4, 2021
K-pop for the planet: Fans of South Korean stars take on climate change
From petitioning to save forests to raising cash for disaster victims, a growing army of K-pop fans worldwide has emerged as the latest force in the global fight against climate change.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Feb 22, 2020
‘33⅓ Japan’ has nerdy but accessible tales of albums and artists
With the '33u2153 Japan' series, music aficionados bring classic Japanese albums and artists to life in nerdy, but accessible, prose.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 13, 2020
Japanese students take idol worship to a whole new level
Take a look at the world of Unidol, in which teams of Japanese university students emulate the moves of pop groups in a battle to be the greatest idol copy dance club.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media
Sep 22, 2019
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.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Mar 23, 2019
Idols and agencies in Japan navigate a brand new landscape
Television personality Masahiro Nakai made an appearance as a "surprise guest" on the March 10 installment of Nippon TV's law-related variety show, "Gyoretsu no Dekiru Horitsu Sodanjo" (“Line-up Law Office”). Earlier, guest Koji Kato had related an anecdote featuring Shingo Katori, Nakai's former...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Mar 23, 2019
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.
JAPAN
Jan 11, 2019
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.”
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 20, 2018
NPO Fukuribi's wigs offer Japan's chemo patients new weapon in their fight against cancer
When TV celebrity Miki Yakata was told she would need chemotherapy after undergoing a mastectomy in April, she realized she would have to buy a wig.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Oct 13, 2017
Dempagumi.inc's Risa Aizawa on the true power of fashion
Fashion designers can be stiff creatures, especially when it comes to divulging their history or feelings in an interview. However, Risa Aizawa is not your run-of-the-mill fashion designer. She is a member of the five-person Akihabara-born idol group Dempagumi.inc, known more for it's hard-core dedication...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / BLACK EYE
Feb 19, 2017
For African-American ‘idol’ Amina du Jean, difference is a double-edged sword
Amina du Jean been in Japan for only 2u00bd years, but in that time has become a bona fide idol, joined a J-idol group and even branched off into a bit of gravure (bikini) modeling.
LIFE / Language / COMMUNICATION CUES
Sep 12, 2016
Pop group SMAP to split up at year's end
Hugely popular boy band SMAP will break up at the end of the year, their management agency has announced.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 10, 2016
AKB48 management firm 'reviewing' Shanghai sister group amid 'contractual violations'
AKS, the firm that runs the all-female idol group AKB48, announced Thursday it is "reviewing" operations of its Shanghai-based sister unit, SNH48.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / 20 QUESTIONS
Apr 25, 2015
Ladybeard: 'Once you have decided exactly what you want to do, do it with everything you've got'
Ladybeard on Cookie Monster vocals and Japanese schoolgirl sailor outfits
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 27, 2014
New idol group The Margarines sing to pay off debts
Japan's entertainment industry has become so filled with idol groups that some call this the age of the "idol war."
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
May 10, 2014
Brush up on pop idol feuds before the exam
Last month, Meiji University's law department announced it would offer a social-psychology course on the boy band Arashi. The syllabus includes lectures about the group's individual members; its work in TV dramas and advertising; and the "culture of Johnny's Jimusho," Arashi's powerful production company....
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. 
Magnitude 5.5 earthquake jars Tokara Islands amid flurry of seismic activity
A strong quake struck off the Tokara Islands on Thursday afternoon, with the island chain having recorded around 1,000 earthquakes since a burst of seismic activity first began on June 21.
Japan to require flight passengers to keep power banks within sight
The transport ministry has announced new regulations requiring flight passengers to keep power banks within sight to mitigate fire risks while on board planes.
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."
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.
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.

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