Tag - japanese

 
 

JAPANESE

Artistically talented 14-year-old Sosuke (Konosuke Harada) finds himself pulled into deeper currents in his coastal town in “Seaside Serendipity.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 22, 2025
‘Seaside Serendipity’: A pastel-soaked reverie on youthful creativity
Satoko Yokohama’s film blends watercolor whimsy, bohemian houseguests and a school newspaper scoop gone too far into a youth-skewed summer tale.
The Kyoto District Court on Thursday delivered a guilty verdict on the founder of video-sharing service FC2 over obscene videos that appeared on the platform.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 21, 2025
Founder of video platform FC2 found guilty of hosting obscene videos
A Kyoto court sentenced Riyo Takahashi, 51, to three years in prison — suspended for five years — and fined him ¥2.5 million.
Investigators from the Hyogo Prefectural Police examine an area near an apartment building where a 24-year-old woman was fatally stabbed in Kobe on Wednesday evening.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 21, 2025
24-year-old woman fatally stabbed in Kobe apartment building
Police are treating the case as a homicide and are searching for the suspect, believed to be in his 20s or 30s.
Investigators escort suspects extradited from Cambodia after arresting them on suspicion of attempted fraud, on Wednesday at Chubu Centrair International Airport in the city of Tokoname, Aichi Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 21, 2025
Aichi police arrest 29 Japanese extradited from Cambodia over phone scams
The suspects allegedly posed as police officers when calling victims in the Kanto region to swindle them of cash.
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that a document on his country's trade deal with Japan is being prepared.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 20, 2025
Lutnick: Japan’s $550 billion will be directed by Trump
The U.S. commerce secretary said the funds promised by Tokyo in the course of tariff talks will be deployed to benefit the United States.
Japan's core machinery orders rose 3.0% in June, the first increase in three months.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 20, 2025
Japan's core machinery orders up 3.0% in June
The private-sector orders — which exclude those for ships and equipment used at power utilities — amounted to ¥941.2 billion.
A pachinko parlor worker and two others were arrested over a case of about ¥28 million in cash being stolen from the safe of the parlor in Aizuwakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 20, 2025
Pachinko parlor employee arrested for alleged role in robbery
The employee's involvement in the case came to light based on the statements of two others who had already been arrested for the robbery.
Exports fell 2.6% in value in July from a year earlier, posting the biggest downturn since February 2021, led by cars, auto parts and steel.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 20, 2025
Japan’s exports tumble most in four years as U.S. tariff pain intensifies
Exports fell 2.6% in value from a year earlier, sliding more than the median forecast of a 2.1% decline, the Finance Ministry has reported.
Police first suspected a bear attack, but multiple stab wounds on the victim's body pointed to homicide.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 20, 2025
Police suspect son, not bear, behind man's death in Akita Prefecture
The case was reclassified as a homicide, and not a bear attack, after police discovered what appeared to be knife wounds on the victim's body.
Kenta Torihama, 33, often describes kamikaze pilots as "human beings like us."
JAPAN
Aug 20, 2025
Passing on the stories of kamikaze pilots as 'human beings, not heroes'
Kenta Torihama, 33, says the pilots "had people they wanted to protect, and they departed (on their suicide missions) after much agony and anguish."
A Japanese soldier (Eiji Funakoshi) with tuberculosis struggles to survive in the Filipino countryside during World War II in “Fires on the Plain.”
CULTURE / Film
Aug 20, 2025
‘Fires on the Plain’: Haunting imagery in restored 1959 war film stands the test of time
Now restored in 4K, Kon Ichikawa’s film is a far from simple survival story that stares into humanity’s darkest corners.
Tokyo stocks moved higher on Tuesday morning in uninspired trading.
BUSINESS / Markets
Aug 19, 2025
Tokyo stocks hit a fourth all-time high in six trading days
Nikkei 225 ekes out another record and then falls back to end the day down.
A third-party probe into the Fuji TV scandal had reported about a dinner hosted by an executive attended by “a powerful male cast member,” since revealed to be singer and actor Masaharu Fukuyama.
JAPAN / Media
Aug 19, 2025
Masaharu Fukuyama admits to attending Fuji TV dinner
The singer-actor said he was the “powerful male cast member” referenced by a third-party panel investigating the broadcaster, but denied involvement in any harassment.
A scene from "Kokuho"
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 19, 2025
'Kokuho' rakes in over ¥10 billion at the box office
"Kokuho" is now the third-highest-grossing Japanese live-action movie ever after the 2003 film "Bayside Shakedown 2" and the 1983 movie "Antarctica."
The Bank of Japan maintains a wait-and-see approach as calls grow for it to raise rates.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Aug 19, 2025
Bank of Japan encouraged to increase rates soon, before it’s too late
Business and political leaders argue that inflation is too high and must be brought under control soon.
Hideko Hakamata, sister of Iwao Hakamata, after his retrial reached a not-guilty verdict in September 2024 in the city of Shizuoka.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 19, 2025
Hakamata, acquitted after 47-year jail term, to seek ¥600 million in damages
Lawyers for Iwao Hakamata said the damages claim covers lost income during his time in custody and care expenses after his release.
Inside the Mount Zozan underground bunker, which was once planned as a relocation site for government agencies, on May 22 in the city of Nagano
JAPAN / Society
Aug 19, 2025
Nagano residents recall wartime efforts to build replacement military HQ
The replacement headquarters was not completed, but construction continued until the day of Japan's surrender in the war.
Stocks are hitting new highs on a daily basis as quiet market optimism takes hold.
BUSINESS / Economy
Aug 18, 2025
Tokyo stocks hit record highs for the third time in a week
A general sense of optimism has taken hold despite the lack of specific market-boosting news.  
Sho Miyake receives the Pardo d'Oro, or Golden Leopard, prize at the award ceremony of the 78th Locarno Film Festival held in Locarno, southern Switzerland, on Saturday.
CULTURE / Film
Aug 17, 2025
Sho Miyake's 'Tabi to Hibi' wins top prize at Locarno Film Festival
This is the first Japanese movie to receive the award since 2007, when "Ai no Yokan" ("The Rebirth"), directed by Masahito Kobayashi, was given the prize.
Rachel Simons' debut cookbook, “Sesame: Global Recipes + Stories of an Ancient Seed," is filled with fun, inspirational ideas, such as the tahini cream cheese frosting with carrot cake encrusted with sesame seeds.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Aug 17, 2025
From a piquant paste to a crisp crust, sesame shines in many forms
Packed with historical nuggets and inspirational recipes, Rachel Simons' debut cookbook offers a rich, entertaining dive into the Japanese kitchen staple.

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’