Baseball / MLB Jun 16, 2022
Ken Watanabe throws out first pitch and sends encouragement to Shohei Ohtani
"I am looking forward to the results and success he can produce this year if he can avoid injury."
TV Apr 8, 2022
'Tokyo Vice' steps into the capital's criminal underworld
by James Hadfield
Ken Watanabe and Hideaki Ito star alongside Ansel Elgort in the cross-cultural series that brings to life an American reporter's memoir about investigating Japan's yakuza in the 1990s.
National Mar 4, 2021
Ken Watanabe's support for survivors of 3/11 is a 'lifetime's work'
by May Masangkay
The actor's decadelong efforts to help survivors of the March 11 disaster include opening a cafe in Miyagi Prefecture and launching websites to solicit donations and words of encouragement.
Stage Mar 13, 2020
Conquering history and conquering the stage with Ken Watanabe
by Nobuko Tanaka
Japanese actor Ken Watanabe returns to 'Pizarro' 35 years after his last performance in the play, this time in the lead role as the titular Spanish conquistador.
Books Mar 7, 2020
What ‘Fukushima 50’ can teach us about crises
by Mark Schilling
Author and journalist Ryusho Kadota on how the nation's handling of the 3/11 triple disaster bodes for its ongoing response to COVID-19.
Film Mar 6, 2020
Paying cinematic tribute to the 'Fukushima 50'
by Matthew Hernon
Actor Koichi Sato discusses his role in "Fukushima 50," a film which looks at the events that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake
Film / Reviews Mar 5, 2020
'Fukushima 50': A disaster film with real-life roots
by Mark Schilling
Ken Watanabe and Koichi Sato star in the first film dramatization of the meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant.
Film Jun 12, 2019
Dai Watanabe: Forging his own path, away from the familiar
by Kaori Shoji
Though he rarely acknowledges the fact in public, Dai Watanabe is the son of Ken Watanabe: arguably Japan's most internationally known actor since Toshiro Mifune. Among Japanese media, the fact is common knowledge, though in interviews with Watanabe junior, the subject is often off-limits. Dai ...
Entertainment News Mar 6, 2019
Actor Ken Watanabe was nominated Tuesday for the 2019 Laurence Olivier Awards in the category for best actor in a musical for his role in "The King and I." The other actors in the running are Marc Antolin of "Little Shop of Horrors," Kobna Holdbrook-Smith ...
More Sports / Swimming Feb 13, 2019
Words of support pour in for swimmer Rikako Ikee after leukemia diagnosis
Words of encouragement poured in for swimming star Rikako Ikee on Tuesday after she revealed she had been diagnosed with leukemia. Ikee, an 18-year-old Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medal hopeful who became the first female athlete to be named MVP at the 2018 Asian Games, ...
Stage Jan 22, 2019
The 'King' returns and theaters look to Russia for 2019
by Nobuko Tanaka
Whether it's regular theater that gets you going these days — or you're skipping along more to musicals — as 2019's curtains rise, variety will be the spice of live stages this coming year. In the realm of musicals, American composer Dave Malloy's 2012 "electropop ...
Stage Jun 16, 2018
Ken Watanabe: Japan's flag-bearer in the world of entertainment
by Shaun Curran
Ahead of the opening of 'The King and I' in London on June 21, the award-winning actor calls on young Japanese to step outside their comfort zone.