Conquering history and conquering the stage with Ken Watanabe
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.
What ‘Fukushima 50’ can teach us about crises
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.
Paying cinematic tribute to the 'Fukushima 50'
Actor Koichi Sato discusses his role in "Fukushima 50," a film which looks at the events that followed the Great East Japan Earthquake
'Fukushima 50': A disaster film with real-life roots
Ken Watanabe and Koichi Sato star in the first film dramatization of the meltdown at the Fukushima No. 1 power plant.
Dai Watanabe: Forging his own path, away from the familiar
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 ...
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 ...
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, ...
The 'King' returns and theaters look to Russia for 2019
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 ...
Ken Watanabe: Japan's flag-bearer in the world of entertainment
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.
Japanese actor Ken Watanabe has split with actress wife: agency
Japanese actor Ken Watanabe, who has appeared in a number of American films including the 2003 period drama "The Last Samurai," has split with his actress wife Kaho Minami, their agencies said Thursday. The couple's divorce came about a year after a magazine reported that ...
There's no business like a star's personal business
If you've got a Twitter account in Japan, you've probably seen the promoted tweets for Netflix featuring comedian Sanma Akashiya. In these video spots, Sanma compares working for a streaming service to working for a commercial broadcaster, but doesn't mention the context for his ...
Van Sant plots a bleak hike through Aokigahara
At least Arthur Brennan didn't want sushi, an AKB48 concert or a night out on the town with a maiko (trainee geisha) on his arm. As Japan's ranking soars on the international travelers' destination lists, the more cliched their itineraries seem to get. But ...
