Tag - television

 
 

TELEVISION

Japanese creatives, athletes and activists saw their efforts recognized on the world stage in various ways this year. At the Oscars (left) Takashi Yamazaki and his team took a prize for “Godzilla Minus One,” while later in the year Anna Sawai and Hiroyuki Sanada (center) took Emmys for their work in “Shogun.” Shohei Ohtani (right) was arguably the biggest Japanese star of the year.
CULTURE / 2024 in Review
Dec 4, 2024
Japan's soft power soared to new heights in 2024
From Oscars and Emmys to a Nobel Peace Prize, it was a year of awards and triumphs in key cultural fields.
Netflix's subscribers in Japan topped 10 million in the first half of this year, with Japanese content being its third-most-viewed non-English content, after those in Korean and Spanish.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 4, 2024
Netflix Japan subscribers top 10 million
The streaming firm's Japanese-language programming is grabbing attention in the growing market.
Sharp's plant in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, that has ceased production of large liquid crystal display panels for television, a symbolic end to the company's signature business.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 1, 2024
Sharp marks end of era with halt to large LCD panel production
Now owned by a Taiwanese investor, Sharp has also scaled back production of small and medium-sized LCD panels used in smartphones and personal computers.
Hiroyuki Fukuda is due to become the new president of Nippon Television Holdings in April.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 30, 2024
Four Nippon TV affiliates to integrate management in April
The aim of the merger is to stabilize their business base and address the increasingly tough business environment resulting from media diversification.
"Les Gouttes de Dieu" ("Drops of God") took home the award for best drama at the 52nd International Emmy Awards in New York on Monday. Starring Fleur Geffrier (left) and Tomohisa Yamashita, it's available on Hulu Japan, France Televisions and Apple+.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 26, 2024
French-Japanese series takes best drama at International Emmys
The joint French-Japanese-American production “Les Gouttes de Dieu” (“Drops of God”) is set in the world of wine and fine dining.
The first phase of growth for Warner Bros. in Asia will come from partnerships with local streaming platforms and telecom operators, with the Max standalone app only being launched once the company thinks it has a big enough audience.
BUSINESS / Companies
Nov 18, 2024
Warner Brothers brings Max to Asia with cautious Hollywood-first strategy
Warner is relying on established franchises like Harry Potter and Friends to draw viewers across the region, setting it apart from rivals Netflix and Disney.
Matt Groening (right), creator of the show "The Simpsons," attends the premiere of the "The Simpsons Movie" along with characters from the series in Springfield, Vermont, in July 2007.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024
‘The Simpsons’ has become a parody of itself. That’s a good thing.
With the "The Simpsons" viewership down to just 10% of its peak, the show is often in the news for controversies rather than content.
Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani hits a fly ball against the Yankees in the first inning for Game 2 of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles on Saturday.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 29, 2024
World Series setting viewership records in Japan
Fewer people have been watching "America's Pastime" in the U.S. than in Japan.
Yukio Hattori was an integral part of "Iron Chef" broadcasts, though his impact on food culture in Japan went far beyond the TV screen.
LIFE / Food & Drink
Oct 27, 2024
Remembering Yukio Hattori, the voice of ‘Iron Chef’
Yukio Hattori was best known to international audiences as the expert commentator on the original Japanese version of the popular TV program “Iron Chef,”
Stadium workers paint the World Series logo on the field at Dodger Stadium on Thursday, a day ahead of the start of the Fall Classic.
BASEBALL / MLB
Oct 25, 2024
Baseball’s biggest stars and biggest markets align for MLB broadcaster
As much as the history of the two franchises, the teams’ star players and league-leading records this season should help attract more casual baseball fans.
NHK plans to start charging online viewers in October of next year.
JAPAN
Oct 9, 2024
NHK to charge monthly online viewer fee of ¥1,100 starting next year
The fee will be collected from people who sign up only for the online service.
As streaming services like Netflix invest in Japanese content, the hope is to revitalize the nation’s cultural exports and elevate its television landscape.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Oct 9, 2024
Netflix’s ‘Tokyo Swindlers’ reveals some surprising truths
"Tokyo Swindlers" can reveal some home truths — even when they’re presented by a group of fraudsters.
Dame Maggie Smith, a star of the stage, film and television, died Sept. 27 in London. She was 89. The actor is pictured here in 2015.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Sep 27, 2024
'National treasure' U.K. actor Maggie Smith dies aged 89
Over the course of her long career, Dame Maggie Smith won a Tony, two Oscars, three Golden Globes and five Bafta Awards.
Actor Zhu Jian, 69, rehearses with other actors on the set of a micro movie during a filming session at a banquet hall in Zhengzhou, Henan province, China, on July 16.
BUSINESS
Sep 23, 2024
Micro dramas shake up China's film industry, aim for Hollywood
The leader in the micro drama space is Kuaishou, an app that accounted for 60% of the top 50 Chinese micro dramas last year.
Anna Sawai (left), winner of the outstanding lead actress in a drama series award, and Hiroyuki Sanada, outstanding lead actor in a drama series for "Shogun," at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Sep 18, 2024
Japanese are jubilant over 'Shogun' — even without having watched the series
"Shogun" is only available via Disney's streaming platform, which is relatively new in Japan. Nonetheless, people are buzzing with excitement over the show's Emmy wins.
Hiroyuki Sanada and the cast and crew of "Shogun" accept the award for best drama series at the 76th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, California.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Sep 16, 2024
‘Shogun’ and the painstaking art of ‘getting it right’
The Emmys-sweeping period drama went to great lengths to achieve historical accuracy — but that's just one piece of a bigger puzzle.
Japanese actress Anna Sawai, winner of the outstanding lead actress in a drama series award for "Shogun," and Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, winner of the outstanding lead actor in a drama series award for the show, pose in the press room during the 76th Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Sep 16, 2024
'Shogun' becomes first non-English-language winner of best drama Emmy
Veteran leading man Hiroyuki Sanada and co-lead Anna Sawai also took home acting awards for their roles in the show.
NHK President Nobuo Inaba speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday.
JAPAN
Sep 11, 2024
NHK director resigns over Chinese staff member's controversial comments
The Chinese staff member said in Chinese-language radio news on Aug. 19 that the Japanese-administered Senkaku Islands were part of Chinese territory.
Anna Sawai's performance as Lady Mariko in the FX series "Shogun" landed the actor an Emmy nomination for best actress in a drama.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Aug 29, 2024
In ‘Shogun,’ Anna Sawai drew on the power of silence. And Mozart.
“It gives me confidence,” Sawai says about her first Emmy nomination, for best actress in a drama. “I have such bad impostor syndrome.”
NHK's headquarters in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward
JAPAN
Aug 23, 2024
NHK chief apologizes for Senkaku Islands report on Chinese news
NHK is considering seeking damages from and filing a criminal complaint against a Chinese newscaster over the incident.

Longform

Once smoky, male-dominated spaces, today's net cafes, like Kaikatsu Club, are working to make their operations more attractive to women customers.
The second life of Japan's net cafes