Menu
Search
 
June 30, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

CULTURE

Entertainment news

Film
Books
Art
Music
TV & Streaming
Stage
Entertainment news
Singer and actor Kazuya Kamenashi to marry Minami Tanaka
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Singer and actor Kazuya Kamenashi to marry Minami Tanaka
The pair added that Tanaka is pregnant with their first child.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Buzzcut backlash: AKB48 member’s termination stirs online furor
Mei Hanada’s response video to her termination from idol group AKB48 echoes a scandal involving a different member of the pop outfit from 2013.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Grammys to add best Asian pop music performance category in 2027
The new Grammy category gives J-pop, K-pop and C-pop acts greater opportunities for international recognition.
Seen here in an archival shot, Osamu Tezuka's influence on Japanese anime has been monumental.
CULTURE / Entertainment news / CULTURE SMASH
Jun 17, 2026
As his centennial nears, Osamu Tezuka gets a global reintroduction
By Roland Kelts
Japan reveres Osamu Tezuka. As his centennial approaches, a slew of events hope to show why the rest of the world should, too.
J-pop group Arashi ended its long career with a final nationwide tour and the last concert took place in Tokyo on May 31.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 5, 2026
J-pop group Arashi takes its final bow at Tokyo Dome
By Alyssa I. Smith
For millions of fans, the final concert was more than the end of one of Japan’s most beloved boy bands — it was the closing of a chapter that began in childhood.
Yo Kitamura won the fifth prize in the cello division of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels on Sunday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 31, 2026
Japanese cellist Kitamura wins fifth prize in Brussels contest
Kitamura, 22, played Russian composer Sergey Prokofiev’s Symphony-Concerto and other works with the Belgian National Orchestra.
"Nagi Notes" director Koji Fukada attends a press conference at the 79th edition of the Cannes Film Festival.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 15, 2026
At Cannes, director Koji Fukada says AI undermines the creative process
By Hanna Rantala
Speaking at Cannes, the “Nagi Notes” director warned that AI-generated art may come at the expense of human expression and discovery.
The Venice Biennale dates back to 1895, when the first International Art Exhibition was organized.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 1, 2026
Jury of Italy’s Venice Biennale resigns en masse
By Ella IDE
Following the resignations, the Biennale said it has decided that the award ceremony, previously scheduled for May 9, will take place on Nov. 22.
Director Hirokazu Kore-eda's “Sheep in the Box" is up for a Palme d’Or at this year's Cannes Film Festival. Films by Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Koji Fukada are also in the running for the festival's top prize.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 14, 2026
Three Japanese directors vie for top prize at Cannes, a first since 2001
By Alyssa I. Smith
Hirokazu Kore-eda, Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Koji Fukada bring a strong Japanese presence to the Cannes Film Festival’s competition section this year.
Awich performs with fellow rappers Ai, Nene and MaRi at last year's Music Awards Japan in Kyoto. This year's edition will take place in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 27, 2026
Music Awards Japan sets June return in Tokyo
By Alyssa I. Smith
A week of events will precede the June 13 ceremony, which has expanded entries and categories for year two.

Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Chinese and Russian bombers and fighter jets stage joint patrol near Japan
A Chinese Air Force H-6 bomber is seen during a joint patrol with Russian military aircraft on Saturday.
U.S. missile moves in Japan send China clear message: A new era has arrived
Soldiers conduct the first Typhon midrange capability live-fire exercise outside of the continental United States, firing an SM-6 missile in July last year in Australia's Northern Territory during Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
LGBTQ+ families are building lives Japanese lawmakers still struggle to see
Haru Ono founded Nijiiro Kazoku in 2010 after forming a same-sex stepfamily. She said the impetus for founding the organization was that she couldn’t find much reliable information out there for families such as hers in Japan.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency
New Logistics Consortium baton to accelerate trucking efficiency

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER

Latest News

Reform panel calls for easing data center building standards
9 hours ago
World Cup offers chance to find right broadcasting balance for fans in Japan
11 hours ago
Thai mother sentenced for trafficking daughter to Tokyo sex trade
11 hours ago
Government vows to fight suit on bail denials for Ohkawara adviser
11 hours ago
Prosecutors seek life sentence over 2013 Ohsho president murder
11 hours ago