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June 30, 2026
 

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LIFE

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On Dragon Quest’s 40th anniversary, ‘it’s impossible to ignore its influence’
LIFE / Digital
On Dragon Quest’s 40th anniversary, ‘it’s impossible to ignore its influence’
The famous JRPG franchise that developers around the world say set the standard for the genre turns 40 on May 27.
LIFE / Digital
A salaryman, a ghost and a water spirit walk into a coffee bar
Out May 21, visual novel Coffee Talk Tokyo trades flashy gameplay for thoughtful meditations on life in a near-future Japan.
LIFE / Digital
Forza Horizon 6 is all gas, no brakes in series’ first Japan pit stop
The newest entry to the arcade racing series isn’t exactly subtle about portraying Japan as a playground for cars — but that’s what makes it so fun.
Japanese content creators in China have emerged as informal “digital diplomats,” using social media to share everyday experiences amid a period of deepening tension between Tokyo and Beijing.
LIFE / Digital / Longform
May 11, 2026
How Japanese influencers in China are bridging a growing divide
By Mike Fu
Japanese creators in China show daily life to audiences in both countries amid rising tensions and mutual suspicion.
Alongside the simplified management of a convenience store, Inkonbini asks players to help a small cast of regular shoppers with not only their shopping but problems in their personal lives.
LIFE / Digital
Apr 25, 2026
Inkonbini: Slice-of-life, cozy gaming from Japan’s convenience stores
By Gendel Gento
Inkonbini developer Dima Shen says convenience stores are like “safe rooms” from video games: familiar, friendly and always there when you need them.
Johnny Somali received a prison sentence of six months with 20 days detention after repeated acts of disturbing the public in South Korea.
LIFE / Digital
Apr 15, 2026
‘Nuisance streamer’ Johnny Somali sentenced to six months in prison
By Patrick St. Michel
The 25-year-old American influencer received a prison sentence from a South Korean court for repeated acts of disturbing the public.
At his studio, Grasshopper Manufacture, offbeat developer Goichi Suda makes games he likes to play — critics be damned.
LIFE / Digital
Mar 21, 2026
For Suda51, punk in games isn’t dead. It’s reloading.
By Gendel Gento
With irreverent humor, touches of Japanese culture and a clash of gameplay styles, Romeo is a Dead Man carries on Goichi Suda’s trademark approach to games.
Resident Evil Requiem is a fantastic marriage of the long-running franchise's disparate halves marred (only in Japan) by the realities of censorship.
LIFE / Digital
Mar 21, 2026
Why Resident Evil Requiem bleeds less in Japan
By Owen Ziegler
The latest game in the long-running horror franchise is a blend of action and terror that suffers only from its approach to blood and gore.
While major gaming corporations will be able to afford higher font fees, smaller companies or lone developers are faced with only one solution: time-consuming work to switch over to new systems.
LIFE / Digital
Feb 21, 2026
5,200% price hike on fonts has Japan’s indie game devs scrambling
By Gendel Gento
The new pricing structure from Tokyo-based Fontworks, which is owned by U.S.-based Monotype, also includes caps on users that would incur even more fees.
Sonic the Hedgehog, Castlevania's Alucard and the weak yet lovable Slime from Dragon Quest are just some of Japan's iconic gaming franchises celebrating midlife anniversaries in 2026.
LIFE / Digital / Longform
Feb 20, 2026
Japan’s gaming icons are getting midlife makeovers as they hit their 40s
By Owen Ziegler
Zelda, Pokemon, Dragon Quest and more mark major anniversaries in 2026 — a milestone year for the industry they built.

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

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