Tag - idols

 
Menu
Search
 
June 30, 2026
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

IDOLS

Mei Hanada, a former member of the idol group AKB48, posted a video to X in response to her recent termination by the management.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 26, 2026
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.
Staff and older adults of an adult daycare facility in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward enjoy a livestream of singer Ryo Nakada, known for his repertoire of 550 golden oldies of the Showa Era (1926-1989), on April 8.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 10, 2026
Oshikatsu activities to support favorite idols spread to older generations
Experts say such activities help older people find purpose in life, adding that the popularity is likely to grow even more with the spread of livestreaming.
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
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.
J-pop boy band Arashi has launched its final tour, prompting businesses across Japan to make unusual adjustments to meet surging demand near concert venues.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2026
J-pop legends Arashi’s final tour drives intense demand for hotels and transport
Businesses are making unusual adjustments to accommodate the band’s overwhelming popularity and the impact of fans’ demand near venues across the country.
In Koji Fukada’s “Love on Trial,” a pop idol (Kyoko Saito) is sued by her management agency for violating the no-dating clause in her contract.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 22, 2026
‘Love on Trial’: When romance becomes a legal risk
Koji Fukada’s drama gets the details right about idol culture, but softens its moral punch.
A car carrying Naoya Yamaguchi, the suspect in a recent stabbing incident, leaves a police station in Fukuoka on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 19, 2025
Suspect says he targeted idol group members in Fukuoka stabbings
Two people — the staff member and a woman — were wounded in the incident near the dome in Fukuoka’s Chuo Ward.
This year's "Kohaku Uta Gassen" will be broadcast on NHK from 7:20 p.m. on Dec. 31.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 14, 2025
Chanmina and aespa among 10 acts to debut on NHK’s ‘Kohaku Uta Gassen’
The New Year’s Eve music spectacle on NHK will feature first-time acts such as idol group Fruits Zipper and long-awaited returns from bands like Okinawa’s Orange Range.
Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department headquarters
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 6, 2025
Member of boy band Ae! Group arrested on public indecency charge
Keita Richard Kusama is suspected of exposing his lower body around the entrance of a building in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
In 2019, the Japan Fair Trade Commission issued a warning to what was then Johnny & Associates for allegedly pressuring broadcasters to not offer work to three former members of now-disbanded boy band SMAP after they left the agency to pursue independent careers.
JAPAN
Oct 1, 2025
Japan’s antitrust watchdog issues new rules urging agencies to treat talent fairly
The Japan Fair Trade Commission’s new guidelines come after a survey last year found that some agencies were mistreating their performers.
Sakurazaka46, the idol pop outfit formerly known as Keyakizaka46, wrapped up an an 11-night nationwide tour this month.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 29, 2025
Sakurazaka46 wants the world to dance along
The 33-member idol group takes its spectacle-heavy performances on the road — and abroad.
J-pop idol Kenshin Kamimura leaves the West Kowloon Law Courts on bail in Hong Kong on Wednesday, after he was found guilty of indecent assault of a woman who worked as his interpreter at a restaurant in Mong Kok district in March this year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 14, 2025
Japanese star convicted of indecent assault in Hong Kong
Kenshin Kamimura, a former member of the boy band ONE N’ ONLY, harassed a woman who worked as his interpreter at a restaurant earlier this year.
Wakana, a Japanese fan of Thai BL, visits a temple in Thon Buri, Bangkok featured in the Thai adaptation of the Japanese series “Cherry Magic.” Her media consumption kindled an interest in Thai culture and language, and ultimately led her to relocate to Thailand. “I fell in love with the whole country,” she says.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Jul 28, 2025
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
Thailand has become a top producer of BL (boys’ love) dramas — and audiences in Japan are among the most ardent consumers.
Misa Kimura is the main producer for Kawaii Lab, a project by entertainment agency Asobisystem whose groups have found success by pairing a social media-first strategy with a fresh perspective on traditional idol-pop tropes.
CULTURE
Jul 17, 2025
Kawaii Lab redefines idol pop for the TikTok generation
The idol-pop project’s main producer, Misa Kimura — a former idol herself — is giving her performers more control over their image and sound.
Businesses who cater to fandoms gathered at Tokyo Lifestyle Week for the second annual Oshikatsu — Merch Collection Expo, a trade show devoted to fandom goods.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jul 12, 2025
Music idol and anime fandom merch is big business
Over 100 booths showed off the latest in acrylic stands, binoculars and cheering items such as glow sticks and flags at the second Oshikatsu — Merch Expo.
A clip of fans getting rowdy to see J-pop outfit Fruits Zipper prompted criticism about the idol fandom’s dark side.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jun 26, 2025
Why are idol fans throwing hands at the racetrack?
A recent Fruits Zipper fan frenzy stirred online criticism, raising questions about the line between passion and obsession in J-pop idol culture.
The year so far is only proving that Mrs. Green Apple is the biggest band in Japan. Their success also seems to be hinting at a change in the musical landscape more broadly.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 5, 2025
Six months into 2025, J-pop is having a full-on identity crisis (and a great time)
Halfway through 2025, J-pop is in flux — swinging between AI absurdity, idol nostalgia and viral sugar highs.
Director Koji Fukada and actor Kyoko Saito pose during a photocall for Fukada's new film, "Love on Trial," in Cannes, France.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 25, 2025
At Cannes, Fukada spotlights J-pop’s ban on idol romance
Director Koji Fukada’s new film, “Love on Trial,” explores Japan’s idol industry and the contracts that ban young women from dating.
Arashi is known for massive hit songs such as “A・RA・SHI,” “Love So Sweet” and “Happiness.”
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 7, 2025
J-pop group Arashi to disband after going on tour next spring
Current fan club members will be given priority to purchase tickets for the last concert tour.
Momoka Matsui and her co-worker Saki Matsumoto take photos of acrylic stand figure models of their favorite idols with cakes and teas, which they ordered at a Tokyo cafe where Matsui’s favorite boy band stopped by.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 5, 2025
Can Japan’s take on fandom help drive spending?
The explosion of “oshikatsu” (supporting favored celebrities or characters), which entered the mainstream during the pandemic, has economists and the Bank of Japan taking note.
Miho Nakayama rose to stardom in 1985 after the release of her first single “C,” which established her popularity as an idol.
CULTURE
Dec 9, 2024
Miho Nakayama, known for ‘Love Letter’ and her music, dies at 54
Nakayama had a solo Christmas show scheduled in Osaka on Friday, but had canceled the show in the morning, citing health reasons.
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.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
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.
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