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December 06, 2025
 

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CULTURE

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Entertainment news
Jeremy O. Harris at the Met Gala in New York in May
CULTURE / Entertainment news
U.S. playwright Jeremy O. Harris arrested in Okinawa for alleged drug smuggling
Known for his Tony-nominated "Slave Play" and his appearance in the hit show "Emily in Paris," Harris was detained at Naha Airport on Nov. 16.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mr. Men and Little Miss characters set for first feature film
The beloved Mr. Men and Little Miss characters will appear in their first feature film, a new project from Studiocanal, Heyday Films and Sanrio.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oscar-winning U.K. playwright Tom Stoppard dies at 88
As well as his Oscar, Stoppard won three Oliviers and five Tonys, among the top awards in the theater world.
"Ryuichi Sakamoto: Last Days" traces the trailblazing musician’s life after his terminal cancer diagnosis, showing how he confronted mortality while continuing to create.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 26, 2025
NHK’s ‘Last Days’ wins International Emmy for Ryuichi Sakamoto portrait
By Alyssa I. Smith
The documentary lands Japan’s sole prize at the ceremony honoring television from around the world.
The latest “Demon Slayer” film has become the first Japanese movie to top ¥100 billion ($644 million) in global box office revenue, its distributors said.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 18, 2025
New ‘Demon Slayer’ film becomes first Japanese movie to break ¥100 billion
Released outside of Japan in August, including in North America and China, the film has attracted 89.17 million viewers internationally.
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’
By Patrick St. Michel
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.
Tatsuya Nakadai
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 11, 2025
Renowned Japanese actor Tatsuya Nakadai dies at 92
By Weiwen Lin
The actor was best known for his role as an aging warlord in Akira Kurosawa’s “Ran.”
The award winners from this year's Tokyo International Film Festival pose for a photo at the closing ceremony on Wednesday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 7, 2025
‘Palestine 36’ wins top honor as TIFF wraps a 10-day celebration of cinema
By Alyssa I. Smith
The Tokyo International Film Festival closed its 38th edition with a screening of Chloe Zhao’s “Hamnet.”
London-based composer Dai Fujikura speaks during an interview in London on Oct. 6.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 4, 2025
Hokusai-themed opera 'The Great Wave' to premiere in Scotland
The opera is the latest work by London-based composer Dai Fujikura and is a joint production with Scotland's Scottish Opera.
Director Junji Sakamoto (left) walked the Tokyo International Film Festival red carpet with Sayuri Yoshinaga (center) and Non (right), who both play mountaineer Junko Tabei, the first woman to summit Mount Everest, in the biopic "Climbing for Life."
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 28, 2025
Tokyo Film Festival opens with global stars and a spotlight on Asian storytelling
By Alyssa I. Smith
From Juliette Binoche’s directorial debut to Paul Schrader’s Mishima biopic, this year’s festival celebrates cross-cultural creativity.

Japan to require nationality in property registrations
The government is looking to include nationality in a planned property registration database amid concerns that condominium purchases by foreign citizens have driven up prices.
The key points under discussion on policies affecting foreign nationals
Visitors head to Shirakawago, a popular tourist spot, in Gifu Prefecture in November.
Man accused of shooting Abe apologizes to former PM’s widow and family
The Nara District Court where Tetsuya Yamagami, 45, is on trial for the murder of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. Abe's wife, Akie, attended the trial on Wednesday for the first time.
China massing military ships across region in show of maritime force, sources say
A Chinese warship participates in joint Navy exercise of Iran, China and Russia in the Gulf of Oman, Iran, on March 12.
Japan’s fitness industry is catering to a new clientele: Health-conscious seniors
Masato Edamitsu, the 60-year-old founder of Shinshin Kenko Club, training and guiding his client
Kashima or Kashiwa: J. League title chase goes down to the wire
Kashima's Yuma Suzuki (center) takes a shot during a game against Kashiwa in March.
2025 was the year Japan’s box office returned
In 2025, “Demon Slayer” and “Kokuho” broke box-office records, while films such as “Renoir,” A Pale View of the Hills” and “Two Strangers, Two Seasons” garnered acclaim on the international film festival circuit. The year’s biggest loss was the death of Tatsuya Nakadai, an highly regarded actor who had worked with nearly all of the top directors of Japanese cinema’s postwar golden age.
The key points under discussion on policies affecting foreign nationals
Visitors head to Shirakawago, a popular tourist spot, in Gifu Prefecture in November.
A French cabbie behind the wheel in small-town Japan
A native of the Jura region of France, Severine Lamielle moved to Tottori Prefecture in 2024 and found a job as a taxi driver.
A new animation festival lands in Nagoya with big plans
Aichi Nagoya International Animation Film Festival director Shinichiro Inoue (left) and artistic director Tadashi Sudo (right) started the new event in Nagoya in part due to local government support and Aichi Prefecture’s ongoing investment in arts and culture.

Podcast

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

Longform

Yumi Matsutoya began her decades-long career under her maiden name, Yumi Arai, but Japanese fans might know her better as “Yuming.”
Yumi Matsutoya’s human touch in an AI age
By Patrick St. Michel

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