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May 04, 2026
 

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Philip Brasor
Director Park Chan-wook and the cast of his latest film ¡°No Other Choice¡± attended the Busan International Film Festival¡¯s glittering opening ceremony where the film¡¯s lead actor, Lee Byung-hun, served as host.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 2, 2025
Revamped Busan film festival turns 30 with expanded cinematic showcase
Since its inception, BIFF has been a launchpad for Asian cinema. This year, it grew bigger and brighter with a new Competition section, 90 world premieres and high-profile guests.
In recent years, Fuji Rock has had fewer blockbuster performers and showcased more top-selling Japanese acts and international musicians' first-time performances in Japan.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 24, 2025
Behind the scenes: Inside Fuji Rock¡¯s strategy for staying on top
With younger fans, more diverse acts and rising global interest, Fuji Rock ¡ª one of Asia¡¯s biggest music festivals ¡ª is seeing its strongest turnout in years.
Fuji Rock Festival turns the green slopes of Niigata Prefecture¡¯s Naeba Ski Resort into a summer escape that offers soundtracks for every mood.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 22, 2025
JT picks: What not to miss at Fuji Rock 2025
Ready for Fuji Rock? Here are The Japan Times crew's recommendations for must-see artists at next weekend's three-day music festival.
One of the themes in American guitarist Marty Friedman¡¯s autobiography ¡°Dreaming Japanese¡± is that while he has become a star in his own right in Japan, he still feels that he doesn¡¯t ¡°belong.¡±
CULTURE / Books
Jan 1, 2025
Guitarist Marty Friedman goes to bat for J-pop in new autobiography
"Dreaming Japanese" tells the story of how the Megadeth guitarist navigated 91²Ö¿â music industry.
Journalist Shiori Ito's documentary "Black Box Diaries," which follows her own investigation into her sexual assault and struggle for justice, was one of 19 Japanese films that screened at the Busan International Film Festival this month.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 18, 2024
Japan-based features generate buzz at Busan International Film Festival
With 278 films on offer, Asia's largest film festival tackled heavy themes such as assisted suicide and struggles faced by migrants.
What would the Fuji Rock Festival have looked like if it had been an urban festival? Not like this, that's for sure.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Aug 2, 2024
The Fuji Rock experience is as much about its natural setting as it is about music
Having attended every edition of Fuji Rock except one, Philip Brasor believes the concert's natural setting is one of its best draws.
The members of Glay ¡ª (from left) Jiro, Teru, Takuro and Hisashi ¡ª are celebrating 30 years of rocking out as a band.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 12, 2024
Glay celebrates three decades of rock greatness
The band's 12-month-long Glay Expo takes the idea of a concert tour to the next level for the anniversary of its major label debut.
Tokyo International Film Festival celebrated the 120th anniversary of Yasujiro Ozu¡¯s birth with screenings of the director¡¯s films, including 1953¡¯s ¡°Tokyo Story.¡± The festival also held a symposium featuring three world-class filmmakers discussing Ozu¡¯s contributions: Kiyoshi Kurosawa, Jia Zhangke and Kelly Reichardt.
CULTURE / Film
Nov 9, 2023
Kelly Reichardt: 'Yasujiro Ozu truly tries to achieve stillness'
The indie director discusses Ozu's cinematic impact on the 120th anniversary of his birth at the Tokyo International Film Festival.
Busan International Film Festival host Song Kang-ho presents the Asian Filmmaker of the Year award to veteran Hong Kong star Chow Yun-fat at the 2023 edition of the Asian film festival.
CULTURE / Film
Oct 18, 2023
Film fans flock to Busan festival despite scandal
Busan International Film Festival remains a prestige Asian movie event amid internal strife and budget cuts.
Japan Times
COMMENTARY / Japan
May 18, 2023
How Japanese media companies enabled Johnny¡¯s abuse
The power dynamics of 91²Ö¿â entertainment and media industries ultimately meant that accusations of sexual abuse were not investigated.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Mar 3, 2023
South Korean film 'Hommage' looks to lost names and memories
In her latest movie, director Shin Su-won illuminates the struggles women behind the camera have faced in her country's film industry.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film
Oct 21, 2022
Busan International Film Festival benefits from the 'Parasite' bump
Japan had a strong showing with a new section focused on the country's cinema and the closing film at the 10-day event in South Korea.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 25, 2021
COVID-19 continued to dominate media coverage in 2021. Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
Domestic papers turn their attention to the plight of foreign residents, while we hand out gongs for 91²Ö¿â media personalities of the year.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 18, 2021
Sapporo faces uphill battle convincing public about 2030 Winter Games bid
About half of all respondents to a 2014 survey said they were worried about how much the Games would cost. A lot has changed since then.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 11, 2021
Media divided over impact of immigration law revisions
The business community wants the government to allow them to hire more foreign workers, but some members of the public are anxious about allowing more foreign people to live in Japan.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 4, 2021
Opposition party sets sights on expense allowances
91²Ö¿â lawmakers each receive u00a51 million per month to help pay for things such as postage and transportation, regardless of how many days the recipient works.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 27, 2021
Reporter¡¯s death puts spotlight on shifting media landscape
Cash-strapped news outlets are increasingly asking staff to do more and more work, some of which has nothing to do with journalism.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 20, 2021
Lawsuit seeks to halt execution of death row inmates in Japan without advance notice
Prisoners in Japan are currently informed of their impending executions one or two hours before they are carried out.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 13, 2021
Toyota struggling to keep up with demand for electric vehicles
Toyota has been stubborn about trying to extend the life of the internal combustion engine as long as possible while other automakers are pushing electric models.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 6, 2021
¡®Fanatic¡¯ documentary deals with what happens when your favorite K-pop star breaks bad
A new documentary film titled ¡°Fanatic¡± explores the world of K-pop fandom. Can it also teach us something about the fans of J-pop stars?
Yen soars as Japan intervenes after issuing 'final' warning
Pedestrians walk past a stock quotation board showing the exchange rate between the U.S. dollar and the Japanese yen, outside a brokerage in Tokyo on Thursday.
Not even Japanese bathhouses are immune from shocks of Iran war
The interior of Ume-no-yu, a public bathhouse in the city of Nagano. Soaring oil prices driven by the war in the Middle East are threatening to deal a final blow to a storied Japanese institution: the sento, or traditional public bathhouse.
New Zealand officials reject statue remembering 91²Ö¿â comfort women
A statue symbolizing former South Korean comfort women in Seoul
Water shortages hit tourist spots in Japan during Golden Week
A hot spring facility in the city of Tomioka, Gunma Prefecture, has suspended the operation of its open-air baths since March.
Japan determined to prop up yen through intervention
An electronic board displays the foreign exchange rate of the yen against the dollar along a street in Tokyo on Thursday.
For tourists in Japan¡¯s outdoor sports scene, safety is not guaranteed
Each winter, countless tourists flock to Japan's famous snow-covered mountains, but a lack of top-down regulation on the country's outdoor sports industry can make certain activities unnecessarily risky.
¡®Sashiko¡¯ needlework artisan says craft is about 'the stories behind the stitching'
Traditional Japanese needlework has exploded in popularity, but a book from a third-generation artisan aims to bring more context to the craft's newfound popularity.
Tennis trailblazer Kei Nishikori announces his retirement
Kei Nishikori, who has won 12 titles on the ATP Tour and climbed as high as No. 4 in the world rankings, on Thursday announced his retirement.
Japanese fried chicken with a Southern twist
A buttermilk-inspired marinade gives a rich umami flavor to your fried chicken.
Documentary captures the long echo of Fukushima's nuclear disaster
Toru Yamada¡¯s documentary ¡°At the Triangle Intersection,¡± which delves into the lingering impact of the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, follows Tetsu (center), the matriarch of the Watanabe family, her son, Takemasa (right) and her daughter-in-law, Shigeko.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

Projects like the BuddhaBot aim to re-create dialogue once lost to time, raising questions about whether AI can extend the teachings of Buddha or merely simulate them.
Can AI replace a priest? Japan¡¯s temples and shrines are testing the limits.
By Alex K.T. Martin

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