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August 03, 2026
 

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CULTURE

Film
Books
Art
Music
TV & Streaming
Stage
Entertainment news
Etc.books was named for those who appear as ¡°etc.¡± or footnotes in society.
CULTURE / Books
Etc.books: A lone bookstore in Tokyo pushes against sexism
By Kim Kahan
Etc.books helped redefine feminist publishing in Japan. Now its greatest challenge is staying open.
Stephanie Zaharis, who plays Misa in ¡°Death Note: The Musical,¡± performs at a media event in London to promote the show.
CULTURE / Stage
¡®Death Note¡¯ musical eyes a London breakthrough
By Alicia Haddick
Producers hope the hit adaptation opens the door for more Japanese original musicals overseas.
Sosuke Ikematsu (center) stars in Yuya Ishii¡¯s ¡°The Secret Battlefield,¡± a historical drama about the Japanese research institute that correctly predicted the country¡¯s defeat in the Pacific War.
CULTURE / Film
¡®The Secret Battlefield¡¯: An inside view of the machinery of war
By James Hadfield
Yuya Ishii¡¯s historical drama about the Japanese think tank that failed to avert the Pacific War can¡¯t shake its made-for-TV origins, but it¡¯s a valuable cautionary tale.

Film

Sosuke Ikematsu (center) stars in Yuya Ishii¡¯s ¡°The Secret Battlefield,¡± a historical drama about the Japanese research institute that correctly predicted the country¡¯s defeat in the Pacific War.
Film
¡®The Secret Battlefield¡¯: An inside view of the machinery of war
By James Hadfield
Yuya Ishii¡¯s historical drama about the Japanese think tank that failed to avert the Pacific War can¡¯t shake its made-for-TV origins, but it¡¯s a valuable cautionary tale.
Film
¡®Chiikawa¡¯ was always darker than it looked
By Patrick St. Michel
Film
¡®The Invisible Half¡¯: Stylish J-horror anchored in a standout performance
By Mark Schilling
Film
Suzu Hirose is ready to ¡®step into the unknown¡¯
By Blake Simons
Film
Time-travel anime ¡®You, Fireworks, and Our Promise¡¯ is serviceable but lacks spark
By Matt Schley
Film
¡®Hush!¡¯ and ¡®All Around Us¡¯: Masterpieces from a pioneering gay director
By Mark Schilling
Film
Zainichi drama ¡®Trophy¡¯ is a sweet, if slight, coming-of-age tale
By James Hadfield

Books

Etc.books was named for those who appear as ¡°etc.¡± or footnotes in society.
Books
Etc.books: A lone bookstore in Tokyo pushes against sexism
By Kim Kahan
Etc.books helped redefine feminist publishing in Japan. Now its greatest challenge is staying open.
Books
Keigo Higashino¡¯s ¡®global afterlife¡¯
By Mike Fu
Books
Japanese author Keigo Higashino, known for intricate mystery novels, dies at 68
By Elizabeth Beattie
Books
How Hayao Miyazaki¡¯s love of books influenced Studio Ghibli¡¯s stories
By Kris Kosaka
Books
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Books
The creator of ¡®Cowboy Bebop¡¯ has advice for the anime industry
By Eric Margolis
Books
Chito Kosagawa and Kasumi Asakura win Japan¡¯s top literary prizes
By Mike Fu

Music

Music fans gathered at Naeba Ski Resort in Niigata Prefecture for the 2026 Fuji Rock Festival, held from July 24 to 26.
Music
This year, Fuji Rock rediscovered its nerve
By Erik Augustin Palm
From cult favorites to future stars, Fuji Rock rewarded listeners willing to wander beyond the biggest names.
Music
Japan¡¯s 100-year-old symphonic orchestra celebrates its milestone
By Junko Nonoyama
Music
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
By Alyssa I. Smith
Music
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
By Patrick St. Michel
Music
Maya Ongaku¡¯s DIY dream is getting bigger
By James Hadfield
Music
It was 60 years ago today: Japan¡¯s top Beatles fan keeps the Budokan flame burning
By Tim Hornyak
Music
NU Festival tests Takanawa Gateway City complex¡¯s culture cred
By James Hadfield

TV & Streaming

An inept salaryman gets wrapped up in an international espionage plot in "Vivant."
TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
The bittersweet nostalgia of the first season of ¡®Vivant¡¯
By Gabriella Geisinger
Taking place in a version of Japan that espouses tolerance and acceptance, the espionage drama¡¯s first season feels increasingly at odds with today¡¯s reality.
TV & Streaming
How ¡®The Solitary Gourmet¡¯ became one of Japan¡¯s most enduring TV hits
By Mathias Cena
TV & Streaming
The beating heart inside ¡®Human Vapor¡¯
By Gabriella Geisinger
TV & Streaming
¡®Human Vapor¡¯ brings blockbuster energy to the small screen
By James Hadfield
TV & Streaming
¡®Tagusari Bros.¡¯ searches for the meaning of justice
By Gabriella Geisinger
TV & Streaming
Nordic noir meets Japanese occult in ¡®Blood and Sweat¡¯
By Gabriella Geisinger
TV & Streaming
¡®Soul Mate¡¯ reaches for pathos but remains hollow
By Mike Fu

Art

Miwa Yanagi¡¯s ¡°Elevator Girl House¡± series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Art
Japan¡¯s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
By Jennifer Pastore
An international exhibition for a book about Japanese women in the photographic arts has its homecoming in Tokyo.
Art
Sachiko Kazama¡¯s art bites back at a cruel society
By Jennifer Pastore
Art
This is not AI. It¡¯s intentionally, painstakingly human-made art.
By Zoria Petkoska
Art
What is the ¡®Mona Lisa¡¯ of Japan?
By Thu-Huong Ha
Art
David Hockney, the British artist who went in search of Californian color, dies at 88
By William Schomberg
Art
Emerging Kansai artists to watch
By Jennifer Pastore
Art / Greater Shinagawa Area
Takanawa Gateway¡¯s latest landmark is still working on its own story
By Zoria Petkoska

Stage

Stephanie Zaharis, who plays Misa in ¡°Death Note: The Musical,¡± performs at a media event in London to promote the show.
Stage
¡®Death Note¡¯ musical eyes a London breakthrough
By Alicia Haddick
Producers hope the hit adaptation opens the door for more Japanese original musicals overseas.
Stage
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
By Alicia Haddick
Stage
¡®Princess Mononoke¡¯ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
By Alicia Haddick
Stage
¡®Demon Slayer¡¯ musical is for fans who¡¯ve done the homework
By Alicia Haddick
Stage
New anime adapted for stage expands what 2.5D theater can be
By Alicia Haddick
Stage
At Singapore International Festival of Arts, theater spills into everyday life
By Zoria Petkoska
Stage
No longer shushed: Japan¡¯s cultural venues make room for children
By Kris Kosaka

Entertainment news

People take selfies next to a screen displays a message referencing singer Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce outside Madison Square Garden, the venue for their wedding celebrations, in New York on Friday.
Entertainment news
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are married, as pair hosts New York celebration
¡°JUST&T MARRIED,¡± flashed on giant screens on the exterior of the Manhattan sports arena.
Entertainment news
Japanese dancers win ballet prizes in Moscow
Entertainment news
Singer and actor Kazuya Kamenashi to marry Minami Tanaka
Entertainment news
Buzzcut backlash: AKB48 member¡¯s termination stirs online furor
By Patrick St. Michel
Entertainment news
Grammys to add best Asian pop music performance category in 2027
By Patrick St. Michel
Entertainment news / CULTURE SMASH
As his centennial nears, Osamu Tezuka gets a global reintroduction
By Roland Kelts
Entertainment news
J-pop group Arashi takes its final bow at Tokyo Dome
By Alyssa I. Smith
Read more CULTURE stories
Bessent and the Fed help Japan reverse months of yen losses
The U.S. Treasury intervened to support the yen through outright purchases, joining ?Japan in its efforts ?to boost ?the currency from near 40-year ?lows.
Beast of Reincarnation shows Game Freak has more to learn
Releasing on Aug. 4, Beast of Reincarnation is set in a far-future version of Japan ruined by a mysterious apocalypse.
Japan¡¯s overlooked language crisis
Students in Tokyo participate in a Work In Japan job fair. The country needs to support both academic Japanese studies and children¡¯s family languages to promote educational success.
South Korea¡¯s women web sleuths fight AI deepfake porn
The National Center for Digital Sexual Crime Response in Seoul last year pulled down 318,000 videos and photos ¡ª deepfakes, spycam content and intimate images ¡ª on behalf of 10,600 people, 75% of whom were women and girls.
A succession crisis in Japan¡¯s fields
Seiichi Yamaguchi has spent decades growing rice in Yaita, Tochigi Prefecture. Now in his early 70s, he says modern machinery has allowed him to keep farming longer than he once thought possible.
Keigo Higashino¡¯s ¡®global afterlife¡¯
Keigo Higashino's meticulously constructed mysteries and memorable characters earned him readers across languages and cultures.
Suzu Hirose is ready to ¡®step into the unknown¡¯
Suzu Hirose received the Cut Above Award for Outstanding Achievement in Film from New York¡¯s Japan Society this month.
J-pop idols are behind much of Japan¡¯s Gen Z slang
Social media, streaming platforms and online communities have become major drivers of how Japanese slang spreads among young people.
With secondary-capital bill passed, competition between cities heats up
A view of downtown Sapporo. Hokkaido Gov. Naomichi Suzuki is pushing Sapporo as a candidate for a second capital outside Tokyo.
Tough new permanent residency measures trigger concern in Japan
The Tokyo Regional Immigration Bureau in the capital's Shinagawa Ward in March. Japan's revised guidelines for permanent residency are set to be introduced as early as Oct. 1 and applied to applications filed from April 2027.

Podcast

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

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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