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June 30, 2026
 

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Patrick St. Michel
Patrick St. Michel is a Tokyo-based writer with a focus on Japanese music. He runs the blog Make Believe Melodies, which has focused on Japanese independent music since 2009. Besides The Japan Times, he also contributes to MTV 81 and The Atlantic.
The quintet from Nagoya — comprising (from left) Sangen Ron, Junsei Iwai, Musashi, Hayato Komiya and Kion Umemura — released their debut album “Tomogachi Ga Imashita” on June 17.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 27, 2026
Trooper Salute marches to its own beat on dazzling debut album
The quintet’s debut album “Tomogachi Ga Imashita,” released on June 17, features an impressive array of styles drawn from the band members’ wide-ranging influences.
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.
Yuhan, 24, Ejae and Mark Sonnenblick pose with the best song written for visual media award for "Golden" from “KPop Demon Hunters” during the 68th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles on Feb. 1.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 17, 2026
Grammys to add best Asian pop music performance category in 2027
The new Grammy category gives J-pop, K-pop and C-pop acts greater opportunities for international recognition.
The members of TV Tairiku Ondo — (from left) Harea Togari, Ryuji Chiyotani, Kotaro Suzuki and Hiroto Yanagawa — met as high school students in Sapporo and went viral in 2024 with an energetic 90-second track.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 12, 2026
TV Tairiku Ondo channels the chaotic creativity of youth
After going viral with a 90-second track in 2024, the rock quartet from Hokkaido has been hitting stages big and small and working hard on a debut album.
Yoko Takahashi performs the theme song to “Neon Genesis Evangelion” at the 10th annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards, which drew an international crowd of entertainers from around the world.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 4, 2026
10th Anime Awards spotlight industry’s international reach
Celebrity guests from Canada, India and other countries attended Crunchyroll’s annual awards ceremony, a testament to anime’s growing cultural footprint around the world.
Japanese rock band Sakanaction gained belated attention worldwide after its 2012 song “Yoru no Odoriko” was paired with a viral video of an Indonesian preteen’s dance.
CULTURE / Music
May 29, 2026
Sakanaction’s overseas breakthrough came from a viral dance meme
A video of an Indonesian preteen dancing on a boat became the unlikely springboard for Japanese rockers Sakanaction to gain global attention.
Seven-member group Hana kicked off California music festival Zipangu with a high-energy performance showcasing the act’s wide-ranging sound.
CULTURE / Music
May 28, 2026
Girl group Hana channels positivity into every performance
Before joining Hana, the group’s members were told “no” by the entertainment industry. Now they’re part of one of Japan’s most talked-about new acts.
At music festival Zipangu’s inaugural edition, headliner Ado performed original songs as well as classic J-pop hits such as Miki Matsubara’s 1979 track “Mayonaka no Door: Stay With Me.”
CULTURE / Music
May 28, 2026
Music festival Zipangu offers a glimpse of J-pop’s future beyond anime
Ado, Chanmina, Atarashii Gakko!, Yuki Chiba and more turned a Pasadena golf course into a showcase for the breadth of Japanese music and its growing appeal abroad.
Anri says younger overseas listeners first surprised her during a 2023 performance in Los Angeles, where most of the audience was in their 20s. Nearly five decades after her debut, songs such as “Last Summer Whisper” and “I Can’t Stop the Loneliness” continue finding new fans.
CULTURE / Music / Longform
May 18, 2026
Before city pop went global, there was Anri
Long after city pop became an online phenomenon, the singer continues to find new fans worldwide.
Noriko Sekiguchi launched Poison Girl Friend in the late 1980s, crafting melancholy, club-influenced pop with multilingual lyrics. Her music is now being rediscovered by younger listeners through streaming services and a renewed interest in ’90s trip hop.
CULTURE / Music
May 8, 2026
Poison Girl Friend was early. Now it makes sense.
A once-overlooked project returns as younger listeners rediscover its melancholic sound and understated influence.
“Mojacat,” Kan Sano’s first solo album in four years, gave the musician the opportunity to work with childhood favorite Ua.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 27, 2026
Kan Sano lets go of control and lets others in on ‘Mojacat’
Kan Sano’s latest album expands his musical imagination, with collaborators such as Chara and Ua helping him push beyond the limits of going it alone.
BTS kicked off the international leg of its Arirang World Tour at Tokyo Dome on Friday.
CULTURE / Music
Apr 19, 2026
After years away, BTS and its fans reunite at full volume
From “Fire” to “Idol,” the Tokyo Dome show became a long-awaited communal spectacle.
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
The 25-year-old American influencer received a prison sentence from a South Korean court for repeated acts of disturbing the public.
The Sphere in Las Vegas lights up after an earnings report in 2024. SBI Holdings is exploring a similar idea for a venue in Tokyo.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Apr 9, 2026
Tokyo’s concert scene searches for its next act
Tokyo’s live music future is coming into focus — and it looks more domestic, and possibly more immersive.
More than 2,300 of Bad Bunny's top Spotify listeners in Japan were invited to his Billions Club Live show at Tipstar Dome Chiba on Saturday.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 9, 2026
Bad Bunny plays first-ever Japan show at exclusive Spotify event
The Puerto Rican superstar’s Japan debut drew roughly 2,300 top listeners and celebrity guests for an invite-only show near Tokyo.
Evan Call’s score for anime series “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” is built around European folk instrumentation with subtle orchestration choices that carry emotional weight.
CULTURE / Music
Mar 6, 2026
For Evan Call, every melody is a conversation
The “Frieren” composer builds anime’s fantasy worlds with folk-infused scores.
Takuya Chigira, the CEO of Japanese talent agency Cloud Nine, is launching Zipangu, a Stateside festival devoted to Japanese culture. Chigira and Cloud Nine are working closely with American promoter Goldenvoice, best known for Coachella.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 26, 2026
What is Zipangu? Inside J-pop’s first-of-its-kind Los Angeles festival
A new Stateside event tests whether viral success can become a lasting international presence.
Kaze Fujii, seen here performing in Kuala Lumpur in 2024 during his Asia Tour, is one of the domestic acts set to perform at this year's Fuji Rock Festival.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 20, 2026
Kaze Fujii, Massive Attack among Fuji Rock Festival 2026 performers announced
Among the 66 acts unveiled, are also Khruangbin, The xx, Asian Kung-Fu Generation and more.
College students Jun Kim (left) and Rihito Mizoguchi are the co-founders of Login.jp, a project launched in February 2025 to “archive the Japanese experience through music.”
CULTURE / Music
Feb 13, 2026
Login.jp spotlights everyday Japan, one DJ set at a time
The student-led project brings club sounds into fish markets, barbershops and corner stores, reframing everyday Japan through music.
Aina The End’s rock single “Kakumei Dochu — On the Way” was the singer’s surprise breakthrough last year, surpassing 100 million streams on Spotify and spreading rapidly across TikTok.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 6, 2026
Aina The End is more than just anime’s opening act
The singer reflects on breakthrough hit “Kakumei Dochu — On the Way” and embracing her husky vocals.
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
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