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June 30, 2026
 

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CELEBRITIES

Kazuya Kamenashi and Minami Tanaka
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 29, 2026
Singer and actor Kazuya Kamenashi to marry Minami Tanaka
The pair added that Tanaka is pregnant with their first child.
Akihiro Miwa became widely known for “Yoitomake no Uta” (“The Song of the Yoitomake”), which he wrote and composed and released in 1965.
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2026
Akihiro Miwa, iconic Japanese singer and actor, dies at 91
Miwa was best known for the hit song “Yoitomake no Uta” and his acclaimed stage performance in “Black Lizard.”
Tao Okamoto (left) and Virginie Efira (right) shared the Cannes Film Festival’s best actress honor for their roles in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden,” a coproduction between Japan, France, Belgium and Germany.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 4, 2026
Japan’s Cannes moment signals a new global push
Tao Okamoto made history at Cannes, while Japanese filmmakers and producers looked ahead, embracing collaboration as the future of the industry.
A popular voice actor has sued TikTok’s operator over videos allegedly using an AI-generated imitation of his voice without permission.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 26, 2026
Actor files lawsuit against TikTok operator over AI-generated voice use
The lawsuit, filed with the Tokyo District Court by Kenjiro Tsuda last November, is believed to be the first of its kind in Japan.
Japan's Tao Okamoto and Belgium's Virginie Efira, co-winners of the best actress award for their roles in the film "All of a Sudden," celebrate during the closing ceremony of the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on Saturday.
CULTURE / Film
May 24, 2026
In first for Japanese, Tao Okamoto shares Best Actress award at Cannes
Okamoto shared the honor with Belgium’s Virginie Efira for their roles in the drama “All of a Sudden” by Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
A Justice Ministry panel discusses how the voices of individuals should be protected under publicity and portrait rights, amid a rise in the unauthorized use of celebrities' voices by generative artificial intelligence, at the ministry in Tokyo on Friday.
JAPAN
Apr 25, 2026
Japan to protect celebrity voices against AI use
The Justice Ministry is set to compile guidelines on the scope and standards for illegal acts under current law by this summer.
Chuck Norris's tough-guy image inspired satirical "facts" that made him an Internet phenomenon.
WORLD
Mar 21, 2026
Chuck Norris, macho star of ‘Walker, Texas Ranger,’ dies at 86
The bearded actor became an online cult hero in 2005 when a student ​created what became Chuck Norris Facts, online jokes about ⁠the actor’s physical prowess.
Actor Timothee Chalamet attends the 98th Oscars Nominees Luncheon in Beverly Hills, California, last month.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Mar 16, 2026
Has Timothee Chalamet blown his Oscars chances again?
The actor’s recent comments on ballet and opera aren’t likely to have an effect on voting, but his character’s ego might.
Actor Robert Duvall died Sunday at his home, according to a social post attributed to his wife, Luciana Duvall.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Feb 17, 2026
Robert Duvall, Oscar-winning star of ‘The Godfather,’ dies at 95
Across six decades, he shaped American cinema with restrained intensity, inhabiting soldiers, preachers and patriarchs with quiet authority.
Morley Robertson
JAPAN / Society
Feb 2, 2026
Journalist and media personality Morley Robertson dies of cancer at 63
Robertson gained attention in Japan for his sophisticated speaking style as a radio personality on broadcaster J-Wave’s “Across the View” and other programs.
Ryoko Yonekura
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 31, 2026
Japanese actress Ryoko Yonekura not indicted over drug case
The Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office did not disclose its reasons for deciding not to indict the 50-year-old celebrity.
The Hamamatsu Nishi Police Station in Shizuoka Prefecture, where actor Ryoko Hirosue was detained after being arrested at a hospital on April 8 following a rear-end collision involving a vehicle she was driving. A summary court last month ordered Hirosue to pay a fine over the collision.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 6, 2026
Actor Ryoko Hirosue fined ¥700,000 for negligent driving
Her vehicle collided with a tractor-trailer on April 7 after changing lanes at approximately 185 kph inside a tunnel on the Shin-Tomei Expressway in Shizuoka Prefecture.
Defense attorney Alan Jackson speaks to the media as he leaves a courthouse in Los Angeles on Wednesday after Nick Reiner appeared in court for the first time on charges over the deaths of his parents.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Dec 18, 2025
Son of filmmaker Rob Reiner appears in court on charges he murdered parents
Nick Reiner appeared in court three days after his arrest and a day after he was charged with one of the most shocking celebrity homicide cases in Los Angeles’ history.
The Tokyo District Court building
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 8, 2025
Actor Hiroya Shimizu pleads guilty to drug possession
The 26-year-old, who has appeared in many movies and television dramas, including “Tokyo Revengers,” allegedly possessed some 0.4 gram of dried cannabis.
Pop star Taichi Kokubun bows during a news conference in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward on Wednesday.
JAPAN
Nov 27, 2025
Japanese pop star Taichi Kokubun apologizes for compliance violation
It was the former Tokio member’s first public appearance since his removal from Nippon TV’s popular variety show “The Tetsuwan Dash” in June.
The Tokyo District Court on Monday ordered publisher Kodansha and the chief editor of its weekly magazine Friday to pay ¥2.2 million in damages to a comedian over defamatory reporting.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 25, 2025
Kodansha ordered to pay damages to comedian over defamatory reports
Comedian Sense Watanabe had sued Kodansha and its weekly magazine editor, claiming that a series of articles harmed his reputation.
Tokyo police believe the man made about 20,000 sexually explicit images of 262 women, such as actors and idols, and amassed sales of ¥1.2 million between October last year and September this year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 16, 2025
Man held in Japan on suspicion of creating female celeb deepfakes made with AI
It is the first time for police in Japan to crack down on sexual deepfake images of celebrities created using generative artificial intelligence.
Actress Diane Keaton speaks during the handprints and footprints ceremony to celebrate "Mack & Rita" at TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California, in August 2022. Keaton, known for her Oscar-winning performance in 1977's "Annie Hall" and her role in "The Godfather" films, has died at age 79.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Oct 12, 2025
Oscar-winning actress Diane Keaton dead at 79
Keaton was a frequent collaborator of director Woody Allen, portraying the titular character in “Annie Hall,” the charming girlfriend of Allen’s comic Alvy Singer.
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.
People take photos of Sanrio characters at an event organized by a transportation and real estate firm in the city of Okayama in July. Hello Kitty celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2024, while My Melody reached its 50th anniversary this year.
BUSINESS
Sep 28, 2025
Oshikatsu consumption grows in Japan, buoying related stocks
According to research company Intage, 35.1% of 5,000 people said they support certain characters or celebrities, and this proportion was higher among younger respondents.
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
By Alex K.T. Martin

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