Japan PM fires aid for homophobic remarks

Japan Prime Minister Fumio Kishida fired and then apologized for his aide’s homophobic remarks.  On Friday, Kishida’s now-former aide, Arai ...

Keanu Reeves says ‘John Wick’ heavily inspired by Japanese culture, anime

Keanu Reeves recently revealed that “John Wick” is heavily influenced by Japanese culture, cinema, anime and Bushido, the samurai’s c...

‘Sailor Moon Cosmos’ trailer teases the Sailor Guardians’ final battle

A trailer for the upcoming film “Sailor Moon Cosmos” – which is being billed as the “final chapter of Sailor Moon” – has r...

‘Sushi terrorists’ tamper with other diners’ conveyor belt sushi in viral video trend

A popular conveyor belt sushi chain in Japan is now taking action against people who have filmed videos of themselves ruining other diners’ ...

Viral video of Japanese student licking conveyer belt sushi prompts legal action

A restaurant in Japan says it will take legal action against a student who was videoed licking his fingers and then touching its conveyor be...

Japan officially designates January 31 as ‘Final Fantasy VII Day’

Japan has officially designated January 31 as “Final Fantasy VII Day.” The date marks 26 years since the classic Square Enix rol...

Japan PM aide apologizes for ‘shameful’ act of having hands in pockets on US trip

A Japanese official has apologized after being filmed with his hands in his pockets during an official trip to Washington, D.C. Deputy Chief...

Rui Hachimura becomes LA Lakers’ first-ever Japanese player after trade

Japanese-born NBA player Rui Hachimura will make his Los Angeles Lakers debut this week after being traded from the Washington Wizards. The ...

Japan PM warns country will cease to ‘function as a society’ if population decline persists

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida declared a dire need for policies tackling the country’s declining birth rate, calling it “now or neve...

Achieve your New Year’s resolutions at the new ‘One Piece’ gym in Tokyo

A new “One Piece”-themed gym has opened in Tokyo. Named One Piece Fitness BragMen, the unique gym began accepting members on Jan. 13.  ...

Domino’s Japan releases limited-time bacon milkshake to dip your pizza in

Domino’s Japan is now offering a special limited-time bacon milkshake. The new treat, which will be available until March 5, features ...

Japanese woman on death row for murder chokes to death on prison food

A woman on death row choked to death while eating a meal at the Hiroshima Detention House in Hiroshima, Japan. Miyuki Ueta, a 49-year-old fo...

Man spends almost $23,000 on realistic costume to fulfill his dream of becoming a wolf

Before you read: Japanese man spends $15,700 on dog costume to fulfill lifelong dream of transforming into an animal  Japanese man who spent...

‘We’ve never had sashimi this fresh’: Viral TikTok video shows ikizukuri fish still twitching in Japan

A TikTok video has gone viral for showing a plate of twitching sashimi in Japan. On Saturday, Singaporean actor, host and TikTok user Xenia ...

3-year-old boy uncovers 20-year-old secret of Ghibli Museum entrance

A 3-year-old boy discovered a secret aspect of the Ghibli Museum’s entrance over 20 years after its opening in 2001. The official Twitter ac...

Livestreamers ‘joke’ about atomic bombs, ‘radioactive p*ssy’ while streaming in Hiroshima

Editor’s Note (1/5/2023): A previous version of this story published earlier today misidentified one of the streamers in the mentioned clip ...

Japanese woman spent $1.50 a day on food to buy 3 houses by age 34

Saki Tamogami, 37, lived extremely frugally for 16 years to achieve her dream of owning three houses by age 34. Tamogami’s dream first manif...

Japan’s top cosplayer made over $1.5 million in 2022, manager reveals

Top Japanese cosplayer Enako earned over 200 million yen (approximately $1.5 million) in revenue for 2022, according to her manager.  The ne...

Miss 2022? Buy last year’s air online from Japan

Although we’ve entered 2023, those who really miss 2022 can purchase last year’s air online. Sellers are listing “vintage air” encased in pl...

Japan offering families $7,600 per child to move out of Tokyo

Japan is offering families 1 million yen (approximately $7,627) per child to move out of Tokyo in hopes of reducing overcrowding. An additio...

Japanese fans name ‘Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween’ as top anime film of 2022

“Detective Conan: The Bride of Halloween” has been selected by Japanese fans as the top anime film of 2022. Japanese website AnimeAnime.jp p...

Shiba Inu behind ‘Doge’ meme makes surprising recovery, owner announces

Before you read: Shiba Inu behind ‘Doge’ meme, cryptocurrency diagnosed with cancer Kabosu, the Shiba Inu behind the viral “Doge” meme and p...

Japanese man who spent $16K to become a ‘dog’ says he’s afraid others will think he’s ‘weird’

Before you read: Japanese man spends $15,700 on dog costume to fulfill lifelong dream of transforming into an animal Months after shelling o...

Rare Japanese whisky fetches $603,000 at auction

A bottle of Yamazaki 55, a rare Japanese single malt whisky, yielded hundreds of thousands of dollars at a U.S. auction earlier this year, s...

Shiba Inu behind ‘Doge’ meme, cryptocurrency diagnosed with cancer

The Shiba Inu behind the viral “Doge” meme has been diagnosed with liver disease and a type of blood cancer, according to her owner Atsuko S...

Japanese scientists solve mystery of why babies kick in the womb

A team of scientists from the University of Tokyo has finally solved the ongoing conundrum of why babies kick in the womb.  Using motion cap...

Studio Ghibli bonsai fountains are here to bring tranquility to your home

Studio Ghibli-themed bonsai fountains are now available for fans to add to their collections. The animation studio’s line of bonsai founta...

Spherical dog in Japan becomes internet sensation 

A spherical dog in Japan has become an internet sensation. Mohu, a 6-year-old Toy Poodle from Osaka, now has more than 100,000 followers on ...

Tickets for Japan’s Ghibli Park will soon be available via an official English website

International visitors will be able to purchase Ghibli Park tickets via an official English-language website at the start of 2023. Tickets w...

Watch: ‘Metal Gear’ voice actor narrates tour of Kojima Productions’ new studio in Tokyo

Kojima Productions, founded by legendary video game designer Hideo Kojima of “Metal Gear” fame, celebrated their seventh anniver...

Starbucks Japan adds powdered seaweed to new matcha Frappuccino

Starbucks Japan’s newest Frappucino is a limited-time drink with a dash of seaweed. In a press release issued on Monday, Starbucks Japan ann...

Japanese All-Star outfielder Masataka Yoshida signs $90M contract with Boston Red Sox

Japanese all-star outfielder Masataka Yoshida is now part of the Boston Red Sox after signing a five-year, $90 million contract with the bas...

Japanese startup develops edible cement out of food waste

Japanese startup Fabula Inc. has developed a technology that turns food waste into edible, biodegradable and high-quality cement. Tokyo Un...

Japanese tourist arrested after assault of Korean taxi driver for not understanding Japanese

A Japanese tourist was arrested for violently attacking an elderly Korean taxi driver in Gangnam, Seoul, in late November. According to th...

US Marines wandering outside military camp in Okinawa ‘chased’ by local villagers

A group of U.S. Marines stationed at Camp Gonsalves in Japan was reportedly chased by local residents after the soldiers wandered off into ...

New Studio Ghibli film from Hayao Miyazaki will premiere in 2023

Before you read: Hayao Miyazaki is unretiring (again) to make one last Studio Ghibli film just because ‘he wants to’ Legendary director Haya...