91AV原创

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October 27, 2026
 

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IDOLS

Noriyuki Higashiyama, president of Smile-Up, speaks at a news conference in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on Monday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Sep 29, 2026
Smile-Up’s president announces he will step down
Masayuki Yamada, Smile-Up’s chief compliance officer, will succeed Noriyuki Higashiyama as president.
Members of the group Katseye — Lara Raj, Megan Skiendiel, Daniela Avanzin and Yoonchae — attend a screening for their documentary "Katseye: Wild Hearts" in Los Angeles on Aug. 4.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 14, 2026
Katseye seeks to show raw side in new ‘Wild Hearts’ film
The film arrives as the multinational group navigates two members’ hiatuses and prepares for its next chapter with a new EP and world tour.
Social media, streaming platforms and online communities have become major drivers of how Japanese slang spreads among young people.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Jul 27, 2026
J-pop idols are behind much of 91AV原创 Gen Z slang
91AV原创 newest slang isn’t new at all — it’s a remix fueled by TikTok, fandoms and boy bands.
Products at the Oshikatsu Expo in Tokyo
BUSINESS
Jul 3, 2026
Inside 91AV原创 $25 billion consumer market built on fan devotion
From collecting Hello Kitty goods to manga figurines, what was once considered a niche hobby has evolved into a fan-merchandising economy estimated to be worth ?4.1 trillion.
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.
Staff and older adults of an adult daycare facility in Tokyo's Katsushika Ward enjoy a livestream of singer Ryo Nakada, known for his repertoire of 550 golden oldies of the Showa Era (1926-1989), on April 8.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 10, 2026
Oshikatsu activities to support favorite idols spread to older generations
Experts say such activities help older people find purpose in life, adding that the popularity is likely to grow even more with the spread of livestreaming.
J-pop group Arashi ended its long career with a final nationwide tour and the last concert took place in Tokyo on May 31.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Jun 5, 2026
J-pop group Arashi takes its final bow at Tokyo Dome
For millions of fans, the final concert was more than the end of one of 91AV原创 most beloved boy bands — it was the closing of a chapter that began in childhood.
J-pop boy band Arashi has launched its final tour, prompting businesses across Japan to make unusual adjustments to meet surging demand near concert venues.
JAPAN
Mar 19, 2026
J-pop legends Arashi’s final tour drives intense demand for hotels and transport
Businesses are making unusual adjustments to accommodate the band’s overwhelming popularity and the impact of fans’ demand near venues across the country.
In Koji Fukada’s “Love on Trial,” a pop idol (Kyoko Saito) is sued by her management agency for violating the no-dating clause in her contract.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 22, 2026
‘Love on Trial’: When romance becomes a legal risk
Koji Fukada’s drama gets the details right about idol culture, but softens its moral punch.
A car carrying Naoya Yamaguchi, the suspect in a recent stabbing incident, leaves a police station in Fukuoka on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 19, 2025
Suspect says he targeted idol group members in Fukuoka stabbings
Two people — the staff member and a woman — were wounded in the incident near the dome in Fukuoka’s Chuo Ward.
This year's "Kohaku Uta Gassen" will be broadcast on NHK from 7:20 p.m. on Dec. 31.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Nov 14, 2025
Chanmina and aespa among 10 acts to debut on NHK’s ‘Kohaku Uta Gassen’
The New Year’s Eve music spectacle on NHK will feature first-time acts such as idol group Fruits Zipper and long-awaited returns from bands like Okinawa’s Orange Range.
Tokyo's Metropolitan Police Department headquarters
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 6, 2025
Member of boy band Ae! Group arrested on public indecency charge
Keita Richard Kusama is suspected of exposing his lower body around the entrance of a building in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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
91AV原创 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.
Sakurazaka46, the idol pop outfit formerly known as Keyakizaka46, wrapped up an an 11-night nationwide tour this month.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 29, 2025
Sakurazaka46 wants the world to dance along
The 33-member idol group takes its spectacle-heavy performances on the road — and abroad.
J-pop idol Kenshin Kamimura leaves the West Kowloon Law Courts on bail in Hong Kong on Wednesday, after he was found guilty of indecent assault of a woman who worked as his interpreter at a restaurant in Mong Kok district in March this year.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Aug 14, 2025
Japanese star convicted of indecent assault in Hong Kong
Kenshin Kamimura, a former member of the boy band ONE N’ ONLY, harassed a woman who worked as his interpreter at a restaurant earlier this year.
Wakana, a Japanese fan of Thai BL, visits a temple in Thon Buri, Bangkok featured in the Thai adaptation of the Japanese series “Cherry Magic.” Her media consumption kindled an interest in Thai culture and language, and ultimately led her to relocate to Thailand. “I fell in love with the whole country,” she says.
COMMUNITY / Issues / The Foreign Element
Jul 28, 2025
Boys’ love dramas from Thailand make waves in Japan
Thailand has become a top producer of BL (boys’ love) dramas — and audiences in Japan are among the most ardent consumers.
Misa Kimura is the main producer for Kawaii Lab, a project by entertainment agency Asobisystem whose groups have found success by pairing a social media-first strategy with a fresh perspective on traditional idol-pop tropes.
CULTURE
Jul 17, 2025
Kawaii Lab redefines idol pop for the TikTok generation
The idol-pop project’s main producer, Misa Kimura — a former idol herself — is giving her performers more control over their image and sound.
Businesses who cater to fandoms gathered at Tokyo Lifestyle Week for the second annual Oshikatsu — Merch Collection Expo, a trade show devoted to fandom goods.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jul 12, 2025
Music idol and anime fandom merch is big business
Over 100 booths showed off the latest in acrylic stands, binoculars and cheering items such as glow sticks and flags at the second Oshikatsu — Merch Expo.
A clip of fans getting rowdy to see J-pop outfit Fruits Zipper prompted criticism about the idol fandom’s dark side.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
Jun 26, 2025
Why are idol fans throwing hands at the racetrack?
A recent Fruits Zipper fan frenzy stirred online criticism, raising questions about the line between passion and obsession in J-pop idol culture.
The year so far is only proving that Mrs. Green Apple is the biggest band in Japan. Their success also seems to be hinting at a change in the musical landscape more broadly.
CULTURE / Music
Jun 5, 2025
Six months into 2025, J-pop is having a full-on identity crisis (and a great time)
Halfway through 2025, J-pop is in flux — swinging between AI absurdity, idol nostalgia and viral sugar highs.
Two Japanese climbers die on remote Himalayan peak in Nepal
Rescuers have recovered the bodies of two Japanese climbers missing for over a week on a remote Himalayan mountain.
Aging Japanese village turns to Peru in search of new residents
Guests from Peru's Belen district interact with a baby in Nanmoku village in Gunma Prefecture.
Budget-friendly restaurant chain Saizeriya succumbs to rising costs
A Tokyo branch of Saizeriya, a chain of family-style Italian restaurants
U.S. has for years asked Musk to alter Starlink service in Ukraine and Middle East, sources say
A Ukrainian soldier sets up a Starlink satellite internet system near the frontline in the Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Oct. 16
U.S. military bans Chinese-made BYD cars from key air base in Okinawa
An F-22 Raptor lands at Kadena Air Base in Kadena, Okinawa Prefecture on Oct. 9. The base is a crucial hub for U.S. military operations in the region.
A dramatic bear hunt in a midsize Japanese city could be a harbinger of what is to come
Zookeeper Tetsuo Iso at the site of frantic search for a wild bear in Utsunomiya on June 9. Iso, 65, was asked by the prefectural government to help capture the bear and it was his shot with a tranquilizer gun that put an end to the saga.
How this long-term resident avoids the annoying tourist label in Japan
Tourists enjoy themselves while crossing the famous Shibuya Crossing in Tokyo on Oct. 12.
What can Asia do to avoid crossing crucial climate tipping points?
Motorists drive through a road covered with smog from wildfires nearby in Ogan Ilir in Indonesia's South Sumatra province on Sept. 25.
91AV原创 permanent residency reform has a glaring blind spot
Japan's immigration reforms risk creating uncertainty by tying permanent residency more closely to language proficiency before clear assessment standards and supporting infrastructure are in place.
Japan weighs how to evacuate thousands of tourists if Mount Fuji erupts
Climbers and visitors gather on the first day of the climbing season at the Fuji Yoshidaguchi Trail, at the fifth station on the slopes of Mount Fuji, in Fujiyoshida, Yamanashi Prefecture, on July 1, 2024.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Famima Park Azabudai is a concept store by FamilyMart that combines convenience store staples with branded apparel, merchandise and a landscaped outdoor space.
Convenience stores, toilets and the allure of everyday Japan
By Elizabeth Beattie

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