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July 24, 2026
 

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Matt Schley
¡°Patlabor EZY¡± follows a new generation of officers in Special Vehicles Section 2 as they pilot patrol labors in near-future Japan.
CULTURE / Film
May 22, 2026
¡®Patlabor EZY¡¯ turns everyday mecha bureaucracy into a delight
The new ¡°Patlabor¡± series proves giant robots and police officers don¡¯t need world-ending stakes to be entertaining. Sometimes, office ennui is enough.
"WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3" is set in the "Patlabor" universe, but familiar characters of Special Vehicles Division 2 hardly appear.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 10, 2026
¡®WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3¡¯: The franchise¡¯s melancholy, noir outlier
The black sheep of the ¡°Patlabor¡± mecha franchise sidelines its robots for a 1970s-style paranoid thriller.
The ¡°Detective Conan¡± franchise is based on Gosho Aoyama¡¯s manga, which was first serialized in 1994 in the manga magazine Weekly Shonen Sunday. Over the course of three decades, the film adaptations have become an annual box-office phenomenon.
CULTURE / Film
Apr 7, 2026
The curious case of a pint-sized sleuth¡¯s box-office phenomenon
A Golden Week tradition for many, the ¡°Detective Conan¡± blockbuster franchise has built a cycle of anticipation that keeps fans engaged year after year.
A young chimney sweep named Lubicchi (voiced by Yuzuna Nagase) is transported to a world that is stuck in time in ¡°Chimney Town: Frozen in Time.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Mar 27, 2026
¡®Chimney Town: Frozen in Time¡¯: A visually rich sequel with a thematic wobble
The ¡°Poupelle of Chimney Town¡± team is back with a more expansive sequel that trades industrial gloom for Ghibli-esque beauty.
Enamored with Western-style painting, Fujiko¡¯s (voiced by Ami Toma) dream of becoming an artist leads her to Paris in ¡°Samurai Ballerina: L¡¯etoile de Paris en fleur.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Mar 19, 2026
¡®Samurai Ballerina¡¯ pirouettes through Belle Epoque Paris with uneven grace
Known for franchise hits and sci-fi anime, Goro Taniguchi takes a very different turn, sending two young artists from Japan to chase their dreams in early 20th-century Paris.
Directed by Michael Arias at Studio 4¡ãC, ¡°Tekkonkinkreet¡± will be screened in Japanese cinemas for two weeks to celebrate its 20th anniversary.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 13, 2026
Anime revival screenings are having a moment
With anime fans flocking to theaters to revisit classics like ¡°Tekkonkinkreet,¡± ¡°Jin-roh¡± and ¡°Macross Plus,¡± nostalgia is proving good business.
South Korean director Sasha Lee¡¯s surreal film ¡°The Popstar Water Deer and I¡± received the mid-length grand prize at this year¡¯s Niigata International Animation Film Festival.
CULTURE / Film
Mar 5, 2026
Reeling from loss, Niigata¡¯s animation festival refuses to fold
After losing key organizers and the death of its founder, the festival wasn¡¯t sure it could go on. Instead of going dark, however, NIAFF rebuilt from scratch.
"Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe" doubles down on the complex universe of the ¡°Gundam¡± franchise.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 5, 2026
¡®Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway¡¯ follow-up is a treat for fans who know their lore
Packed with politics, callbacks and deep-cut franchise history, the latest ¡°Gundam¡± film trusts its audience to keep up.
The room that opens the exhibition, features a bank of computers and large curved monitors on which you can look up any scene from any of the "Ghost in the Shell" anime.
CULTURE / Art
Feb 4, 2026
¡®Ghost and the Shell¡¯ exhibition aims for maximum visual impact
A new, sprawling exhibition about the seminal cyberpunk franchise ¡°Ghost in the Shell¡± celebrates 30 years of cultural influence.
A young man living on the edge of society is taken in by his newfound aunt in the supernatural coming-of-age tale ¡°The Keeper of the Camphor Tree.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Jan 30, 2026
¡®The Keeper of the Camphor Tree¡¯: Healing takes root one wish at a time
In Tomohiko Ito¡¯s visually dynamic coming-of-age tale, sometimes the greatest wish isn¡¯t for success or escape but for somewhere to belong.
"Mars Express" centers on a private detective and her partner, who are drawn into a conspiracy that has serious implications for modern society.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 15, 2026
¡®Mars Express¡¯ shows anime¡¯s influence has no borders
Inspired by Japanese classics such as ¡°Ghost in the Shell¡± and ¡°Akira,¡± Jeremie Perin¡¯s French animated film blends noir, humor and sci-fi into a thrilling cyberpunk ride.
Mothra, a giant multicolored moth, is one of Toho Studios' movie monsters alongside Godzilla and King Ghidorah.
CULTURE / Books
Jan 11, 2026
¡®The Luminous Fairies and Mothra¡¯: This monster is not like the others
The Luminous Fairies and Mothra,¡± translated to English for the first time, provides deeper insight into the political context in Japan in the 1950s.
In ¡°Labyrinth,¡± a sensitive high school girl named Shiori (voiced by Suzuka of girl group Atarashii Gakko!) is transported to an alternate world where she meets her doppelganger, who uses Shiori¡¯s identity to become Japan¡¯s No. 1 streaming personality.
CULTURE / Film
Jan 9, 2026
¡®Macross¡¯ creator Shoji Kawamori breaks free with new film ¡®Labyrinth¡¯
After 40 years of anime franchises, Shoji Kawamori¡¯s first fully original film takes on the smartphone age.
A cel animation from the first episode of ¡°Neon Genesis Evangelion¡± is among the many original materials exhibited in ¡°All of Evangelion,¡± a show to mark the 30th anniversary of the cult anime franchise created by Hideaki Anno.
CULTURE / Art / 2025 IN REVIEW
Dec 27, 2025
From trash to treasure: How anime became a museum staple
Anime- and manga-related art exhibitions are now one of the pillars propping up the industry.
While new installments in franchises like ¡°Gundam¡± and ¡°Detective Conan¡± and manga adaptations like ¡°100 Meters¡± did well at the box office in 2025, risk-taking films like ¡°Scarlet¡± struggled to find the same love.
CULTURE / Film / 2025 IN REVIEW
Dec 26, 2025
In 2025, anime tightened its grip abroad ¡ª and played it safe at home
As anime conquered overseas markets, the industry doubled down on known IP and left innovation on shakier ground.
While overseeing her family¡¯s vast private library, a high school student (voiced by Rin Kataoka) is forced into action when a book thief unleashes a curse on her town in ¡°Whoever Steals This Book.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Dec 25, 2025
¡®Whoever Steals This Book¡¯: A genre-hopping odyssey through literature
Sometimes visually dazzling, sometimes dense with exposition, Kagokan¡¯s first full-length feature shows what fewer cooks in the anime kitchen can achieve.
CineMalice is set to open Dec. 19 in Jimbocho, the bookstore-laden enclave recently dubbed the world's coolest neighborhood by Time Out.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 11, 2025
A movie buff in Jimbocho bets on independent cinema in a big way
In the book-filled Tokyo neighborhood, a new mini-theater hopes to introduce you to films you never knew you¡¯d love.
An aspiring manga artist (voiced by Rihito Itagaki) is drafted and sent away to an island where he endures the brutality of war in ¡°Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Dec 11, 2025
¡®Peleliu: Guernica of Paradise¡¯: Cute designs, harrowing truths about the horrors of war
As Japan marks 80 years since WWII¡¯s end, ¡°Peleliu¡± stands out among recent war films for using animation to portray the brutal realities faced by soldiers abroad.
Aichi Nagoya International Animation Film Festival director Shinichiro Inoue (left) and artistic director Tadashi Sudo (right) started the new event in Nagoya in part due to local government support and Aichi Prefecture¡¯s ongoing investment in arts and culture.
CULTURE / Film
Dec 3, 2025
A new animation festival lands in Nagoya with big plans
The Aichi Nagoya International Animation Film Festival will feature screenings, chat shows and storytelling.
A Danish princess (voiced by Mana Ashida) journeys through the afterlife in search of her undead uncle, determined to avenge her father¡¯s death in "Scarlet."
CULTURE / Film
Nov 20, 2025
Mamoru Hosoda¡¯s ¡®Scarlet¡¯ takes on ¡®Hamlet¡¯ with bold visual departure
The Oscar-nominated director re-imagines the Shakespearean tale as an animated quest through the afterlife.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

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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