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July 24, 2026
 

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CLASSICAL

Yo Kitamura won the fifth prize in the cello division of the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels on Sunday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
May 31, 2026
Japanese cellist Kitamura wins fifth prize in Brussels contest
Kitamura, 22, played Russian composer Sergey Prokofiev¡¯s Symphony-Concerto and other works with the Belgian National Orchestra.
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.
Composer Jung Jaeil began his career when he was a middle school student and has since become one of South Korea¡¯s most sought-after film scorers.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 18, 2026
Jung Jaeil composed for ¡®Squid Game.¡¯ Now, he steps on the stage as himself.
The South Korean composer returns to live music and is set to stop by Tokyo for a show with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Yuma Kagiyama skates during the NHK Trophy in Osaka on November.
OLYMPICS / Figure skating
Feb 1, 2026
Yuma Kagiyama¡¯s ¡®Turandot¡¯ program highlights music¡¯s impact in figure skating
Yuma Kagiyama, a medal favorite in men¡¯s singles, will skate to composer Christopher Tin¡¯s bespoke four-minute edit of his own ¡®Turandot¡¯ ending at the Milano Cortina Games.
Shiori Kuwahara performs at the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw on Monday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Oct 22, 2025
Japanese pianist wins fourth prize in Chopin competition
This is the second consecutive time a Japanese-born pianist has won a prize at the prestigious international contest, which is considered a gateway to success for young pianists.
Satoshi Yoneda reacts to audience's applause at the Besancon International Competition for Young Conductors held in Besanson, France, on Saturday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Sep 28, 2025
Japanese conductor Yoneda wins French competition
Previous Japanese winners of the Besancon competition include the late Seiji Ozawa, Yutaka Sado and Kazuki Yamada.
Nodoka Okisawa conducts the Saito Kinen Orchestra to perform Benjamin Britten's opera "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at the Matsumoto Performing Arts Center in August for the 33rd edition of the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival.
CULTURE / Music
Sep 28, 2025
Nodoka Okisawa is carrying the baton for Seiji Ozawa in Matsumoto
Japanese conductor Nodoka Okisawa embraces both tradition and renewal at a festival that still embodies Ozawa¡¯s spirit.
Anton Felix Schindler (Yuki Yamada, left) sets out to rewrite the history of his late employer, Ludwig van Beethoven (Arata Furuta, right), in Kazuaki Seki¡¯s ¡°Faking Beethoven.¡±
CULTURE / Film
Sep 10, 2025
¡®Faking Beethoven¡¯: Comedic musical biopic forgets to have fun
Kazuaki Seki¡¯s comedy centers on the notorious fibber who shaped a maestro¡¯s myth.
Wataru Hisasue (L) and Masaya Kamei (R)
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jun 1, 2025
Japanese pianists win 2nd and 5th prizes in Brussels contest
Of the 12 finalists in Belgium¡¯s Queen Elisabeth Competition, four were Japanese.
Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto, South African flutist Wouter Kellerman and Indian American vocalist Chandrika Tandon won a Grammy on Sunday for their album ¡°Triveni.¡±
CULTURE / Music
Feb 5, 2025
Japanese cellist Eru Matsumoto awarded Grammy for best new age album
Alongside South African flutist Wouter Kellerman and Indian American vocalist Chandrika Tandon, Matsumoto took home the accolade for the trio¡¯s album ¡°Triveni.¡±
The Tubassadors are (from left) Tomohiro Sosogi, Kazuto Shikada, Soen Tamura and Keisuke Nishibu.
CULTURE / Music
Nov 5, 2024
The Tubassadors hope to change the tuba¡¯s tune
Orchestras aren¡¯t known for tuba solos in their performances. However, this Tokyo-based quartet puts the instrument front and center.
Maestro Seiji Ozawa (center) lays flowers at the cenotaph for atomic bomb victims at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park in October 2005.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / History / Regional Voices: Hiroshima
Sep 9, 2024
Maestro Seiji Ozawa¡¯s prayer for peace lives on in Hiroshima
His musical roots ¡ª and passion ¡ª can be traced back to the city where the first atomic bomb was detonated.
Akiko Trush says her experience with the neurological disorder dystonia left her feeling like she wanted to chop her own hand off.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Science & Health / Longform
Jul 14, 2024
The neurological disorder that ¡®kills culture¡¯
Great pianists aren¡¯t made overnight, it takes years of practice. It can all be undone in a matter of days, however, due to a medical condition called dystonia.
A screencap of a performance of Hiroto Nagai's ¡°String Quartet No. 1 ¡®Polar Energy Budget¡¯¡± by the PRT Quartet
CULTURE / Music / OUR PLANET
May 7, 2024
How a Japanese scientist is turning the climate crisis into music
Hiroto Nagai has sonified polar climate data, resulting in a string quartet piece that he thinks can get people to care more about what the data expresses.
Pianist Fuzjko Hemming shot to fame after a documentary program about her life was aired on NHK in 1999. Her debut album released the same year, "La Campanella," sold over 2 million copies.
CULTURE / Music
May 2, 2024
Renowned pianist Fuzjko Hemming dies at 92
Born in Berlin to a Swedish architect father and a Japanese pianist mother, Hemming began learning the piano from her mother at the age of 5.
Experimentation seemed to be a driving force throughout conductor Seiji Ozawa¡¯s life as he pushed the boundaries of what a Japanese artist could achieve with classical music to magnificent heights.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 13, 2024
Seiji Ozawa¡¯s boundless experiment
The influential conductor was not only a man of extraordinary talent, his warm character had the power to unite people as one.
Seiji Ozawa shows his humorous side during a photo shoot with The Japan Times in 2017. The influential conductor died Feb. 6.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 10, 2024
The story behind my favorite photo of Seiji Ozawa
A lot of photography comes down to luck and reflexes. Once you get that magic shot, though, it can stay with you forever.
Japanese conductor Seiji Ozawa during a rehearsal in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture, in September 2005.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 9, 2024
Seiji Ozawa, Japan¡¯s trailblazing maestro, dies at 88
Throughout his illustrious career, Ozawa was instrumental in popularizing classical music for mainstream audiences in Japan and abroad.
Hiroko Higashino, who was born with three fingers on her right hand, plays an AI-powered piano during a rehearsal for a Christmas concert in Tokyo on Wednesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Dec 23, 2023
AI-assisted piano allows disabled Tokyo musicians to perform Beethoven
To assist players, the Anybody¡¯s Piano tracks the notes of the music and augments the performance by adding whatever keys are needed but not pressed.
Janos Cegledy sits in a park in Tokyo's Nerima Ward. The pianist says Japan suits him, ¡°There is a certain civility and politeness here which you don¡¯t find anywhere else.¡±
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / Longform
Dec 11, 2023
The extraordinary life of a Holocaust survivor living in Japan
Janos Cegledy tours schools, telling his story. If the students ever meet a Holocaust denier, he says, they can reply, ¡°I met someone who was there.¡±
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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