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July 24, 2026
 

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RAP

Kaze Fujii, seen here performing in Kuala Lumpur in 2024 during his Asia Tour, is one of the domestic acts set to perform at this year's Fuji Rock Festival.
CULTURE / Music
Feb 20, 2026
Kaze Fujii, Massive Attack among Fuji Rock Festival 2026 performers announced
Among the 66 acts unveiled, are also Khruangbin, The xx, Asian Kung-Fu Generation and more.
Radwimps lead singer Yojiro Noda threw himself into the rock band¡¯s Green Stage performance ahead of headliner Vampire Weekend.
CULTURE / Music
Aug 4, 2025
Fuji Rock¡¯s weekend of surprises was one of its best yet
Thousands braved crowds and slow-moving lines, but unexpected guest appearances by Mariya Takeuchi and Atarashii Gakko! made this year¡¯s event one of the all-time greats.
In recent years, Fuji Rock has had fewer blockbuster performers and showcased more top-selling Japanese acts and international musicians' first-time performances in Japan.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 24, 2025
Behind the scenes: Inside Fuji Rock¡¯s strategy for staying on top
With younger fans, more diverse acts and rising global interest, Fuji Rock ¡ª one of Asia¡¯s biggest music festivals ¡ª is seeing its strongest turnout in years.
Fuji Rock Festival turns the green slopes of Niigata Prefecture¡¯s Naeba Ski Resort into a summer escape that offers soundtracks for every mood.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 22, 2025
JT picks: What not to miss at Fuji Rock 2025
Ready for Fuji Rock? Here are The Japan Times crew¡¯s recommendations for must-see artists at next weekend¡¯s three-day music festival.
¡°Hypnosismic ¡ª Division Rap Battle ¡ª Movie¡± centers on groups of male rappers from neighborhoods around Tokyo and Japan at large.
CULTURE / Film
Feb 20, 2025
¡®Hypnosismic ¡ª Division Rap Battle ¡ª Movie¡¯ lets viewers remix the narrative
Armed with LED-lined gloves and their smartphones, audiences take control of the action for Japan¡¯s first interactive movie.
Hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts' uptempo ¡°Bling-Bang-Bang-Born¡± quickly became a TikTok favorite after its release days into 2024, which helped turn the song into a Billboard Japan Hot 100 topper for 19 weeks before rising up viral streaming charts around the world.
CULTURE / Music / 2024 in Review
Dec 27, 2024
Bling-Bang, baby: The J-pop soundtrack of 2024
Japanese music made waves globally, fueled by Coachella debuts, TikTok virality and unexpected hits like Creepy Nuts¡¯ ¡°Bling-Bang-Bang-Born.¡±
Ten people are suspected of forcibly entering a club in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward on Dec. 17 last year and assaulting a male security guard.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal
Dec 6, 2024
Alleged operator of anonymous X account arrested over club assault
Z-Ri, a pun on the name of the kung-fu actor Jet Li, is an influential account that posts about the inner workings of Japan¡¯s underworld.
R-Shitei (left) and DJ Matsunaga have scored the biggest hit of the year so far in Japan with ¡°Bling-Bang-Bang-Born.¡± The track is inspired by the Jersey club style of music, right down to the squeaky chair sample.
CULTURE / Music
Jul 3, 2024
Is Creepy Nuts¡¯ catchy, rapid-fire ¡®Bling-Bang-Bang-Born¡¯ the song of the year?
The fast-paced ode to a style called Jersey club is everywhere in Tokyo, and it may just be the rap duo¡¯s key to international success.
Atarashii Gakko! released its third album, ¡°AG! Calling,¡± on June 7. The group is currently touring Asia with songs from the new release featured in its set
CULTURE / Music
Jun 21, 2024
Atarashii Gakko! schools crowds overseas on just how bananas J-pop can get
With appearances at major festivals, on U.S. television and new album ¡°AG! Calling,¡± this sailor-suited rapping four-piece is on quite a roll.
Tokyo-based artist Jumadiba says he forgoes the label of simply ¡°rap¡± for his music because the Japanese rap scene isn¡¯t confined to a particular sound.
CULTURE / Music
May 16, 2024
Japanese rap creates its mecca in Pop Yours
The two-day music festival showcases Japan¡¯s growing and diversifying hip-hop scene through local acts such as Awich and Jumadiba.
Kendrick Lamar has long been cast as the authentic and artistic representative of modern rap.
CULTURE / Music / Sound Off
May 10, 2024
Japanese MCs jump in on the Kendrick Lamar-Drake rap beef ¡ª and pick a favorite
The way artists here have joined the feud between two of rap¡¯s biggest names says more about hip-hop beefs in Japan than you realize.
Tupac Shakur
CULTURE / Music
Sep 30, 2023
Suspect in rapper Tupac Shakur¡¯s 1996 slaying charged with murder
The charges marked a breakthrough for a long-unsolved case that was a defining moment in the history of rap music.
Rappers Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa perform during the Hip Hop 50 Live concert, marking the 50th anniversary of the birth of hip hop, at Yankee Stadium in New York City on Friday.
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Aug 13, 2023
Hip-hop stars helm marathon birthday party
Thousands of people partied deep into the night Friday as part of an all-star Bronx bash celebrating 50 years of hip-hop, featuring trailblazers including Run-DMC, Nas, Lauryn Hill and Snoop Dogg.
Japan Times
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jul 19, 2023
Las Vegas police search home in Tupac murder case
The best-selling hip-hop artist behind hits such as ¡®California Love¡¯ was gunned down in a drive-by shooting in Las Vegas at the age of just 25, and his killers have never been caught.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Feb 15, 2022
Rap takes over Super Bowl halftime, balancing celebration and protest
At Super Bowl LVI, rap finally got the spotlight . . . in perhaps the 20-somethingth year of hip-hop occupying the center of American pop music.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
May 21, 2021
Rapper Daichi Yamamoto gets personal about breakups, his biracial background and a love of jazzy beats
Japanese rappers are beginning to share more about their own experiences in their tracks, an approach Daichi Yamamoto says is upping the standards for domestic hip-hop.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Sep 4, 2020
Okinawan rapper Awich rejects your constructs
As a young girl, Awich would sit in awe at her father¡¯s tales of war on Okinawa. Little did she know it would inspire her to tell her own tales as a successful rapper.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Aug 28, 2020
Chelmico breezes through 2020 with optimistic music for somber times
The rap duo¡¯s upbeat new album, ¡°Maze,¡± kicks off with a topsy-turvy track that¡¯s the opening theme of a popular anime and has inspired a dance meme.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Jun 5, 2020
South Korea-born rapper Moment Joon details immigrant experience in Japan on debut album
On his formidable debut album, ¡°Passport & Garcon,¡± South Korea-born rapper Moment Joon lays claim to his present home in suburban Osaka with unusual specificity.
Japan Times
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Feb 19, 2020
Growing up in poverty and broken homes, Kawasaki youths find savior in rap
Weathered signs from five years ago stand forlornly on a bank of the Tama River in Kawasaki, politely asking visitors to refrain from laying any more flowers of condolence so they don¡¯t accidentally catch fire.
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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