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July 24, 2026
 

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RELATIONSHIPS

Netflix limited series ¡°Soul Mate¡± stars Hayato Isomura (right) and Ok Taec-yeon as two men whose friendship unfolds from a chance encounter in Berlin.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
May 21, 2026
¡®Soul Mate¡¯ reaches for pathos but remains hollow
With a globe-spanning story and plenty of melodrama, Netflix¡¯s queer-themed limited series ultimately falters under the weight of its own ambiguity.
Men hiding their marital status to get women into a sexual relationship is nothing new. But a growing number of victims are speaking out on the men who deceived them for feigning singlehood ¡ª or dokushin gis¨­.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Crime & Legal / FOCUS
Mar 31, 2026
Deceived women seek criminal penalty for married men pretending to be single
As it stands, men feigning singlehood to enter into sexual relationships can only be sued in the civil courts.
Experts say emotional bonds with AI are often shaped by prior experiences ¡ª or disappointments ¡ª in human relationships.
LIFE / Lifestyle / Longform
Feb 13, 2026
Love, engineered in the age of AI
As chatbots grow more sophisticated, some people are forming romantic bonds ¡ª and even marriages ¡ª with artificial partners.
In its second season, "The Boyfriend" allows more time to show the diversity of individual experience.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming / Wide Angle
Feb 6, 2026
Vulnerability, love and the limits of reality TV on ¡®The Boyfriend¡¯
Netflix Japan¡¯s same-sex dating show may be several layers removed from reality, but it nonetheless offers an important space for dialogue and representation.
The second season of Netflix Japan's ¡°The Boyfriend¡± is bringing together a new set of bachelors to find romance and learn more about themselves.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Jan 23, 2026
Second season of ¡®The Boyfriend¡¯ lets love take its time
Netflix Japan¡¯s same-sex dating show returns with a season that lets relationships unfold at their own pace.
A screenshot of Loverse app shows an AI-generated woman, characterized as a 25-year-old hair and makeup artist Miyu, registered as a female companion.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Jan 7, 2026
Swipe right for AI romance
An app called Loverse aims to give users the closest depiction of the real thing ¡ª complete with all its unpredictability.
¡°Rental Family,¡± directed and co-written by the single-named Hikari, follows out-of-work actor Phillip (Brendan Fraser), who is hired as the ¡°token white guy¡± at a Tokyo agency called Rental Family.
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Nov 19, 2025
Why we can¡¯t get enough of the sham of the rental family
The new ¡°Rental Family¡± film starring Brendan Fraser revisits an irresistible controversy and suggests that while rental family members are fake, they address a real loneliness.
Then-Nestle CEO Laurent Freixe speaks during a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 22. Freixe was fired this week over an undisclosed romantic relationship with a subordinate.
BUSINESS / Companies
Sep 3, 2025
From Coldplay kiss cam to Nestle, office romances are costing CEOs their jobs
The firing of Nestle CEO Laurent Freixe this week puts the spotlight on office relationships, and their ubiquity.
Hoshuji temple displays a banner welcoming people to "marriage-hunting at the temple," an event for those who want to register as members of the nationwide Kichienkai matchmaking organization, on Jan. 26 in Chikusa Ward, Nagoya.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
May 4, 2025
Temple master takes unconventional approach to matchmaking
¡°It¡¯s better to find happiness with the partner you meet than to search for a partner you think will make you happy,¡± says Buddhist monk Koshi Kimiya.
Marriage proposals in Japan look a lot like those in other countries, but there are traditions that are specific to the country that some people still adhere to.
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Apr 18, 2025
Voicing intentions and a peek into a traditional Japanese engagement ceremony
While the basics of a marriage proposal are similar to what happens in most countries, an extra ceremony requires specific gifts.
China's female gamers are finding the male leads of Love and Deepspace more enticing than real-life partners.
LIFE / Digital
Mar 29, 2025
¡®Better than real life¡¯: In China, virtual boyfriends are emotional aids
For many, virtual companions offer more than entertainment ¡ª?they provide emotional fulfilment.
There seems to be a preference for similarly educated and similarly earning spouses in modern marriages, reflecting a trend that prioritizes parity over "marrying up."
COMMENTARY / World
Mar 17, 2025
What really changed the marriage market
The internet connects us with so many potential mates that our puny human brains can¡¯t handle it.
Many Japanese dating apps have ways to detail specific interests that can be as narrow as one particular TV show, game or an artist.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Jan 7, 2025
Swiping in Japan: How Gen Z is changing the dating app game
The once-stigmatized?apps are flourishing as a new normal for dating among Gen Z in Japan, albeit with a different approach to before.
A date night on Christmas Eve typically starts with a romantic dinner at a restaurant often with a great view or a private space.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Dec 18, 2024
Silent night? Not if you want to impress your Christmas Eve date.
In Japan, a date night on Christmas Eve typically starts with a romantic dinner at a restaurant often with a great view or a private space.
A survey released by an organization promoting ¡°Good Couples Day¡± shows that 24% of couples in their 20s met their marriage partner through a dating app.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Nov 21, 2024
Around a quarter of Japan married couples in their 20s met through dating apps
Ease of meeting a wide range of people is likely the biggest appeal of app use, underscoring a major shift in how young people meet their partners.
In a survey of 31 countries, Japan ranked last in terms of those who felt loved, with just 51% of respondents saying so.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Nov 20, 2024
Japan ranks last in romance satisfaction for second straight year
Just 37% of respondents in Japan said they were satisfied with their romantic and sexual relationships, according to a survey from Ipsos.
Dating apps like Bumble and Hinge, with their reliance on basic algorithms, often lead to superficial connections, but AI could improve this by analyzing deeper data for more meaningful matches.
COMMENTARY / World
Nov 11, 2024
AI dating might actually not be so bad
While still in development, these AI-driven match-making tools aim to reduce the fatigue of online dating and foster more genuine connections.
The conduct and business of love in Japan¡¯s Edo Period (1603-1867) was rough, and nowhere was it rougher than in the pleasure quarters of the capital city.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / History / The Living Past
Sep 29, 2024
Good or bad, both or neither: Edo Japan and the moral conscience
The era¡¯s warrior class and its martial virtues were redundant but lived on ¡ª?overshadowed by the pursuit of pleasure.
Sensoji Temple in the Asakusa district of Tokyo. The lack of opportunities to meet people was the biggest hurdle for marriage for both married and unmarried respondents, which may explain the rise in popularity of dating apps.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Society
Aug 27, 2024
Around 1 in 4 married couples in Japan under 40 used dating apps, survey finds
The lack of opportunities to meet people in-person was the biggest hurdle for marriage for both married and unmarried respondents.
Only two other class of persons were treated with anything like the merciless ferocity meted out to lovers: subversives and Christians.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / History / The Living Past
Aug 17, 2024
Love was a most subversive affair in Edo Japan
As the shogunate required order in society, love was seen as a threat to rational thinking ¡ª something that you might die for.
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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