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July 12, 2026
 

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JAPANESE FILM

After an office temp worker is found dead in suspicious circumstances, Eiko Watarai (the single-named Nao, right) sets out in search of answers in Junichi Kanai’s “Why Wait, Just Die.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 10, 2026
‘Why Wait, Just Die’: A dead-eyed investigator takes on an unsolved murder
The single-named Nao offers a steamroller of a performance in Junichi Kanai’s film, which unfolds as an unconventional murder mystery with stylized flourishes.
Shota Sometani stars as the assistant manager of a fictional convenience store chain in Yusuke Iwasaki’s “AnyMart.”
CULTURE / Film
Jul 10, 2026
‘AnyMart’: A surreal parable about the dark side of convenience stores
Yusuke Iwasaki’s debut feature starts off as an observational comedy before being subsumed by creeping dread and shock horror.
Takashi Nishihara, the director of "Now and Then," in Tokyo on Wednesday. The director has spent 10 years traversing politically charged terrain while exploring youth-driven grassroots political movements that scrutinize the status quo.
COMMUNITY / Issues
Jul 5, 2026
Filmmaker explores history of discrimination against foreign nationals in Japan
Takashi Nishihara’s latest work, “Now and Then,” bridges a historical atrocity with the present-day treatment of asylum-seekers.
Yutaka Mizutani directs and stars in his fourth feature film, an omnibus about love, loneliness and everything in between.
CULTURE / Film
Jul 3, 2026
‘Piccola Felicita’: From formulaic drama to fever dream
Directed by Yutaka Mizutani, the four-part omnibus looks at love and loneliness in the big city, with some unexpected twists and turns.
After premiering in July 1966, the original “Ultraman” series gained a peak viewership of nearly half of all TV-owning households in Japan.
CULTURE / Film
Jul 2, 2026
The heroism and humanity of ‘Ultraman’: Documentary looks back on 60 years
The iconic sci-fi franchise is the focus of a documentary, co-helmed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, that examines its cultural impact on generations of Japanese and international viewers.
A trio of women in need of cash (from left: Sara Minami, Kasumi Arimura and Haru Kuroki) starts smuggling gold from Singapore in Chihiro Amano’s “Magical Secret Tour.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 26, 2026
An implausible but engaging crime drama unfolds in ‘Magical Secret Tour’
In Chihiro Amano’s “Magical Secret Tour,” a trio of Japanese women becomes embroiled in a scheme to smuggle gold from Singapore.
Hayato Kohsaka (right) plays a violent teenager whose potential for redemption is the core inquiry in Keisuke Yoshida’s “Unchained.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 26, 2026
‘Unchained’ presents a grim portrait of a budding psychopath
Keisuke Yoshida’s gritty drama concerns the misdeeds of a violent teenager and an ex-con’s efforts to rehabilitate him.
Director Yukiko Sode (center) poses with her lead actors Tadanobu Asano (left) and Yukino Kichii (right) at the 79th Cannes Film Festival.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 25, 2026
‘All the Lovers in the Night’ film adaptation brings ‘unstable beauty’ to the screen
During the Cannes Film Festival, director Yukiko Sode and actors Yukino Kishii and Tadanobu Asano reflected on the process of bringing Mieko Kawakami’s novel to life.
Ryusuke Hamaguchi spent two months in Paris conducting research for “All of a Sudden,” which centers primarily on a conversation between two women that unfolds over the course of a single evening.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 19, 2026
Ryusuke Hamaguchi wants to make the impossible possible
An ethos of idealism is pervasive in the director’s first French-language film, which came with the challenge and exhilaration of shooting in Paris.
Provincial lord Araki Murashige (Masahiro Motoki, right) finds himself under siege and with a series of mysteries to solve in Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s “The Samurai and the Prisoner.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 19, 2026
‘The Samurai and the Prisoner’: A cerebral whodunnit in feudal Japan
Kiyoshi Kurosawa’s historical drama is a murder mystery in the Agatha Christie mold and driven by conversation rather than combat.
Budding artists Madoka (Mariko Ito, left) and Kazuma (Kai Inowaki) find themselves tangled up in a multiverse while at the movies in “You Are the Film.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 19, 2026
‘You Are the Film’ offers a multiverse on a microbudget
Set in a real-life corner of Tokyo’s Shimokitazawa neighborhood, Makoto Ueda’s debut feature takes a refreshingly analog approach to a familiar concept.
High-school students Ai (Anna Yamada, left) and Yu (Yuzu Aoki, right) fight back against a hive mind in Yuta Shimotsu’s “New Group.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 12, 2026
‘New Group’ has big ideas but wobbly foundations
Human pyramids and other gymnastic formations become an ominous metaphor in Yuta Shimotsu’s sophomore feature, but the film’s reach exceeds its grasp.
Before Meiko Kaji’s hyperviolent action movies in the 1970s attracted a cult following, she made great efforts to learn the ropes of the entertainment industry.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 12, 2026
Meiko Kaji studied hard to smolder on screen
The star of “Lady Snowblood” and other 1970s action films looks back on the serendipities that shaped her early career — and her dogged determination to hone her craft.
Virginie Efira (left) and Tao Okamoto play two women in crisis drawn together by happenstance in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden.”
CULTURE / Film
Jun 11, 2026
‘All of a Sudden’: A tender triumph from Ryusuke Hamaguchi
The director’s award-winning film is a poignant study of the human condition built around the chemistry of its two leads, Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto.
“Fujiko” stars Yuki Katayama (left) as a scrappy single mother who fights for her autonomy in 1970s and ’80s Japan.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 5, 2026
‘Fujiko’ transforms a mother’s resilience into festival gold
Fresh off a major festival win and new international distribution deals, Taichi Kimura reflects on the deeply personal project that honors his mother’s perseverance.
Tao Okamoto (left) and Virginie Efira (right) shared the Cannes Film Festival’s best actress honor for their roles in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s “All of a Sudden,” a coproduction between Japan, France, Belgium and Germany.
CULTURE / Film
Jun 4, 2026
Japan’s Cannes moment signals a new global push
Tao Okamoto made history at Cannes, while Japanese filmmakers and producers looked ahead, embracing collaboration as the future of the industry.
Bereaved parents Kensuke (the mononymous Daigo, right) and Otone (Haruka Ayase, left) have their late son resurrected as a humanoid robot in Hirokazu Kore-eda’s “Sheep in the Box.”
CULTURE / Film
May 29, 2026
Kore-eda’s sci-fi film ‘Sheep in the Box’ fuzzy at edges
Despite familiar themes, the acclaimed director’s latest film is ambivalent in its exploration of a futuristic premise.
Koshi Mizukami (right) plays a rookie police detective who teams up with a South Korean counterpart (Jung Yunho) to tackle an international crime syndicate in the Kabukicho red-light district.
CULTURE / Film
May 29, 2026
Crime and comic antics abound in ‘Tokyo Burst: The Roundup’
Set in the same universe as a hit South Korean series, “Tokyo Burst: The Roundup” mashes up a cartoonish aesthetic with gripping violence.
A killer (Jiro Sato, center) cursed with the ability to make objects held in his right hand invisible terrorizes strangers in "Nameless."
CULTURE / Film
May 28, 2026
‘Nameless’: Cursed killer goes wild in uneven thriller
Director Hideo Jojo borrows from horror classics while pitting Jiro Sato’s unhinged killer against a dogged veteran cop.
Japan's Tao Okamoto and Belgium's Virginie Efira, co-winners of the best actress award for their roles in the film "All of a Sudden," celebrate during the closing ceremony of the 79th Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, France, on Saturday.
CULTURE / Film
May 24, 2026
In first for Japanese, Tao Okamoto shares Best Actress award at Cannes
Okamoto shared the honor with Belgium’s Virginie Efira for their roles in the drama “All of a Sudden” by Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
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