Taro Kono (or Kono Taro, to use the name order Kono prefers) is Japan’s digital transformation minister and one of the many members of the LDP vying to become Japan’s next prime minister. At a press conference this week, Kono said some interesting stuff about …Read more »
Anime Expo takes place July 4-7, and The Akademeia 21st Century school is bringing 30 students from Japan to teach con-goers more about “the true cool Japan experience.” You can find them at Booth 180. Three of the students—Nozomu Matsuoka, Rina Iiumi, Misaki Aoki, and …Read more »
Anime and manga are getting more and more popular around the world, but Cool Japan Fund isn’t doing so well. Cool Japan Fund gave this description of itself: “Cool Japan Fund was founded in November 2013 as a public-private fund with the aim of supporting …Read more »
Japan officially has a new Cool Japan ambassador. As revealed on her Twitter account, the honor goes to professional cosplayer Enako. She promised, “I will do my utmost to spread the pop culture I love, as an ambassador and as a cosplayer!” Enako added that …Read more »
The private-public fund known as the Cool Japan Fund, launched to promote Japanese culture around the world, is struggling to deliver results, reports the Nikkei Asian Review. Reception to many Cool Japan-funded products in Japan and around the world has been, shall we say, cool. …Read more »
The Japanese government is taking up a bill that would make it easier for non-citizens to work in the animation industry, reports Nikkei Asian Review. For those dreaming of becoming an animator in Japan, this is potentially huge news. The bill, which will be taken …Read more »
Now this is cool. As we mentioned of our review of The Boy and the Beast , the new Mamoru Hosoda ( Wolf Children , Summer Wars ) film, one of the film’s primary locations is Shibuya, the real-life Tokyo ‘hood famed for its shopping, …Read more »
There’s been a lot of talk in recent months ( years, even ) about the low wages in the anime industry , especially for entry-level animators. But just how much (or little, rather) do newbie animators make? A thorough study by the Japanese government has …Read more »
Evangelion The Real 4D is, you may recall, an upcoming attraction at Universal Studios Japan that promises to immerse guests into the world of Evangelion . It’s set to open alongside Attack on Titan , Resident Evil and Monster Hunter events as part of USJ’s …Read more »
Exports of anime and dramas from Japan increased 30% in fiscal year 2013, according to a report from the Asahi Shinbun. That's good news for Cool Japan, the government initiative aimed at increasing exports of Japan's cultural products. Two major factors contributed to the increase: …Read more »
At a recent lower house budget committee meeting, opposition lawmaker Tomohiko Kinoshita used the floor to express his reservations about the government’s Cool Japan program, which gives financial support to companies that promote Japanese pop culture, according to Japanese news blog Livedoor. To make his …Read more »
“This is Japanese culture!” wails a drunken May’n fan next to me, crushing a Chu-hi tallboy can in his fist. This was the scene at yesterday’s Moshi Moshi Nippon Festival , an “initiative to help improve tourism and promote Japanese Pop Culture throughout the world” …Read more »
It’s hard to describe how grossly hot it is here in Tokyo, but here’re the straight-up numbers: as of this writing, it’s 95 degrees, and feels like 102 with 65% humidity. Yeah. Not fun. Still, those willing to brave the outdoors and make their way …Read more »
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was in France on May 5 for a meeting with French President Francois Hollande, where the two leaders agreed on the importance of further diplomacy with Russia and a swift resolution to the crisis in Ukraine. And then Abe went …Read more »
There’s been a lot of talk about the future of the anime industry lately, a lot of it doomy and gloomy. Many of the masters of the medium are retiring or dying with no clear heirs to step up and replace them, wages and working …Read more »
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Danica Davidson
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Jason Moses