Japan Showbiz Latest News and Updates

Just three months on since King Charles revealed to the world he was undergoing treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, his doctors are feeling “positive” enough about his recovery progress to have cleared the monarch to return to public engagements.The milestone news was shared on Friday April 26, when Buckingham Palace released an official statement which indicated the King’s upcoming plans to return to front-line public-facing duties. In addition to the statement, which also revealed Charles would be hosting the Emperor and Empress of Japan in June, a Palace spokesperson said: “His Majesty’s treatment programme will continue, but doctors are sufficiently pleased with the progress made so far that The King is now able to resume a number of public-facing duties.

Emily Ratajkowski is stepping out for the day.

King Charles is getting back to work.

Buckingham Palace has announced that King Charles III will return to his public duties after positive effects from his cancer treatment.

King Charles is said to be “greatly encouraged” at returning to public facing royal duties following the positive effect of his cancer treatment. Charles has been receiving care as an outpatient since early February, and the announcement will be a boost for the monarchy coming to terms with the King and the Princess of Wales as cancer patients.

Almost three months on since King Charles bravely revealed he was battling cancer, Buckingham Palace has released a “positive” statement about his treatment progress, as it revealed the monarch is now able to return to some public facing duties amid his ongoing care.The statement, which was released on Friday April 26 read: “His Majesty The King will shortly return to public-facing duties after a period of treatment and recuperation following his recent cancer diagnosis. “To help mark this milestone, The King and Queen will make a joint visit to a cancer treatment centre next Tuesday, where they will meet medical specialists and patients.This visit will be the first in a number of external engagements His Majesty will undertake in the weeks ahead.

The Palace has just dropped a major health update on King Charles, and it's no coincidence that the news broke at 6pm sharp. The timing was meticulously planned to align with the BBC News at Six, giving the press, including OK! who were briefed with a 6pm embargo, ample time to prep their coverage.

Britain is bracing for a record invasion of the toxic Giant Hogweed due to mild and wet weather conditions, experts have warned.

ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin during a press conference where she refuted claims by HYBE has sold out.Yesterday (April 25), Min Hee-jin, the CEO of NewJeans‘ agency ADOR, which is also a subsidiary of HYBE, held a press conference where she denied claims by HYBE that she planned to take over the K-pop label. The music executive also levied other accusations against the entertainment giant.Despite many netizens criticising her appearance and attire during the press conference, others had seemingly taken a liking to the music executive’s outfit with Koreaboo reporting that the sweater own by Min had sold out in less than a day after the event.Her green stripped sweater is the Organic Cotton Long-Sleeve Cut and Sew from Japanese apparel brand California General Store, which retails for 8,800 yen (about £45).

OnlyOneOf have announced more dates and concerts for their ongoing ‘Things I Can’t Say LOve’ world tour in 2024.Today, (April 26), OnlyOneOf revealed the cities and date for their long-awaited Asia and Australia legs of their 2024 world tour. It comes after the K-pop boyband announced the Japan, America and Europe legs of the tour over the past few months.In July 2024, OnlyOneOf will hold concerts in eight Asian cities, which include Taipei, Hong Kong, Manila, Singapore and more.

Ricky Martin’s adventures continue. The beloved Puerto Rican singer has been joined on a trip to Japan with his eldest sons, Matteo and Valentino.

Ricky Martin and his two sons, Valentino and Matteo, are touring Japan. Meanwhile, Martin’s ex-husband, Jwan Yosef, is enjoying art and adventure with his friends at the Biennale, an international art exhibition in Venice, Italy.

GKIDS, the Academy Award®-winning producer and distributor announced a multi-territory acquisition of The Colors Within (Japanese title: Kiminoiro) which is directed by Naoko Yamada (A Silent Voice), with production from studio Science SARU (Scott Pilgrim Takes Off). 

The Annecy International Animation Film Festival has unveiled the line-up for its 2024 edition, running from June 9 to 15. (scroll down for full list of titles and events)

Shōgun concluded this week (April 23), but how can fans listen to the show’s soundtrack?Shōgun depicted Japan in the year 1600, and some have labelled the series as the “new Game of Thrones”. In it, Lord Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) is fighting for his life as his enemies unite against him, when a mysterious European ship is found marooned in a nearby village, where the character of John Blackthorne (Jarvis) is introduced.Based on the 1975 novel of the same name by James Clavell, the show was overseen by the husband-and-wife creative team of Rachel Kondo and Justin Marks, the latter of whom was a co-writer of Top Gun: Maverick. The ten-episode series was broadcast on Hulu and FX in the US, while UK viewers were able to watch it via Disney+.The soundtrack was composed by the trio of Atticus Ross, his brother Leopold Ross and Nick Chuba.Atticus is known for his collaborations with Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor, including The Social Network, Gone Girl, Soul and Bones And All.

The Cannes Film Festival’s Classics sidebar celebrates 20 years this year with a lineup of films including a 4K restoration of Wim Wenders’s Palme d’Or winning Paris, Texas, and a debut screening of Ron Howard’s 2024 doc Jim Henson Idea Man. 

Carolyn Giardina “The Imaginary,” an upcoming hand-drawn animated fantasy film from Japan’s Studio Ponoc that will play in competition at this year’s Annecy International Animation Film Festival, is set to debut July 5 on Netflix. An Oscar-qualifying run is also planned.

Travis Kelce is a BIG fan of pranks, it seems! Even on his beloved!

Shogun is one of the most acclaimed new shows of the season, but it has been billed as a limited series and not an ongoing one.

One of the most talked about series of 2024 is FX’s feudal Japan series, “Shōgun,” which just ended its ten-episode run on Hulu. The acclaimed series centers on the collision of two ambitious men, an English sailor (Cosmo Jarvis), who is shipwrecked in Japan, and Lord Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada), a shrewd, powerful Japanese feudal lord, at odds with his own dangerous, political rivals.

ZEROBASEONE have dropped the music video for their new single, ‘Sweat’, a cut off their upcoming mini-album, ‘You Had Me At Hello’.In the music video for ‘Sweat’, the members of ZEROBASEONE perform the song and its energetic choreography on a stage that’s right in the middle of a water park. Footage of the members by the pool, enjoying the summer heat are also featured in the clip.“Oh baby I’ll make you sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat, sweat / You toward me, burn it up / With your touch, turn it up / Oh baby I wanna sway, sway, sway, sway, sway / Me toward you, dive into you / Following me, like this everyday,” they belt on the chorus.‘Sweat’ will appear on their upcoming mini-album ‘You Had Me At Hello’, which is set to drop in full on May 13 at 6pm KST.

Naman Ramachandran Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) South Asia has a sizzling summer slate lined up in the kids space including a mix of anime and homegrown IP. Launching on the Indian animation-focused Pogo channel in May is new Indian IP “Jay Jagannath.” The series portrays the friendship between the Hindu God Lord Jagannath, who has taken the form of a child, Jagan, and his devout follower Balaram.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Epic war-time survival tale “The Guns of Muschu” has already assembled a weighty cast ahead of a production start in the first quarter of 2025. The film is an adaptation of the non-fiction book “The Guns of Muschu,” written by Don Dennis, with an adapted screenplay by Tom Broadhurst and Jack Brislee (“Danger Close: The Battle of Long Tan”). The narrative brings to life a pivotal chapter of Australian war history with gritty authenticity, recounting the high body count Operation Copper, a mission during WWII when Australian and New Zealand troops were sent into the jungles of Papua New Guinea. The objective of the mission was to investigate the Japanese defenses on Muschu Island, capture a Japanese officer for interrogation and discover the location of two naval guns on the island that were protecting a harbor.

ADOR and entertainment giant HYBE.This is according to a new exclusive report by South Korean news outlet Korea JoongAng Daily, which cited a source with “knowledge in the matter”. This comes shortly after news that HYBE and ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin, the woman behind NewJeans, are in a power struggle over the K-pop agency.“NewJeans will make a comeback in Korea with a new single in May, whether or not ADOR CEO Min Hee-jin cooperates with HYBE,” the source told the publication.

Following two sold-out limited seasons at London’s Barbican, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s acclaimed stage version of Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli classic My Neighbour Totoro will transfer to the West End early in 2025.

Ricky Martin’s older children have become his inseparable companions on adventures worldwide. The 15-year-old twins, Matteo and Valentino, have traveled with their father to various corners of the planet during his Symphonic tour. After a series of successful dates and a special appearance at Madonna’s concert, the Puerto Rican singer, accompanied by his two children, has traveled to Japan.

RAYE, Sampha and Yussef Dayes leading nominees.The nominees were announced today (April 23) in eight categories including the Best Album, Best Contemporary Song and the Rising Star Award with Amazon Music. The awards ceremony with Amazon Music will take place on May 23 at Grosvenor House.Sampha and Yussef Dayes have the most nominations with two each; each artist is contending for a Best Album award for their respective records ‘Lahai‘ and ‘Black Classical Music’.

EXCLUSIVE: Derek Luke (Antwone Fisher) is the latest addition to Michael, the Michael Jackson biopic that Antoine Fuqua is directing for Lionsgate and Universal Pictures International, sources tell Deadline.

Todd Gilchrist editor Vinyl, poster and collectible company Mutant will release Atticus Ross, Leopold Ross and Nick Chuba’s soundtrack to the critically acclaimed FX series “Shōgun” for the first time on vinyl. On April 25, one day after the 10-episode series’ finale, Mutant will issue the trio’s score, which they worked on for over two years.

EXCLUSIVE: Pocket.watch, and Sunlight Entertainment, the Kaji family owned production studio, are partnering with theatrical distributor, Falling Forward Films, to extend the domestic theatrical release of Ryan’s World the Movie: Titan Universe Adventure. Directed by Albie Hecht and produced by Shion Kaji and Loann Kaji, with executive production by Chris M. Williams, the film is slated to premiere on over 2,100 screens on Friday, August 16th, 2024.

Shōgun is set to conclude tonight (April 23), but will there be a second season? Read on for all of the latest info. The ten-episode first series premiered back on February 27, and the climactic final episode airs tonight. It is available to be streamed via Hulu and FX in the United States.

Jamie Lang Anime artist Yoshitoshi Shinomiya cut his teeth working on films by superstar Japanese filmmaker Makoto Shinkai, including the director’s box office smash hit “Your Name.” Now, Shinomiya is prepping his feature directorial debut, “A New Dawn,” a profoundly personal film inspired by the changing Japanese landscape after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. Tokyo-based Asmik Ace (“Inu-Oh,” ” Tekkonkinkreet”) and France’s Miyu Productions (“Chicken for Linda,” “Dozens of Norths”) are producing the feature, which the former will distribute globally. “A New Dawn” unwinds inside an inactive fireworks factory that is about to go into administrative action.

Let’s catch up on all things Cannes Film Festival. For one, if you haven’t seen it, Cannes recently revealed its 2024 poster, featuring a scene from “Rhapsody in August,” directed by the great Japanese master Akira Kurosawa, 81 at the time (see it below in full).

Netflix will be out in force at France‘s Annecy International Animation Film Festival once again this June, after last year’s high-profile attendance with Nimona as well as teasers for Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget and Blue Eye Samurai.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Fantasy action movie “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” retook the top spot at the mainland China box office from Studio Ghibli animation title “The Boy and the Heron” during the latest weekend. “Godzilla x Kong” recorded earnings of $7.3 million (RMB51.5 million) between Friday and Sunday, a 32% week-on-week drop, according to data from consultancy firm Artisan Gateway. But it returned to the top spot on the box office charts in its fourth weekend of release and overtook “The Boy and the Heron” in the process.

not , she's riding the train with everybody else…at least when she's in Japan.On April 19, the “Texas Hold 'Em” singer shared another series of pics and videos on her Instagram, partially ditching her style for a velvet headband and burgundy lace bodysuit during an outing with , though she did don a cowboy hat for a little photoshoot that was included in the roundup. Beyoncé topped off the look with a camel and plaid cape coat, thigh-high boots, and cursive Chloé chain belt, further accessorizing with gold jewelry and Y2K-inspired sunglasses.Bey is taking “quiet luxury” to the rodeo.By But it wasn't Beyoncé's departure from and that surprised her fans.