Princess Mako of Japan Marries Commoner Kei Komuro, Officially Giving Up Her Royal Title

health declined recently and she had been treated at a hospital in Kyoto, where she died on Tuesday of heart failure, according to her temple, Jakuan.Born Harumi Setouchi in 1922 in the city of Tokushima on the southwestern main island of Shikoku, she debuted in 1957 and has since published more than 400 books.

Netflix has unveiled a hefty list of upcoming Japanese titles, including both anime and live-action films and series. The company is hosting a two-day event this week – the Netflix Japan Festival 2021 – at which it will significantly expand its local slate in the country.

Unless you've been living under a rock these past few months... Chances are, you've heard of Little Moons.The branded mochi company - which put a supermarket-friendly spin on the Japanese dessert - went viral back in 2020 after a series of TikTok videos caused the frozen treats to sell out across the country.

Sega has trademarked the words “Sonic Frontiers” in both English and Japanese, leading to the belief that this could be the name of the upcoming Sonic title.Both the English and Japanese trademarks can be found on Chizai Watch, a website that publishes different patents, designs and trademarks from the Japan Patent Office.

The trailer for Ryusuke Hamaguchi‘s Cannes award winning movie, Drive My Car, is officially here!

Of all the major films to debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, you might be surprised to know that one of the most beloved is the Japanese drama, “Drive My Car.” And later this month, audiences are going to finally get the chance to watch Japan’s official Oscars entry on the big screen.

Pokémon, Pikachu have turned up at the UN’s climate change conference to protest Japan’s refusal to reduce coal consumption.At the conference, Japanese officials refused to sign a pledge to reduce their coal consumption. As it stands, the country is the sixth largest consumer of coal in the world, accounting for over 18% of all usage.The protest happened opposite Glasgow’s SEC, which is hosting the COP26 conference.

EXCLUSIVE: The second ACA Cinema Project series, “Flash Forward: Debut Works and Recent Films by Notable Japanese Directors,” has set its lineup for a hybrid program that will run from December 3-23. Presented by the New York-based non-profit Japan Society and the Japanese government’s Agency for Cultural Affairs, in collaboration with the Visual Industry Promotion Organization, the event will be comprised of 20 films streaming in the U.S.

HYBE, home to K-pop juggernauts BTS, has unveiled plans to debut new groups in the United States and Japan.On November 4, HYBE held an event dubbed the “2021 HYBE Corporate Briefing with the Community”, which was live-streamed on YouTube, where it shared future plans and goals for the company, as well as its trajectory based on its current business model.During the event, HYBE America revealed that it is set to launch of a new girl group in collaboration with Universal Music Group’s Geffen

Nintendo will not reach its production targets for the Nintendo Switch this fiscal year, missing them by around 20 per cent.According to a new report in Nikkei, as spotted by VGC, the ongoing chip shortage is going to cause the Japanese firm to miss its target by around 20 per cent.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentNot long ago, director Yoshida Keisuke was little known both in Japan and abroad, though he scored the occasional festival invitation with films like the 2008 quirky comedy “Café Isobe” and the 2016 thriller “Himeanole.”A former lighting director to cult favorite Tsukamoto Shinya, Yoshida was one of many Japanese filmmakers laboring in the middle zone between low-budget indies and major commercial films.

Just last week, Japan’s Princess Mako gave up her title to marry her college sweetheart, Kei Komuro, however, she’s not the first royal to do so.

EXCLUSIVE: Production, finance and distribution outfit 108 Media has optioned the screenplay Konbini Zombies, written by screenwriter Morayo Akandé, who was BAFTA Scotand nominated for her short 1745.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefNippon TV, one of Japan’s entertainment groups, has struck a deal to license 30 drama and entertainment titles to Netflix for play across Asia, outside Japan.

Mark Schilling Japan CorrespondentJapanese film sellers are once again out in force at TIFFCOM, which is completely online for the second year in a row. Buyers will find much familiar from the Busan market, but new titles are on offer as well.Japan’s oldest continuously operated studio, Nikkatsu is bringing Matsui Daigo’s “Just Remembering,” a romantic drama selected for the TIFF competition.

Celtic star Kyogo Furuhashi got into the Halloween spirit by pranking his team-mates in a supposed video message for Japanese fans.

Kishida Fumio sent a video message on Saturday to the opening ceremony of the Tokyo International Film Festival.“I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for your ingenuity and dedication in organizing this new type of film festival, a hybrid of the real and online,” Kishida said.Where previous Japanese premiers have trod the red carpet, Kishida’s careful social distancing was in keeping with a low-key ceremony and prevailing anti-COVID conditions.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentIn first phase sales, Alief has closed multiple major territories across Europe and Asia on “Cop Secret,” one of the key titles marking as move towards the mainstream in the lineup at August’s Locarno Festival, where it had its world premiere.Made on the near eve of this year’s American Film Market, the sales announcement comes after the comedy action romp bowed in its native Iceland on Oct.