Revolution+1.On July 8, 2022, Shinzo Abe, who had been the longest-serving prime minister of Japan in its postwar years, was shot and killed in broad daylight in a country with barely any civilian access to firearms. The suspect was immediately arrested, and commentators from all over the world began to speculate about the killer’s motive. After a few days, the police revealed that the 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami, who had built his own gun and tracked Abe’s movements, had not originally planned to kill Abe. In fact, the most high-profile political assassination in decades was carried out by a man who cared little for politics. Legendary Japanese filmmaker Masao Adachi, sensing a story sure to be misconstrued by the press, immediately began production on a biopic—not of Abe, but of Yamagami. At the North American premiere of the film, Revolution+1 (2023), last July, he said that this quick turnaround was not intended to garner controversy,...
- 3/11/2024
- MUBI
Shiori Ito – face of Japan's #MeToo movement, one of Time's 100 Most Influential People of 2020, and author of award-winning memoir “Black Box” (2017) – assembled a documentary recording her rollercoaster of a lawsuit against her rapist, Noriyuki Yamagauchi. This marks her debut feature, “Black Box Diaries,” which premiered as a part of the World Cinema – Documentary Competition at Sundance Film Festival last month.
“Black Box Diaries” premiered at Sundance 2024 in the World Cinema – Documentary Competition. Its sales are managed by Dogwoof.
The documentary follows the heels of other stories that have been published that focus on the #MeToo movement, such as Chanel Miller's memoir, “Know My Name” (2019); Ursula Macfarlane's Weinstein investigation “Untouchable” (2019); and more recently, the prolonged court battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (2022). While many of the previous examples are centered in the US, however, Ito's investigative journalistic take on her own rape case explores the legal murkiness of the Japanese court.
“Black Box Diaries” premiered at Sundance 2024 in the World Cinema – Documentary Competition. Its sales are managed by Dogwoof.
The documentary follows the heels of other stories that have been published that focus on the #MeToo movement, such as Chanel Miller's memoir, “Know My Name” (2019); Ursula Macfarlane's Weinstein investigation “Untouchable” (2019); and more recently, the prolonged court battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard (2022). While many of the previous examples are centered in the US, however, Ito's investigative journalistic take on her own rape case explores the legal murkiness of the Japanese court.
- 2/19/2024
- by Grace Han
- AsianMoviePulse
In the middle of Black Box Diaries, journalist Shiori Ito’s debut documentary, Ito grins at the camera as she strolls through downtown Tokyo on the day of her book launch. It’s October 18, 2017. The New York Times broke the Harvey Weinstein news two weeks ago. Alyssa Milano popularized the hashtag #MeToo two days ago. Ito, fresh-faced and 28, happily recounts these events to the camera. The world may finally be ready to listen to her.
It’s hard to imagine a time before the #MeToo genie was let out of its bottle, but that’s what Ito asks of viewers as they journey back with her to 2015, when she says she was raped by a senior journalist with connections to then-president Shinzo Abe. Through an incredible amount of personal documentation––primarily videos, audio recordings, and journal entries––she grants viewers unprecedented access into her experience as a woman seeking justice for sex crimes in Japan.
It’s hard to imagine a time before the #MeToo genie was let out of its bottle, but that’s what Ito asks of viewers as they journey back with her to 2015, when she says she was raped by a senior journalist with connections to then-president Shinzo Abe. Through an incredible amount of personal documentation––primarily videos, audio recordings, and journal entries––she grants viewers unprecedented access into her experience as a woman seeking justice for sex crimes in Japan.
- 1/29/2024
- by Lena Wilson
- The Film Stage
In Black Box Diaries, director Shiori Ito confronts abuse but also a deeply flawed legal system. Her quest for justice begins in spring 2015. Then a young intern at Thomson Reuters, Ito found herself in a nightmarish situation with Noriyuki Yamaguchi, a prominent media figure with political connections in Japan. At the time, he worked at the Tokyo Broadcasting System Television and was the personal biographer for Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan.
After she reported a sexual assault incident against Yamaguchi she was met with formidable challenges, as she navigated a legal system steeped in outdated laws that placed burden of proof on the victims. Ito’s struggle was not just against her assailant but also against a societal framework that silences survivors. Facing public slander, character assassination and the daunting reality of confronting Yamaguchi, she had no idea that acting as an investigative journalist for her own...
After she reported a sexual assault incident against Yamaguchi she was met with formidable challenges, as she navigated a legal system steeped in outdated laws that placed burden of proof on the victims. Ito’s struggle was not just against her assailant but also against a societal framework that silences survivors. Facing public slander, character assassination and the daunting reality of confronting Yamaguchi, she had no idea that acting as an investigative journalist for her own...
- 1/28/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Amid the surfeit of films about women’s rights and men’s abuses of power that have emerged in the wake of the #MeToo reckoning, we haven’t yet seen one quite like “Black Box Diaries.” A tightly wound, heart-on-sleeve procedural documentary, Shiori Ito’s directorial debut identifies a world of systemic iniquities through the prism of a single, long labored-over case of sexual assault — crucially, the director’s own. That raw first-person perspective, untempered by the interests of another filmmaker and given narrative rigor by Ito’s substantial journalistic skills, makes “Black Box Diaries” not just a damning analysis of patriarchal power structures in contemporary Japan, but a vivid evocation of the day-to-day psychological swings and breaks that come with living as a survivor. The title’s allusion to diary-keeping is on point: Ito’s vulnerabilities can be discomfiting to witness, even with her consent.
A standout of the...
A standout of the...
- 1/26/2024
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
On the night of April 3, 2015, Shiori Itō, an intern at Thomson Reuters, met Noriyuki Yamaguchi at a restaurant under the guise of a job interview. Yamaguchi, then the Washington bureau chief of Tokyo Broadcasting System and a personal friend (and biographer) of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, was a mover and shaker in Japanese media and politics with the power to change her career. The last thing Itō remembers from that dinner is getting violently ill in the bathroom. The next thing she remembers is waking up in a hotel room...
- 1/25/2024
- by Marlow Stern
- Rollingstone.com
In one of the most unusual and inspiring sights which will surely go down in Sundance lore, Black Box Diaries director Shiori Ito led audience members in a post-premiere karaoke rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’.
‘Black Box Diaries’: Sundance Review
The spontaneous event immediately followed the Q&a session after the world premiere of the Japanese journalist’s debut feature in which she chronicled her struggle for justice against her high-profile rapist.
An exhilarated and exhilarating Ito, microphone still in hand, sung along and invited ticket holders to join her on stage at Prospector Square Theatre...
‘Black Box Diaries’: Sundance Review
The spontaneous event immediately followed the Q&a session after the world premiere of the Japanese journalist’s debut feature in which she chronicled her struggle for justice against her high-profile rapist.
An exhilarated and exhilarating Ito, microphone still in hand, sung along and invited ticket holders to join her on stage at Prospector Square Theatre...
- 1/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
In one of the most unusual and inspiring sights which will surely go down in Sundance lore, Black Box Diaries director Shiori Ito led audience members in a post-premiere karaoke rendition of Gloria Gaynor’s ‘I Will Survive’.
‘Black Box Diaries’: Sundance Review
The spontaneous event immediately followed the Q&a session after the world premiere of the Japanese journalist’s debut feature in which she chronicled her struggle to seek justice against her high-profile rapist.
An exhilarated and exhilarating Ito, microphone still in hand, sung along and invited ticket holders to join her on stage at Prospector Square...
‘Black Box Diaries’: Sundance Review
The spontaneous event immediately followed the Q&a session after the world premiere of the Japanese journalist’s debut feature in which she chronicled her struggle to seek justice against her high-profile rapist.
An exhilarated and exhilarating Ito, microphone still in hand, sung along and invited ticket holders to join her on stage at Prospector Square...
- 1/21/2024
- ScreenDaily
Japanese talent agency Johnny & Associates, engulfed in one of the largest sexual abuse scandals of the post-#MeToo era, said at a press conference in Tokyo on Monday it would change its name and split into two companies.
The existing company will be renamed Smile-Up and tasked exclusively with providing compensation to the hundreds of sexual abuse victims of late company founder Johnny Kitagawa, who died in July 2019 at age 87. A new, as-yet-unnamed entity will be established to manage the talent agency’s current roster of performers. The company said it will ask its fan club members to come up with the name for the new agency.
The move comes after years of cover-ups and denials by Johnny & Associates and amid mounting pressure within Japan and globally for a reckoning.
An external investigative committee set up by the agency says it had received reports of abuse from 478 of Kitagawa’s victims as of Sept.
The existing company will be renamed Smile-Up and tasked exclusively with providing compensation to the hundreds of sexual abuse victims of late company founder Johnny Kitagawa, who died in July 2019 at age 87. A new, as-yet-unnamed entity will be established to manage the talent agency’s current roster of performers. The company said it will ask its fan club members to come up with the name for the new agency.
The move comes after years of cover-ups and denials by Johnny & Associates and amid mounting pressure within Japan and globally for a reckoning.
An external investigative committee set up by the agency says it had received reports of abuse from 478 of Kitagawa’s victims as of Sept.
- 10/3/2023
- by Patrick Brzeski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Portuguese festival showcases documentaries from around the world.
The 21st edition of DocLisboa will open with Wang Bing’s Man In Black, and will close with Baan from Portuguese director Leonor Teles.
Man In Black premiered at Cannes and Baan made its debut at Locarno earlier this year.
The festival will take place in Lisbon from October 19-29.
Wang Bing, via videoconference, and Telles both participated in the festival press conference on September 28 at which festival director Miguel Ribeiro revealed this year’s programme in full.
Bing explained his film profiles 86-year-old Wang Xilin, one of China’s most important contemporary classical composers,...
The 21st edition of DocLisboa will open with Wang Bing’s Man In Black, and will close with Baan from Portuguese director Leonor Teles.
Man In Black premiered at Cannes and Baan made its debut at Locarno earlier this year.
The festival will take place in Lisbon from October 19-29.
Wang Bing, via videoconference, and Telles both participated in the festival press conference on September 28 at which festival director Miguel Ribeiro revealed this year’s programme in full.
Bing explained his film profiles 86-year-old Wang Xilin, one of China’s most important contemporary classical composers,...
- 9/29/2023
- by Geoffrey Macnab
- ScreenDaily
In 1989, Billy Joel released his eleventh album Storm Front which featured his third single that would reach number one on the Billboard Top 100 charts, We Didn’t Start the Fire. We Didn’t Start the Fire was a unique tune in which the lyrics were composed entirely of a laundry list of subjects that dominated news headlines spanning from 1949 to 1989 (which was also Billy Joel’s lifetime at that point). The pop culture hit would address topics such as Beatlemania, the Berlin wall, the Ayatollah, Ho Chi Minh, Catcher in the Rye, The King and I, the crack epidemic and much more.
The song would spawn parodies for use in movies and TV, but there hasn’t been a genuine updated cover until now. The band Fall Out Boy has just released their version with headlines from the last thirty years filling out the lyrics. This single will reportedly be...
The song would spawn parodies for use in movies and TV, but there hasn’t been a genuine updated cover until now. The band Fall Out Boy has just released their version with headlines from the last thirty years filling out the lyrics. This single will reportedly be...
- 6/29/2023
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Irene Cara, Bob McGrath, Aaron Carter, Queen Elizabeth II, Shinzo Abe, and just recently, Sonya Eddy were among those famous people who departed from the world this year. But they left a lasting impression on the world and the people around them that they were mourned by many. Like the six mentioned above, it showed that the louder the cheer for someone’s life, the heavier the tears would fall for their funerals. Though, sometimes, one does not need to be very popular to be appreciated after one’s life. It suffices to be kind and raise other people in kindness. In
Reactions To The Death Of Kim Cattrall’s Mother, Shane...
Reactions To The Death Of Kim Cattrall’s Mother, Shane...
- 12/21/2022
- by Aron Paul
- TVovermind.com
The search was on this year for Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Will Smith, Chris Rock and Jada Pinkett Smith: They topped Google’s just-released list of the Top 10 actors who generated the most Google searches in 2022.
Not only did the five celebrities top Google’s year-end lists of the most-searched actors, they also accounted for four of the top five spots on the overall “People” list, with the only non-actor crashing that top five being Vladimir Putin at No. 4.
See all of the entertainment-related Top 10 Google Search lists below, and click on the image above for a photo gallery.
The most-searched movie? Thor: Love and Thunder, beating out runners-up Black Adam and Top Gun: Maverick. Among TV shows, searchers were most curious about Euphoria, with House of the Dragon at No. 2.
Searches related to celebrity deaths also were tallied, with Queen Elizabeth II taking the top spot, followed by Betty White,...
Not only did the five celebrities top Google’s year-end lists of the most-searched actors, they also accounted for four of the top five spots on the overall “People” list, with the only non-actor crashing that top five being Vladimir Putin at No. 4.
See all of the entertainment-related Top 10 Google Search lists below, and click on the image above for a photo gallery.
The most-searched movie? Thor: Love and Thunder, beating out runners-up Black Adam and Top Gun: Maverick. Among TV shows, searchers were most curious about Euphoria, with House of the Dragon at No. 2.
Searches related to celebrity deaths also were tallied, with Queen Elizabeth II taking the top spot, followed by Betty White,...
- 12/7/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Hideaki Anno has a reputation for weird endings. His magnum opus, "Neon Genesis Evangelion," frustrated its audience by retreating into the main character's psyche for the last two episodes. "End of Evangelion" channeled the rage of that audience into 87 minutes of apocalyptic spectacle that was even meaner (if more literal) than the original. The "Rebuild of Evangelion" films promised a final ending to the franchise, but took 14 years to wrap up. In the seven years between the third movie and fourth (and final) entry, Anno starred in a Ghibli movie and made the first great modern Godzilla film. The experience of slowly growing older, waiting patiently for the last of the "Evangelion" films to be made, is in itself a part of the final "Evangelion" ending.
The ending of Anno's "Shin Godzilla" is simple compared to the tangled mess that is "Evangelion." Of course, simple is relative. Countless critics have...
The ending of Anno's "Shin Godzilla" is simple compared to the tangled mess that is "Evangelion." Of course, simple is relative. Countless critics have...
- 11/6/2022
- by Adam Wescott
- Slash Film
"Kamen Rider" celebrated its 50th anniversary on April 3 2021 by announcing three big new projects. One was "Fuuto Pi," an anime sequel to the popular detective series "Kamen Rider W." Another was "Shin Kamen Rider," the newest film by "Neon Genesis Evangelion" director Hideaki Anno. The last was "Kamen Rider Black Sun," a reboot of the classic "Kamen Rider Black." Each pays homage to the past while working to redefine the future of "Kamen Rider" in anime, film and live-action television.
"Kamen Rider Black Sun" was uploaded to Amazon Prime on October 28th, 2022. "Kamen Rider" fans had a tough time finding the series through Amazon's search engine; some resorted to posting direct links to the series via social media so their friends could check it out. "Black Sun" earned a positive write-up on Crunchyroll via tokusatsu expert Alicia Haddick, but has otherwise been completely ignored by the United States television press.
"Kamen Rider Black Sun" was uploaded to Amazon Prime on October 28th, 2022. "Kamen Rider" fans had a tough time finding the series through Amazon's search engine; some resorted to posting direct links to the series via social media so their friends could check it out. "Black Sun" earned a positive write-up on Crunchyroll via tokusatsu expert Alicia Haddick, but has otherwise been completely ignored by the United States television press.
- 11/5/2022
- by Adam Wescott
- Slash Film
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been shot at a protest march in what his supporters are saying was an assassination attempt.
Khan was reportedly shot in the leg after a guman opened fire while he was giving a speech to a large crowd of supporters at a rally in Wazirabad in the nation’s Punjab Province in the past hour. Members of Khan’s Pti party told the BBC another four people were hurt, but no one was killed.
According to a Sky News producer and reporter, who were at the scene, 70-year-old Khan was rushed away from the scene immediately following gunshots and screams, and Sky then spoke to his supporters who said he had survived the assassination attempt. “This was an attempt to kill him, to assassinate him,” one senior aide told Afp.
Supporters at the protest. Credit: Arif Ali/Afp via Getty Images
The Sky News reporter,...
Khan was reportedly shot in the leg after a guman opened fire while he was giving a speech to a large crowd of supporters at a rally in Wazirabad in the nation’s Punjab Province in the past hour. Members of Khan’s Pti party told the BBC another four people were hurt, but no one was killed.
According to a Sky News producer and reporter, who were at the scene, 70-year-old Khan was rushed away from the scene immediately following gunshots and screams, and Sky then spoke to his supporters who said he had survived the assassination attempt. “This was an attempt to kill him, to assassinate him,” one senior aide told Afp.
Supporters at the protest. Credit: Arif Ali/Afp via Getty Images
The Sky News reporter,...
- 11/3/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Director for Mainichi Broadcasting System, born in 1965. After graduating from Waseda University, she joined Mainichi Broadcasting System in 1987. After working in the Secretary Department for the President, she became a news reporter in 1989, covering education on-location while being part of the press club for the police and administration of justice. In 1995, when her home was hit by the Great Hanshin Earthquake, she lost all of her essential utilities, and yet she continued reporting for the Kobe bureau office. Since 2015, she has been working solely as a documentary director and
released three documentaries a year for a total of 18 works. (Her Eizou series is a local documentary program started in 1980 that broadcasts late at night once a month. The program captures various social problems on camera and has broadcast over 500 works that reflect the times. Saika has individually won the Broadcast Woman Award in 2018. She also wrote Education and Nationalism: Who Suffocates the Classroom?...
released three documentaries a year for a total of 18 works. (Her Eizou series is a local documentary program started in 1980 that broadcasts late at night once a month. The program captures various social problems on camera and has broadcast over 500 works that reflect the times. Saika has individually won the Broadcast Woman Award in 2018. She also wrote Education and Nationalism: Who Suffocates the Classroom?...
- 11/1/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Mainichi Broadcasting System to attend Acfm for the first time.
Japan’s Mainichi Broadcasting System (Mbs) is launching sales on their first theatrical documentary Education And Nationalism, participating in the Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm) for the first time.
The controversial film is also the first theatrical feature directed by award-winning journalist Hisayo Saika.
“Since Education And Nationalism deals with some of the very important historical issues between Korea and Japan during and after World War II, Acfm is the ideal market at the best timing for us to introduce this film to Korean buyers and audiences as well as those from other countries,...
Japan’s Mainichi Broadcasting System (Mbs) is launching sales on their first theatrical documentary Education And Nationalism, participating in the Asian Contents & Film Market (Acfm) for the first time.
The controversial film is also the first theatrical feature directed by award-winning journalist Hisayo Saika.
“Since Education And Nationalism deals with some of the very important historical issues between Korea and Japan during and after World War II, Acfm is the ideal market at the best timing for us to introduce this film to Korean buyers and audiences as well as those from other countries,...
- 10/8/2022
- by Jean Noh
- ScreenDaily
For many in the West, Japan is considered one of the most well-organized nations in the world, a place where mentality and efficiency find their apogee, and the truth is that, for many years, particularly after WW2, this opinion was not much far from the truth. However, during the latest years and particularly through a number of documentaries that criticize the current system, it has become evident that a number of issues lie underneath the surface, and that many have to do with the now deceased, Shinzo Abe’s government. Hisayo Saika focuses on one of these issues, the revision efforts towards the darkest moments of Japanese history, essentially the Military Comfort Women, the mass suicide at the Battle of Okinawa, and the Nanjing Massacre, which actually starts from changing the facts in school textbooks. “Education and Nationalism” is still playing in theaters around Japan, and close to 40,000 people have already watched it.
- 10/6/2022
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
The one and only Toshiaki Toyoda is a filmmaker who responds to the times and society and continues to shake the world and cinemas with his unwavering faith and prayers.
With the belief in wolf resurrection at its core, he continues to produce films that challenge the age of chaos every year, including 2019’s Wolf Smoke Calls, 2020’s Day of Destruction, and 2021’s Everybody Commits Seppuku. in 2022 will release his latest film, Alive.
The latest feature film Transcending Dimensions will be produced in the year 2023. On 27 September, when the funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be held, the production will be announced and a crowdfunding campaign will be launched. The target amount is 100 million yen and support will be sought until 31 December. The image visual released with the production announcement shows a reddish image of the Earth floating in space.
The film, for which a script is currently being written,...
With the belief in wolf resurrection at its core, he continues to produce films that challenge the age of chaos every year, including 2019’s Wolf Smoke Calls, 2020’s Day of Destruction, and 2021’s Everybody Commits Seppuku. in 2022 will release his latest film, Alive.
The latest feature film Transcending Dimensions will be produced in the year 2023. On 27 September, when the funeral of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will be held, the production will be announced and a crowdfunding campaign will be launched. The target amount is 100 million yen and support will be sought until 31 December. The image visual released with the production announcement shows a reddish image of the Earth floating in space.
The film, for which a script is currently being written,...
- 9/29/2022
- by AMP Group
- AsianMoviePulse
Video Version of this Article Photo: Shinzo Abe The Hollywood Insider would like to pay our condolences to the Abe family and everyone who loved him. We will always remember you Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for your contribution to our world and your efforts in making it a better place for all regardless of the differences. On Friday, July 8, former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated during a campaign rally. Abe’s death has sent shockwaves throughout the entire world, especially because Japan is a country known for its low percentage of violence. Japan is a country with a population of around 127 million people. Despite the large number of people that live in Japan, rarely does the number of gun deaths exceed more than ten people yearly. Iain Overton, the executive director of the group, Action On Armed Violence, describes this effective gun regulation within Japan by stating, “Ever since guns entered the country,...
- 8/4/2022
- by Thomas Jacobs
- Hollywood Insider - Substance & Meaningful Entertainment
Thousands of people lined the streets of Tokyo to mourn the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ahead of his memorial service on Tuesday, four days after he was shot and killed in Nara while on the campaign trail for a Liberal Democratic Party candidate.
“You were supposed to be the one giving the memorial address at my funeral. I enjoyed going often to drink and play golf together,” Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said in a memorial address, per ABC News.
Abe was shot and killed by...
“You were supposed to be the one giving the memorial address at my funeral. I enjoyed going often to drink and play golf together,” Deputy Prime Minister Taro Aso said in a memorial address, per ABC News.
Abe was shot and killed by...
- 7/12/2022
- by Tomás Mier
- Rollingstone.com
Lausanne (Switzerland), July 8 (Ians) The International Olympic Committee (Ioc) on Friday mourned the death of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who passed away hours after being shot while addressing an election rally in the city of Nara. According to state broadcaster Nhk, the attack took place at around 11.30 a.m. (local time) near […]...
- 7/8/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Update, 1.55 Am Pt, July 8: Japanese broadcaster Nhk is reporting former prime minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot while giving a speech. He had been in critical condition for several hours prior but attempts to save him failed.
A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the shooting, which happened near Kyoto in western Japan yesterday morning local time.
Previously, 9.00 Pm Pt, July 7: Multiple media outlets reported that Japan’s former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was shot while giving a speech in western Japan near Kyoto on Friday. Outlets cited the nation’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, who confirmed the former Pm was shot around 11:30 a.m. local time.
“Whatever the reason, such a barbaric act can never be tolerated, and we strongly condemn it,” declared Matsuno.
Abe was said to be bleeding as he was loaded into an...
A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after the shooting, which happened near Kyoto in western Japan yesterday morning local time.
Previously, 9.00 Pm Pt, July 7: Multiple media outlets reported that Japan’s former prime minister, Shinzo Abe, was shot while giving a speech in western Japan near Kyoto on Friday. Outlets cited the nation’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, who confirmed the former Pm was shot around 11:30 a.m. local time.
“Whatever the reason, such a barbaric act can never be tolerated, and we strongly condemn it,” declared Matsuno.
Abe was said to be bleeding as he was loaded into an...
- 7/8/2022
- by Tom Tapp and Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died after he was shot while giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara.
Japan’s public broadcaster Nhk reported that Abe, 67, was shot during a campaign event at 11:30 a.m. local time. He appeared to be bleeding from the chest after being shot from behind with a shotgun mid-speech. Quoting police sources, Nhk reported that Abe was likely hit from behind by shotgun fire.
Nhk reported Abe was flown to Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara City. Media reports say Abe was not breathing and his heart had stopped at the scene. At 2:50 p.m., in a press conference, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Abe was in a “critical condition.” “Currently doctors are doing everything they can,” Kishida told reporters at the prime minister’s residence. “At this moment, I am...
Japan’s former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died after he was shot while giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara.
Japan’s public broadcaster Nhk reported that Abe, 67, was shot during a campaign event at 11:30 a.m. local time. He appeared to be bleeding from the chest after being shot from behind with a shotgun mid-speech. Quoting police sources, Nhk reported that Abe was likely hit from behind by shotgun fire.
Nhk reported Abe was flown to Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara City. Media reports say Abe was not breathing and his heart had stopped at the scene. At 2:50 p.m., in a press conference, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Abe was in a “critical condition.” “Currently doctors are doing everything they can,” Kishida told reporters at the prime minister’s residence. “At this moment, I am...
- 7/8/2022
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has died after being shot by a lone gunman while on the campaign trail in the Japanese city of Nara Friday morning. The unprecedented shooting comes as Japan gears up for its House of Councillors election, which takes place this Sunday.
According to Japanese national broadcaster Nhk, Abe, 67, was in the ancient capital, located roughly 30 miles outside of Kyoto, giving a stump speech near the city’s Yamato-Saidaiji Station in support of his Liberal Democratic Party (Ldp) when he collapsed at around 11:30 a.
According to Japanese national broadcaster Nhk, Abe, 67, was in the ancient capital, located roughly 30 miles outside of Kyoto, giving a stump speech near the city’s Yamato-Saidaiji Station in support of his Liberal Democratic Party (Ldp) when he collapsed at around 11:30 a.
- 7/8/2022
- by Kat Bouza
- Rollingstone.com
Fayetteville, N.C. — An old man ranting into the night.
That’s how it looked out on the windswept patch of tarmac at the Fayetteville Regional Airport on Saturday night, the venue for President Trump’s latest rally. I had left the press pen behind the TV camera risers — you know, the spot Trump points to during the “fake news! Fake news!” portion of his stump speech — to stretch my legs and warm my bones. The temperatures at the airport had sunk into the 50s and I’d forgotten to bring a coat.
That’s how it looked out on the windswept patch of tarmac at the Fayetteville Regional Airport on Saturday night, the venue for President Trump’s latest rally. I had left the press pen behind the TV camera risers — you know, the spot Trump points to during the “fake news! Fake news!” portion of his stump speech — to stretch my legs and warm my bones. The temperatures at the airport had sunk into the 50s and I’d forgotten to bring a coat.
- 9/21/2020
- by Andy Kroll
- Rollingstone.com
After “Fake” and the portrait of Mamoru Samuragochi, Tatsuya Mori deals with another rather interesting personality, that of journalist Isoko Mochizuki, who has already inspired a feature film before this documentary, namely the multi-awarded “The Journalist“.
“i: Documentary of the Journalist” is screening at Nippon Connection 2020
The majority of the documentary has Mori following Mochizuki with his camera, as she partakes on many press conferences and researches the most important stories of Japan in 2019. In that fashion, her non-stop work has her deal with the transfer of the Us base in Hinoko, Okinawa, the Moritomo Gakuen scandal, which involved Shinzo Abe’s wife, and Shiori Ito’s charges of rape towards Noriyuki Yamaguchi, and the scandal of the cover up that followed. Her research of these cases, which include following Shiori Ito in the various events she participates to communicate her case, interviews with people involved, and questions to the various political offices,...
“i: Documentary of the Journalist” is screening at Nippon Connection 2020
The majority of the documentary has Mori following Mochizuki with his camera, as she partakes on many press conferences and researches the most important stories of Japan in 2019. In that fashion, her non-stop work has her deal with the transfer of the Us base in Hinoko, Okinawa, the Moritomo Gakuen scandal, which involved Shinzo Abe’s wife, and Shiori Ito’s charges of rape towards Noriyuki Yamaguchi, and the scandal of the cover up that followed. Her research of these cases, which include following Shiori Ito in the various events she participates to communicate her case, interviews with people involved, and questions to the various political offices,...
- 6/9/2020
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Japan’s film exhibition business, which shut down in mid-April in response to the government’s state of emergency declaration, has begun slowly reopening. Japan is the world’s third largest cinema box office market behind North America and China.
On May 11 the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that it was arranging to lift the state of emergency for the 34 prefectures least affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The remaining 13, including Tokyo and Osaka, are still under emergency advisories, which include theater closures, until the end of the month.
Toho Cinemas, Japan’s biggest exhibition chain, has since announced that it will reopen ten of its theaters in the 34 least affected prefectures, on May 15. A handful of independent theaters in these areas are back in business.
On Wednesday, another big chain, Aeon Cinemas, also announced a partial reopening. A total of 27 Aeon multiplexes in 16 prefectures will open their doors...
On May 11 the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe announced that it was arranging to lift the state of emergency for the 34 prefectures least affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The remaining 13, including Tokyo and Osaka, are still under emergency advisories, which include theater closures, until the end of the month.
Toho Cinemas, Japan’s biggest exhibition chain, has since announced that it will reopen ten of its theaters in the 34 least affected prefectures, on May 15. A handful of independent theaters in these areas are back in business.
On Wednesday, another big chain, Aeon Cinemas, also announced a partial reopening. A total of 27 Aeon multiplexes in 16 prefectures will open their doors...
- 5/13/2020
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Tokyo Gap-Financing Market aims to provide a platform for up to 20 selected projects to secure finance through one-on-one meetings.
Tiffcom, the contents market affiliated with Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff), is launching a gap financing market at its 2020 edition, scheduled to take place November 4-6.
The Tokyo Gap-Financing Market (Tgfm) aims to provide a platform for up to 20 selected projects to secure finance through one-on-one meetings with producers, sales agents, distributors, financiers, broadcasters and other potential funders.
The initiative will support Japanese, Asian and international producers – with no requirements regarding nationality or language of the projects – across the categories of fiction films and TV series,...
Tiffcom, the contents market affiliated with Tokyo International Film Festival (Tiff), is launching a gap financing market at its 2020 edition, scheduled to take place November 4-6.
The Tokyo Gap-Financing Market (Tgfm) aims to provide a platform for up to 20 selected projects to secure finance through one-on-one meetings with producers, sales agents, distributors, financiers, broadcasters and other potential funders.
The initiative will support Japanese, Asian and international producers – with no requirements regarding nationality or language of the projects – across the categories of fiction films and TV series,...
- 5/1/2020
- by 89¦Liz Shackleton¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe belatedly declared a national emergency in Japan on Thursday, sending nearly all of the country's cinemas that were still operating into shutdown.
Japan is the world's third-largest theatrical film market, and a prolonged lockdown there will be a significant contributor to the global box office crash caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Japanese law doesn't provide a mechanism for forcing business closures or preventing people from going out — Abe's declaration amounts to just a strong urging — but much of Japan's populace has already been avoiding crowded spaces like cinemas ...
Japan is the world's third-largest theatrical film market, and a prolonged lockdown there will be a significant contributor to the global box office crash caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Japanese law doesn't provide a mechanism for forcing business closures or preventing people from going out — Abe's declaration amounts to just a strong urging — but much of Japan's populace has already been avoiding crowded spaces like cinemas ...
- 4/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe belatedly declared a national emergency in Japan on Thursday, sending nearly all of the country's cinemas that were still operating into shutdown.
Japan is the world's third-largest theatrical film market, and a prolonged lockdown there will be a significant contributor to the global box office crash caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Japanese law doesn't provide a mechanism for forcing business closures or preventing people from going out — Abe's declaration amounts to just a strong urging — but much of Japan's populace has already been avoiding crowded spaces like cinemas ...
Japan is the world's third-largest theatrical film market, and a prolonged lockdown there will be a significant contributor to the global box office crash caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Japanese law doesn't provide a mechanism for forcing business closures or preventing people from going out — Abe's declaration amounts to just a strong urging — but much of Japan's populace has already been avoiding crowded spaces like cinemas ...
- 4/17/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The race to find a cure for the novel coronavirus is getting major assistance in Japan from Fujifilm, the global photography and imaging company based in Tokyo. A new report from Wired states that a team of Fujifilm employees was tasked by Japan’s health minister, Katsunobu Kato, to find an antiviral pill that could be used to help fight Covid-19 symptoms. The Fujifilm team turned to Favipiravir, a version of an anti-influenza drug called Avigan (the Fujifilm subsidiary Toyama Chemical developed Avigan decades ago). According to Wired, Favipiravir was previously used to cut the Ebola rate in Guinea from 30 percent to 15 percent.
Beginning March 28, Japan’s prime minster Shinzo Abe “designated Avigan as Japan’s standard treatment for Covid-19.” According to Wired’s report, “At a hospital in Shenzhen, Covid-19 patients treated with Favipiravir tested negative for the virus after a median of four days, rather than the 11 days...
Beginning March 28, Japan’s prime minster Shinzo Abe “designated Avigan as Japan’s standard treatment for Covid-19.” According to Wired’s report, “At a hospital in Shenzhen, Covid-19 patients treated with Favipiravir tested negative for the virus after a median of four days, rather than the 11 days...
- 4/6/2020
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe says he is ready to declare a state of emergency from as early as Tuesday, as part of a growing response to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The declaration would affect Tokyo, second city Osaka and five other densely populated prefectures.
The Abe government had attempted to resist emergency legislation, but the biological and economic impact of the virus’s spread now justify such action. Abe announced the plans in a briefing Monday evening from his offices.
“(The declaration) is estimated to last a period of one month. This state of emergency declaration is to ensure the medical care system stays intact and to ask for even more cooperation from the public to avoid contact with each other to reduce infection as much as possible,” Abe said.
Tokyo reported 83 new confirmed infections on Monday, following 117 on Saturday, and a grim daily record of 143 on Sunday. Excluding...
The Abe government had attempted to resist emergency legislation, but the biological and economic impact of the virus’s spread now justify such action. Abe announced the plans in a briefing Monday evening from his offices.
“(The declaration) is estimated to last a period of one month. This state of emergency declaration is to ensure the medical care system stays intact and to ask for even more cooperation from the public to avoid contact with each other to reduce infection as much as possible,” Abe said.
Tokyo reported 83 new confirmed infections on Monday, following 117 on Saturday, and a grim daily record of 143 on Sunday. Excluding...
- 4/6/2020
- by Patrick Frater and Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which were postponed to 2021 last week due to the coronavirus pandemic, have officially been rescheduled.
The games open on July 23rd and close on August 8th, 2021. The Paralympics will be held from August 24th through September 5th, 2021.
Originally scheduled between July 24th and August 9th this year, the games were put on hold after Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) agreed to postpone them last Tuesday in light of COVID-19. According to a statement by the Ioc on Monday, the new...
The games open on July 23rd and close on August 8th, 2021. The Paralympics will be held from August 24th through September 5th, 2021.
Originally scheduled between July 24th and August 9th this year, the games were put on hold after Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) agreed to postpone them last Tuesday in light of COVID-19. According to a statement by the Ioc on Monday, the new...
- 3/30/2020
- by Claire Shaffer
- Rollingstone.com
Ken Shimura, a comedian who was a fixture on Japanese television for decades, died on Sunday evening from the coronavirus, the Japanese media reported Monday. He was 70, and immediately before his illness had been set for his first starring role in a feature film.
Shimura entered a Tokyo hospital on March 20 with fever and pneumonia and tested positive for Covid-19 on March 23. He is the first prominent Japanese entertainment world figure to die of the virus.
Born Yasunori Shimura in Tokyo in 1950, Shimura joined the Drifters, a comedy band, in 1974. The Drifters were already kings of Japanese television for their highly-rated variety show “Hachijidayo Zeninshugo!”, but Shimura injected a youthful energy and impudence that kept their popularity soaring.
A rubber-faced comic who took inspiration from Jerry Lewis, Shimura was hardly subtle – one of his characters, a middle-aged pervert, wore a swan’s-head strap-on for laughs – but he smoothly survived the...
Shimura entered a Tokyo hospital on March 20 with fever and pneumonia and tested positive for Covid-19 on March 23. He is the first prominent Japanese entertainment world figure to die of the virus.
Born Yasunori Shimura in Tokyo in 1950, Shimura joined the Drifters, a comedy band, in 1974. The Drifters were already kings of Japanese television for their highly-rated variety show “Hachijidayo Zeninshugo!”, but Shimura injected a youthful energy and impudence that kept their popularity soaring.
A rubber-faced comic who took inspiration from Jerry Lewis, Shimura was hardly subtle – one of his characters, a middle-aged pervert, wore a swan’s-head strap-on for laughs – but he smoothly survived the...
- 3/30/2020
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Sony has provided a light breakdown of how the coronavirus is impacting its games, music, film and TV and electronics divisions. The breakdown is as follows:
Games and network services: “Sony estimates that there will be no material impact on this business for the current fiscal year. Although no issues have emerged so far, Sony is carefully monitoring the risk of delays in production schedules for game software titles at both its first-party studios and partner studios, primarily in Europe and the U.S.”
Music: “Especially outside of Japan, the business has started to be...
Games and network services: “Sony estimates that there will be no material impact on this business for the current fiscal year. Although no issues have emerged so far, Sony is carefully monitoring the risk of delays in production schedules for game software titles at both its first-party studios and partner studios, primarily in Europe and the U.S.”
Music: “Especially outside of Japan, the business has started to be...
- 3/27/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Olympic champion swimmer Ryan Lochte says that while he is disappointed by the postponement of the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo due to the coronavirus pandemic, it's a "bump in the road" for him and fellow athletes. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had announced on Tuesday that the games, which were originally set to start on July 24, "will be held by the summer of 2021." Lochte, 36, has competed in four previous Olympics, where he won 12 medals—half of them gold, and has spent the past few years training for the 2020 event. "As soon as I saw it, I was disappointed," Lochte said on ABC's Good Morning America in a home interview carried out via...
- 3/25/2020
- E! Online
Veteran Japanese comedian Ken Shimura, who was hospitalized for pneumonia on Monday, tested positive for the novel coronavirus on Tuesday, his agency Izawa Office announced Wednesday. His condition is not currently critical.
Shimura is the first prominent entertainment world figure in Japan to test positive for the virus. He was set to star in the new Yoji Yamada film “God of Cinema” that Shochiku is producing to mark its 100th anniversary as a film studio. The shoot, originally scheduled to start late this month, has now been postponed indefinitely. Television programs featuring the 70-year-old Shimura, who has been a fixture on the small screen for decades, have also been affected.
His role in “God of Cinema” as a lovable ne’er-do-well who has been a life-long film fan would be his first starring turn in a feature. The film was scheduled for a December release.
Shimura appears in “Yell,” a...
Shimura is the first prominent entertainment world figure in Japan to test positive for the virus. He was set to star in the new Yoji Yamada film “God of Cinema” that Shochiku is producing to mark its 100th anniversary as a film studio. The shoot, originally scheduled to start late this month, has now been postponed indefinitely. Television programs featuring the 70-year-old Shimura, who has been a fixture on the small screen for decades, have also been affected.
His role in “God of Cinema” as a lovable ne’er-do-well who has been a life-long film fan would be his first starring turn in a feature. The film was scheduled for a December release.
Shimura appears in “Yell,” a...
- 3/25/2020
- by Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Comcast’s NBCUniversal said it’s working with advertisers on the fate of $1.25 billion in ad sales already committed to the just-postponed Tokyo Summer Olympics.
Official sponsorship revenue flowing to International Olympic Committee, which industry experts calculate at around $6 billion but is separately from Comcast’s wheelhouse, will also have to be settled, making for a hefty all-around hit.
More from DeadlineTokyo Summer Olympics Postponed One Year Due To CoronavirusTwitter Says Coronavirus Hit Global Ad Sales In Last Few Weeks, Withdraws Q1 Financial GuidanceTokyo Olympics Will Be Suspended Due To Coronavirus, Ioc Official Tells USA Today; Japanese Pm Admits, "I Don't Think The World Will Be Ready" - Update
In a global pandemic with visibility low and every dollar precious, companies may be more likely than otherwise to prefer cash in hand – rather than shifting ads to a later date, probably in the summer of next year.
“NBCUniversal is actively...
Official sponsorship revenue flowing to International Olympic Committee, which industry experts calculate at around $6 billion but is separately from Comcast’s wheelhouse, will also have to be settled, making for a hefty all-around hit.
More from DeadlineTokyo Summer Olympics Postponed One Year Due To CoronavirusTwitter Says Coronavirus Hit Global Ad Sales In Last Few Weeks, Withdraws Q1 Financial GuidanceTokyo Olympics Will Be Suspended Due To Coronavirus, Ioc Official Tells USA Today; Japanese Pm Admits, "I Don't Think The World Will Be Ready" - Update
In a global pandemic with visibility low and every dollar precious, companies may be more likely than otherwise to prefer cash in hand – rather than shifting ads to a later date, probably in the summer of next year.
“NBCUniversal is actively...
- 3/24/2020
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s Summer Olympics are the latest victim of the global coronavirus outbreak: The international competition has officially been postponed in light of the pandemic.
The games were set to take place in Tokyo from July 24 to August 9, with NBC handling all broadcast rights via the Peacock network and its sister channels. On Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that he reached an agreement with the International Olympic Committee to delay the games for about a year. At the latest, they will now be held in Summer 2021, though a more specific timeline has not been announced.
More...
The games were set to take place in Tokyo from July 24 to August 9, with NBC handling all broadcast rights via the Peacock network and its sister channels. On Tuesday, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told reporters that he reached an agreement with the International Olympic Committee to delay the games for about a year. At the latest, they will now be held in Summer 2021, though a more specific timeline has not been announced.
More...
- 3/24/2020
- TVLine.com
The Summer Olympics in Tokyo have been postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Set to take place from July 24 to August 9, they will be held by next summer, the International Olympics Committee said Tuesday morning.
The Olympics have never been rescheduled in peacetime. It’s the last and biggest event to bite the dust as public gatherings disappear across the globe.
It wasn’t a surprise as pressures mounted amidst the global spread of the virus. Several countries, Australia and Canada, had announced they would not be participating and others like the U.S. and Germany along with various sports associations had called for the games to be postponed.
“In the present circumstances and based...
The Olympics have never been rescheduled in peacetime. It’s the last and biggest event to bite the dust as public gatherings disappear across the globe.
It wasn’t a surprise as pressures mounted amidst the global spread of the virus. Several countries, Australia and Canada, had announced they would not be participating and others like the U.S. and Germany along with various sports associations had called for the games to be postponed.
“In the present circumstances and based...
- 3/24/2020
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Update: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and the International Olympic Committee have agreed to postpone the 2020 Summer Olympics, likely until next year, The Wall Street Journal reports. Abe said he spoke with Ioc President Thomas Bach and they agreed upon a delay of “about one year,” though no exact date was given. Abe added, “We have agreed that the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics will be held by the summer of 2021 at the latest.”
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The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will be postponed, likely to next year, because of the coronavirus pandemic,...
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The 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo will be postponed, likely to next year, because of the coronavirus pandemic,...
- 3/23/2020
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Updated, 11:06 Am: A veteran member of the International Olympic Committee told USA Today this morning that the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games are going to be postponed, likely to 2021. Dick Pound told the paper that the details to be worked out during the next month.
“On the basis of the information the Ioc has, postponement has been decided,” Pound told the paper in a phone interview. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
Previously, 5:24 Am: As Canada and Australia pull out of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games set for Toyko, Japan, the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe has conceded that the event is increasingly likely...
“On the basis of the information the Ioc has, postponement has been decided,” Pound told the paper in a phone interview. “The parameters going forward have not been determined, but the Games are not going to start on July 24, that much I know.”
Previously, 5:24 Am: As Canada and Australia pull out of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games set for Toyko, Japan, the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe has conceded that the event is increasingly likely...
- 3/23/2020
- by Joe Utichi
- Deadline Film + TV
Tensions between the two nations have buyers and sellers spooked
South Korea and Japan are embroiled in a trade war that has led to a boycott of Japanese goods and services, but will it affect business at the Asian Film Market which opens today in Busan?
The dispute ignited in July when Japan announced it would tighten control over the export of chemicals to South Korea necessary for producing semiconductors – an essential component of most electronic devices, which are a top export for the country.
Japan explained its actions over security concerns about South Korea leaking information to North Korea...
South Korea and Japan are embroiled in a trade war that has led to a boycott of Japanese goods and services, but will it affect business at the Asian Film Market which opens today in Busan?
The dispute ignited in July when Japan announced it would tighten control over the export of chemicals to South Korea necessary for producing semiconductors – an essential component of most electronic devices, which are a top export for the country.
Japan explained its actions over security concerns about South Korea leaking information to North Korea...
- 10/4/2019
- by 134¦Jean Noh¦516¦
- ScreenDaily
Kazuhiro Soda was working for a production company in New York, producing more than 50 productions for the Japanese State Television, Nhk. Inspired by the documentaries of Frederick Wiseman, he began to establish his own “observation”-style. Soda, who used to be tied to scripts and schedules in his former job, now chooses an uncaged concept of filmmaking. No scripts, no research, but only the camera and the reality in front of him.
The director returned to Japan in 2005 to shoot a movie about mental health but ended up documenting the election campaign of an old classmate, Yamauchi Kazuhiko, who ran for the council of Kawasaki. Hereby, “Campaign” was pretty much done by accident and got its release in 2007, winning the Peabody Award for Best Documentary.
From the beginning, it is obvious that Yamauchi is not the ideal candidate for this seat. He has never been involved in...
The director returned to Japan in 2005 to shoot a movie about mental health but ended up documenting the election campaign of an old classmate, Yamauchi Kazuhiko, who ran for the council of Kawasaki. Hereby, “Campaign” was pretty much done by accident and got its release in 2007, winning the Peabody Award for Best Documentary.
From the beginning, it is obvious that Yamauchi is not the ideal candidate for this seat. He has never been involved in...
- 2/26/2019
- by Alexander Knoth
- AsianMoviePulse
Though its opening film is high-profile Hollywood romance “A Star is Born,” the Tokyo International Film Festival is increasingly focusing its efforts on building bridges with Asia. Especially Japan’s near neighbor, China.
The 31st edition of the Tokyo festival got under way Thursday evening with a ceremony at the X Theater in the fashionable Roppongi district. The event runs until Nov. 3.
“Star” is a smart crowd-pleasing choice as opener, with good prospects for the Oscars and other awards, down the road. But director-star Bradley Cooper and singing superstar, Lady Gaga, despite her massive popularity in Japan, were notable by their absence on the red carpet. Japanese actor Shinubo Terajima stood in at the ceremony as ambassador for the film and introduced a clip.
The last time Tiff had no big Hollywood guest for its opening or closing film was in 1992 — the fifth edition, when “1492: Conquest of Paradise” was the closing film.
The 31st edition of the Tokyo festival got under way Thursday evening with a ceremony at the X Theater in the fashionable Roppongi district. The event runs until Nov. 3.
“Star” is a smart crowd-pleasing choice as opener, with good prospects for the Oscars and other awards, down the road. But director-star Bradley Cooper and singing superstar, Lady Gaga, despite her massive popularity in Japan, were notable by their absence on the red carpet. Japanese actor Shinubo Terajima stood in at the ceremony as ambassador for the film and introduced a clip.
The last time Tiff had no big Hollywood guest for its opening or closing film was in 1992 — the fifth edition, when “1492: Conquest of Paradise” was the closing film.
- 10/25/2018
- by Patrick Frater and Mark Schilling
- Variety Film + TV
Japan has selected Hirokazu Kore-eda’s family drama and Cannes Palme d’Or winner Shoplifters as its submission for this year’s Best Foreign Language Film Oscar category. The story of a family of small-time crooks who take in a child they find on the streets has been a box office winner at home, becoming the acclaimed director’s biggest title at local turnstiles having grossed over $39M.
The film has also scored in China where it recently became the highest grossing live-action Japanese movie ever in the market at $13.5M.
Kore-eda previously repped his home country with 2004’s Nobody Knows which did not make the shortlist. Japan bypassed his 2013 Cannes Jury Prize winner Like Father, Like Son which many believed should have been that year’s submission. Shoplifters‘ recent run has not been without controversy following speculation that Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe isn’t a fan and...
The film has also scored in China where it recently became the highest grossing live-action Japanese movie ever in the market at $13.5M.
Kore-eda previously repped his home country with 2004’s Nobody Knows which did not make the shortlist. Japan bypassed his 2013 Cannes Jury Prize winner Like Father, Like Son which many believed should have been that year’s submission. Shoplifters‘ recent run has not been without controversy following speculation that Japan’s prime minister Shinzo Abe isn’t a fan and...
- 8/28/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
What has easily been the biggest “will they/won’t they” event of the television season is finally coming up next week — Donald Trump’s summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un in Singapore — and Stephen Colbert opened his monologue on “The Late Show” Thursday night clowning Trump for thinking he can just do this thing without really trying.
“We are just days away from Donald Trump’s summit with Kim Jong-Un. Truly historic. The stakes are almost as high as Trump and Kim’s cholesterol. They’re calling this one the Lipitor in Singapore,” Colbert joked, referencing old nicknames for boxing matches like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier’s “Thrilla in Manila” back in 1975.
“Quick reminder: the fallout of this meeting could be actual fallout. But don’t worry. As Trump explained during a joint press conference with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe today, he is primed and ready.
“We are just days away from Donald Trump’s summit with Kim Jong-Un. Truly historic. The stakes are almost as high as Trump and Kim’s cholesterol. They’re calling this one the Lipitor in Singapore,” Colbert joked, referencing old nicknames for boxing matches like Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier’s “Thrilla in Manila” back in 1975.
“Quick reminder: the fallout of this meeting could be actual fallout. But don’t worry. As Trump explained during a joint press conference with Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe today, he is primed and ready.
- 6/8/2018
- by Phil Owen
- The Wrap
Jimmy Kimmel made note of one of Donald Trump’s more fascinating tics during his “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” monologue Wednesday night when he was discussing Trump’s meeting this week with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump’s propensity for giving a thumbs-up sign in photos, and how very often everyone else in the photo with him also gives a thumbs up sign.
“Speaking of nuts, President Trump is at Mar-a-Lago this week to meet-slash-golf with the prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe. It was his 108th day on the golf course since taking office. But he wants to make it very clear they’re there to work. In fact, he tweeted, ‘Prime Minister Abe Shinzo of Japan and myself this morning building an even deeper and better relationship while playing a quick round of golf at Trump International Golf Club.’ A quick round of golf and a plug for my golf course,” Kimmel joked, before taking a closer look at the picture that was attached to the tweet.
“Look at this photo. Zoom into this. I stared at this for four full minutes today. Look at these two. They’re all dressed up in their golf outfits. Trump gives that dopey thumb up that he always gives,” Kimmel said, as this image displayed on screen:
Also Read: Colbert Has a 'Fun Fact' for Trump: 'Not All Women Are Under Legally Binding Agreements About What They Can Say' (Video)
“Donald Trump loves giving the thumb up in pictures, making everyone else feel like they have to do it too. And they do do it,” Kimmel said, as he began listing off a series of situations in which Trump gave a thumbs up and whoever else was in the picture also gave the thumbs up. “Here he is with the Republican leadership at dinner last week.”
“This is the staff on Air Force One.”
“This is last month with the Saudi prince.”
“The reason he does it, it’s interesting,” Kimmel continued, about to deliver the punchline. “The reason he does it is the thumb is the only normal-sized finger on his hand.”
Also Read: Jimmy Kimmel: 'America Has a Right to Know' if Donald Trump Has a Weird Penis
Kimmel then took a shot at another thing that Trump did during Prime Minister Abe’s visit.
“So after the golf thing and thumbing, the president and Prime Minister Abe held a joint press conference at which Trump spoke both fondly and oddly about his November visit to Japan,” Kimmel said, before a clip played in which Trump made the following comment:
“It was a true privilege to be welcomed to the magnificent land of Japan, or as I’ve heard all my life, the land of the rising sun. It’s true. So great.”
“So great. Even greater than you realize. You know he only knows that from the Wesley Snipes movie, right?” Kimmel quipped, referring to the 1993 crime drama “Rising Sun,” which starred Snipes and Sean Connery.
Also Read: Jimmy Kimmel: Comey Book 'Combines the Two Things Trump Hates Most -- Criticism and Reading'
Kimmel also had some shots to take an another key Republican figure in the U.S. government: Sen. Mitch McConnell.
“With all that’s going on right now, lawmakers in the House and Senate are concerned that Trump might actually fire Robert Mueller and all hell will break loose. So they’re working on bipartisan legislation that would protect the special counsel from the president,” Kimmel said. “Republicans Lindsey Graham and Thom Tillis are trying to push this through. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he won’t allow a vote on it. McConnell was on Fox News yesterday and Neil Cavuto asked if there was a need for legislation to prevent the president from firing the guy in charge of investigating him.”
Then a clip played from that interview, in which McConnell made this comment: “That’s not necessary. There’s no indication that Mueller’s going to be fired. I don’t think the president’s going to do that.”
Kimmel, of course, thought that’s an odd stance given, well, the entire history of Donald Trump.
“You don’t? Everybody else does. Why do they want to introduce legislation? Listen, his catch phrase, before he was even president, his catch phrase was, ‘you’re fired.’ No chance he might fire the guy? He’s already tried to fire him twice but his people talked him out of it,” Kimmel said, before slapping McConnell with a joke about how he looks like a turtle. “But Mitch McConnell doesn’t think it’s necessary. The only time Mitch McConnell ever sticks his neck out is to slowly eat a piece of lettuce.”
You can watch all of Wednesday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC.com right here.
Read original story Jimmy Kimmel: Trump Loves Giving Thumbs Up Because His ‘Thumb Is the Only Normal-Sized Finger on His Hand’ At TheWrap...
“Speaking of nuts, President Trump is at Mar-a-Lago this week to meet-slash-golf with the prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe. It was his 108th day on the golf course since taking office. But he wants to make it very clear they’re there to work. In fact, he tweeted, ‘Prime Minister Abe Shinzo of Japan and myself this morning building an even deeper and better relationship while playing a quick round of golf at Trump International Golf Club.’ A quick round of golf and a plug for my golf course,” Kimmel joked, before taking a closer look at the picture that was attached to the tweet.
“Look at this photo. Zoom into this. I stared at this for four full minutes today. Look at these two. They’re all dressed up in their golf outfits. Trump gives that dopey thumb up that he always gives,” Kimmel said, as this image displayed on screen:
Also Read: Colbert Has a 'Fun Fact' for Trump: 'Not All Women Are Under Legally Binding Agreements About What They Can Say' (Video)
“Donald Trump loves giving the thumb up in pictures, making everyone else feel like they have to do it too. And they do do it,” Kimmel said, as he began listing off a series of situations in which Trump gave a thumbs up and whoever else was in the picture also gave the thumbs up. “Here he is with the Republican leadership at dinner last week.”
“This is the staff on Air Force One.”
“This is last month with the Saudi prince.”
“The reason he does it, it’s interesting,” Kimmel continued, about to deliver the punchline. “The reason he does it is the thumb is the only normal-sized finger on his hand.”
Also Read: Jimmy Kimmel: 'America Has a Right to Know' if Donald Trump Has a Weird Penis
Kimmel then took a shot at another thing that Trump did during Prime Minister Abe’s visit.
“So after the golf thing and thumbing, the president and Prime Minister Abe held a joint press conference at which Trump spoke both fondly and oddly about his November visit to Japan,” Kimmel said, before a clip played in which Trump made the following comment:
“It was a true privilege to be welcomed to the magnificent land of Japan, or as I’ve heard all my life, the land of the rising sun. It’s true. So great.”
“So great. Even greater than you realize. You know he only knows that from the Wesley Snipes movie, right?” Kimmel quipped, referring to the 1993 crime drama “Rising Sun,” which starred Snipes and Sean Connery.
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Kimmel also had some shots to take an another key Republican figure in the U.S. government: Sen. Mitch McConnell.
“With all that’s going on right now, lawmakers in the House and Senate are concerned that Trump might actually fire Robert Mueller and all hell will break loose. So they’re working on bipartisan legislation that would protect the special counsel from the president,” Kimmel said. “Republicans Lindsey Graham and Thom Tillis are trying to push this through. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says he won’t allow a vote on it. McConnell was on Fox News yesterday and Neil Cavuto asked if there was a need for legislation to prevent the president from firing the guy in charge of investigating him.”
Then a clip played from that interview, in which McConnell made this comment: “That’s not necessary. There’s no indication that Mueller’s going to be fired. I don’t think the president’s going to do that.”
Kimmel, of course, thought that’s an odd stance given, well, the entire history of Donald Trump.
“You don’t? Everybody else does. Why do they want to introduce legislation? Listen, his catch phrase, before he was even president, his catch phrase was, ‘you’re fired.’ No chance he might fire the guy? He’s already tried to fire him twice but his people talked him out of it,” Kimmel said, before slapping McConnell with a joke about how he looks like a turtle. “But Mitch McConnell doesn’t think it’s necessary. The only time Mitch McConnell ever sticks his neck out is to slowly eat a piece of lettuce.”
You can watch all of Wednesday’s episode of “Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC.com right here.
Read original story Jimmy Kimmel: Trump Loves Giving Thumbs Up Because His ‘Thumb Is the Only Normal-Sized Finger on His Hand’ At TheWrap...
- 4/19/2018
- by Phil Owen
- The Wrap
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