Anime!Anime! has released its post-broadcast Spring 2026 anime ranking. Daemons of the Shadow Realm by Hiromu Arakawa takes #1 in Japan, with Ascendance of a Bookworm at #2, and Dr.STONE, Nippon Sangoku, and Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun tying for #3. Meanwhile, international rankings from Anime Corner and others crown Re:Zero Season 4 and Witch Hat Atelier as the top picks. Here is the gap between Japanese and overseas reception, plus where to stream each title on Crunchyroll, Prime Video, and beyond.
Japanese 7-piece group XG will become the first Japanese act ever at Capital's Summertime Ball, performing at Wembley Stadium on June 6, 2026 — and the first Japanese artist group to take the stage at the 80,000-capacity venue known as the home of football. Joined by Niall Horan, Calvin Harris, RAYE and more.
On April 29, 2026, Mobile Suit Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino received the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon. A guide for international Gundam fans on Japan's imperial decoration system, Tomino's global influence, the state of Gundam IP, and current games like SD Gundam G Generation Eternal.
On June 14, 2026, Japan's six-member boy group BE:FIRST joins pop icon Janet Jackson at K-Arena Yokohama for a special stage collaboration where they will share vocals on the same song. A look at this historic crossover and BE:FIRST's growing global footprint following their first world tour across 12 cities.
On April 27, 2026, SEGA signed an MOU with Thailand's largest conglomerate, the C.P. Group, to jointly develop entertainment business across ASEAN. With Sonic and Angry Birds at the core, the deal targets a $14B+ Southeast Asian gaming market. We unpack who the CP Group is, what SEGA stands to gain, and the real risks behind Japanese gaming's biggest ASEAN bet yet.
Sony Pictures has set Resident Evil for September 18, 2026, with WEAPONS director Zach Cregger helming a 90-minute original story starring Austin Abrams as a medical courier. Test screening reactions hail it as a 'horror version of Fury Road' — a lean, brutal reboot streaming-skipping fans have waited a decade for.
Kenshi Yonezu has written 'Karasu' (Crow) as NHK's 2026 World Cup soccer theme. Combined with Ado's 'Kira' (adidas Japan uniform song), ORANGE RANGE's DAZN anthem, and JI BLUE's 'Keshiki' (JFA official theme), Japan's top J-pop artists are forming an unprecedented multi-platform soundtrack for FIFA World Cup 2026.
Mizuno — Japan's 119-year-old sports giant best known for baseball gloves and golf clubs — enters esports with a Street Fighter 6 collaboration. The Juri-themed leverless controller (~$623) and ergonomic gaming chair go on Makuake May 1, 2026. We compare it to Hit Box, Razer Kitsune and the global FGC's reaction.
Japanese book designer Shin Sobue died at 66 on March 15. We explore soutei, the Japanese discipline of designing every element of a book, paper, type, binding, even intentional misprints, and the legacy of works like Densha-Otoko, Soseki's Kokoro, and the Dorohedoro art book.
While the world watches Inoue vs Nakatani and Daigo vs MenaRD, Japan's Golden Week 2026 packs 8 more events into the same eight days—including a single Saturday (May 2) where Tokyo Dome, Ryogoku Kokugikan, and Tokyo Big Sight all run major events at once. From EVO Japan to centuries-old folk festivals, here's what else is happening.
Blaze Entertainment has confirmed that Evercade's NEOGEO support will continue into 2027, sharpening the contrast with PLAION's faithful-recreation NEOGEO AES+. With six games per cartridge at roughly $5 per title versus AES+ cartridges at $89.99 each, the two officially-licensed approaches to SNK's legendary console couldn't be more different — and Japanese media is calling it the 'Reiwa NEOGEO War.'
