ONE PIECE manga has surpassed 600 million copies worldwide! Creator Eiichiro Oda has written down the secret of the One Piece treasure for the very first time and, with help from Japan's JAMSTEC ocean research agency, sealed it 651 meters beneath the sea. The answer will only be revealed when the manga ends. Here's everything you need to know about this extraordinary event.
Hideaki Hatta, president of Kyoto Animation, died on February 16, 2026, at the age of 76. From subcontracted cel painting that his wife Yoko started in an apartment block, through incorporation in 1985, he led the studio for more than four decades under the motto "creating together," producing The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, K-On! and Violet Evergarden. A look back at his career, including the years he spent rebuilding after the 2019 arson attack.
Sheena Ringo, one of Japan's most revered musicians, has announced a collaboration with Boucheron, the legendary Parisian high jewelry maison. Wearing the iconic Quatre collection as centaurs in the MV for her new song Shihou, she fuses Japanese artistry with French luxury. Here's the full story.
On February 28, 2026, Ado released "Vivarium," her first live-action music video, showing her profile and eyes for the first time. The song ties in with the autobiographical novel Vivarium: Ado to Watashi, written by Narumi Komatsu and published by Bungeishunju on February 26. Here is who made the roughly 300-cut video, what she said in her Billboard JAPAN interview, and how her two Nissan Stadium nights and the Zipangu festival in Los Angeles went.
XG announced that their second world tour "XG WORLD TOUR: THE CORE" will continue as scheduled despite the arrest of producer JAKOPS (SIMON). After careful deliberation, the seven members are going ahead with the remaining Japan shows in March and April, plus legs in Asia, North America, Europe, Australia, and Latin America. Full tour dates, ticket refund details, and how fans are rallying behind XG.
16-time Grammy winner Bruno Mars marked his first solo album in a decade, 'The Romantic,' with the world's only collaboration cafe, at SHIBUYA TSUTAYA in Tokyo. Album-inspired drinks, Japan-exclusive artwork, and the long list of reasons Bruno keeps coming back to Japan.
Arashi leader Ohno Satoshi announced his departure from STARTO ENTERTAINMENT, effective May 31, 2026, the date of Arashi's final concert at Tokyo Dome. After 32 years with the agency and years of quiet life in Okinawa, Ohno pledged to "run through it as five" until the very end. He becomes the third member to leave individually, following Ninomiya Kazunari and Matsumoto Jun.
MAN WITH A MISSION announces their 2026 world tour "MARKING NEW GROUND," spanning 10 cities across 7 countries. The wolf-headed rock band will make their first-ever appearances in Chile and Brazil, share the main stage with Iron Maiden at Spain's Resurrection Fest, and perform at Zipangu — the largest Japanese music festival ever held in the US. A deep dive into how anime theme songs built their global fanbase and what this tour means for Japanese rock worldwide.
BAND-MAID, Japan's five-piece hard rock band in maid outfits, has been confirmed to perform at Download Festival 2026, the UK's premier rock and metal festival headlined by Limp Bizkit, Guns N' Roses and Linkin Park. We cover their massive 2026 world tour spanning Hong Kong, Europe, North America and Mexico, culminating in two historic nights at Tokyo's Nippon Budokan.
YOASOBI will make history as the first-ever J-Pop artist to perform at OSHEAGA in Montreal, Canada. Following appearances at Coachella and Lollapalooza, this marks their Canadian live debut. Full details on the festival lineup, ticket info, and J-Pop's expanding global footprint.
Born from an April Fools' joke in 2008, virtual singer Kasane Teto now boasts 150M+ YouTube views on hit songs. Her long-awaited best compilation album '0401 - The Best Days of Kasane Teto 2026' and the inaugural DJ event TETO SONIC 2026 at Shibuya WOMB mark a new chapter for the eternal 31-year-old icon of Japan's Vocaloid culture.
