Director of Chaos

After tantalizing Japanese audiences in films like Suicide Club and Love Exposure, director Sion Sono makes his scariest move yet: a big-budget Hollywood production

Hung Jury

Changes to Japan's legal system may energize the debate over capital punishment

Highway to Hell

Or, why I hate driving in Japan

On the Cards

The government says its new registration system for foreign residents will make our lives easier. But some lawmakers and privacy rights activists claim that Big Brother lurks around the corner

War Story

Gregory Hadley's Field of Spears recounts a dramatic—and little-known—episode from the closing days of World War II. Yet as the author discovered, the story didn’t finish with the war's end

The Rainmaker

Author Barry Eisler has found gold on the mean streets of Tokyo with six books about Japanese-American assassin John Rain. Now the action is coming to the big screen

On the Road to Justice

A motorcyclist sets out to keep his family's killer behind bars

Head Case

In his new documentary, director Kazuhiro Soda explores the taboo subject of mental illness

Red Star Rising

With global Capitalism on the ropes, local Communism is on the rise

Spirited Away

In her newly translated memoir, Sakie Yokota recounts a mother's ultimate nightmare

Last call for Kabukicho

As the iconic Koma Theater goes under the wrecking ball, is this the end of Tokyo’s notorious red-light district?

Annus Scandalous

A year’s worth of food safety scandals has upset Japan’s applecart