Mark Schilling

The Japanese educational system gets a lot of bad press about overworked teachers burning out or bullied students dropping out.

The Japanese film industry has made movies featuring the Ainu, indigenous people who now live mostly in Hokkaido, but with Japanese actors in the Ainu roles.

Sexual assault was once rarely prosecuted in Japan. Now, however, more victims are coming forward, most recently three Cambodian women who have

International collaborations and indie risk-takers steered the film industry in a fresh direction in 2024.

Where Did They Go? Whether you're a child actor or not, fame is fickle. Some of these '90s icons peaked before the turn of the century, while others managed to come back to success after some time off. No matter what, these are some of the faces which helped define the 1990s. Marla Sokoloff Marla Sokoloff's best-known role was as Gia Mahan, Stephanie Tanner's archenemy on Full House and its recent reboot, Fuller House . Since then, Sokoloff has appeared in The Practice but mostly keeps a lower profile raising her three children. Val Patterson, CC BY-SA 2.5, Wikimedia...

Shinji Somai, who died in 2001 after making only 13 films, ranks high in the local directorial pantheon, with his 1993 coming-of-age drama “Moving” hailed as a masterpiece by Japanese critics.

The story of a prodigal son (or less commonly, daughter) returning home to the countryside after a failed attempt at life in the big city is a staple of Japanese films.

Starting in January and broadcast weekly for an entire year, taiga period dramas (“taiga” literally meaning “big river”) are the crown jewels of public broadcaster NHK's programming lineup and a Sunday night staple.

Yoshiyuki Kishi’s film delivers a deliciously uplifting story with humor and heart in a tight-knit community impacted by disasters.

Kyozo Nagatsuka gives a finessed performance as an elderly gentleman who is not as gentle as he seems in Daihachi Yoshida’s drama.