How much would you pay for one minute of conversation with a 14-year-old girl? Kyoko Miyake’s unflinching new documentary about the shady transactions that surround Japanese pop stardom is available ...

While it’s easy to think that the United States has cornered the market on the commoditization of young girls for the male gaze, in many ways we don’t hold a candle to — wait for it — Japan. Kyoko ...

Discover What’s Streaming On: The film begins with glow sticks waving in the air as we’re told, “This isn’t a fad. It’s a religion.” A parade of young female pop singers prance about on stage, like ...

PARK CITY, Utah -- There's a scene in Tokyo Idols where Rio Hiiragi, a pop star trying to make it big, bikes to small provinces as a publicity stunt to meet her fans. She's wearing a cute yellow ...

TOKYO — A member of a hugely popular Japanese girl band has shaved her head and issued a tearful videotaped apology for violating the megagroup's no-dating rule, sparking a national debate over ...

A section displaying goods commonly used for celebrating idols' birthdays is seen during the "Oshikatsu - Merch Collection Expo" at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center in the capital, July 2, 2025. ...

Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE is quite a focused game. Set in modern day Japan, we follow a group of young men and women who happen to both be Mirage Masters capable of saving people from otherworldly ...

TOKYO -- A survey on otaku activities such as playing games and watching anime found that fans who are passionate about idols "are the most active" in terms of how much money and time they spend on ...

In this Friday, Feb. 1, 2013 file photo, hugely popular Japanese girl band AKB48 members, from left in first row, Haruna Kojima, Mayu Watanabe, Minami Takahashi, Mariko Shinoda, Tomomi Itano and Rie ...