News On Japan

Japan’s Got Talent' coming to screens in 2023 with Japanese comedian as judge

Sep 17, 2022 (Japan Today) - The "Got Talent" franchise is one of the biggest television franchises in the world, with the show being broadcast in over 194 countries worldwide.

There have been original spin-offs in 72 different countries since the show was first piloted in 2006, but for Japanese performers like Yuriyan Retreiver or Mr Uekasa, the lack of a homegrown "Japan’s Got Talent" meant they had to travel abroad to get their talents on a Got Talent stage.

But a recent announcement by Japanese streaming service Ameba TV means any Japanese performers dreaming of being on Got Talent may not need to travel too far anymore, as "Japan’s Got Talent" is finally becoming a reality.

The format of "Japan’s Got Talent" will be the same as other instalments in the Got Talent series; hopeful participants will perform their talent in front of a panel of judges. If their talent is good enough, they will advance to the next round, but if the judges deem their performance unworthy, they’ll press their X-buzzer, and if all judges press their buzzers the contestant is automatically eliminated from the competition. The winner of the competition will net a cool 10 million yen in prize money.

As for who will be pressing the buzzers, famously tart-tongued Japanese comedian Masatoshi Hamada, best known for being one half of legendary comedy duo Downtown, has been announced as one of the judges. The three remaining judges on the panel have yet to be announced. ...continue reading

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A fire broke out at Arima Inari Shrine near the Arima Onsen hot spring resort area in Kobe on the night of June 9th, destroying multiple buildings and leaving an elderly Shinto priest and his wife with minor injuries.

Japan, which records the shortest average sleep duration among OECD countries, is launching new efforts to tackle widespread sleep deprivation, including the opening of specialized sleep disorder departments and programs aimed at improving children's sleep habits through sports and physical activity.

Japan's national soccer team arrived in Nashville, Tennessee, on June 8th from Monterrey, Mexico, where it had been conducting a pre-World Cup training camp, and held its first practice session at its base camp for the FIFA World Cup in North America.

A prolonged eruption at Sakurajima on June 7th blanketed parts of Kagoshima City in volcanic ash, turning roads gray and prompting long lines of vehicles seeking car washes after a plume of smoke rose 1,300 meters above the crater.

A powerful earthquake struck off Mindanao Island in the southern Philippines at 8:38 a.m. (Japan time) on June 8th, generating tsunami waves across parts of the Pacific, causing building collapses and casualties near the epicenter, and prompting the Japan Meteorological Agency to issue tsunami advisories along a wide stretch of Japan's Pacific coastline before lifting all of them at 4:50 p.m.

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