News On Japan

New footage of Beatles' 1966 visit to Japan made public

TOKYO, Sep 26 (NHK) - New footage of the Beatles has been made public in Japan. The footage captured scenes of intense police security when the Fab Four visited Japan to perform in more than 55 years ago. Some contained never-before-seen footage.

The video was released in July to a nonprofit organization, which made an information disclosure request to the Metropolitan Police Department in 2015.

The faces of people other than the Beatles are blurred to protect their privacy.

The black-and-white, silent footage is about 35 minutes long. It shows large-scale security measures implemented during the visit from June 29 to July 3, 1966.

The footage shows checkpoints set up around Nippon Budokan, the concert venue, and a hotel where the members stayed. It also shows police boats patrolling the moats around the arena.

The video also includes scenes from the final performance on the night of July 2, which have never been made public until now. It shows the members waving as they left the stage. ...continue reading

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

Bear sightings across Japan have already climbed to nearly twice the level recorded during the same period last year, prompting entry bans in mountain areas behind Kyoto’s Ninna-ji Temple and the cancellation of hiking events in Kansai, while new research suggests that the key to reducing encounters may lie in understanding what bears eat in each region.

Copper roofing panels were stolen from several shrines in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, including a city-designated cultural property, in the latest case amid a nationwide surge in copper thefts targeting shrines and temples across Japan, where soaring metal prices have fueled crimes that leave historic religious buildings damaged, exposed to the elements, and facing repair costs of millions of yen.

Flames broke out on the morning of May 20th on Miyajima Island in Hiroshima Prefecture, home to one of Japan's World Heritage sites, destroying Reikado Hall near the summit of Mount Misen.

Uncertainty surrounding the situation in the Middle East is beginning to affect daily life in Japan, as concerns over crude oil supplies spread to restaurants, cleaning services and even household garbage disposal systems across the Kansai region.

A 25-year-old woman arrested as a suspected ringleader in a robbery-murder case in Tochigi Prefecture once posted cheerful dance videos on social media and was remembered by those who knew her as an energetic and outgoing young woman.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Entertainment NEWS

Actors Kentarō Ito and Natsuki Deguchi have become the focus of intense speculation after the pair were reportedly seen together late at night in the parking area of an apartment complex.

A breakwater in Saga City covered with every page from the first 78 volumes of the hit manga "Kingdom" has been officially recognized by Guinness World Records for the world's longest continuous outdoor display of manga pages.

The traditional event Takigi Noh, which signals the arrival of early summer in the ancient capital, was held on May 15th at Kasuga Taisha Shrine and Kofukuji Temple in Nara City.

Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest film "Sheep in the Box," which was selected for the competition section at the 79th Cannes International Film Festival in France, received its official screening on May 16th as it competes for the festival’s top prize, the Palme d'Or.

Today we have a look at, unfortunately, the final kabuki show to take place at the Shochiku-za theatre in Osaka, the last remaining kabuki venue in Dōtonbori. (Kabuki In-Depth)

The Cannes Film Festival opened this week with three Japanese films nominated for the festival’s top prize, the Palme d'Or, including 'Sheep in the Box' directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, 'Nagi Notes' directed by Koji Fukada, and 'Suddenly Feeling Unwell' directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi.

Japanese hospitality has a reputation for being almost mystically attentive, but the principles behind it are practical and teachable.

The Osaka Shochikuza theater, which has entertained audiences in Osaka’s Dotonbori district for more than a century through films, kabuki and live performances, will close in June 2026 due to aging facilities and the high cost of renovations.