Like a Dragon: Ishin! Review – Ghost of Yakuza
Ishin, though long requested for a global release by series fans, had never quite made it over until now. It made sense – Yakuza was already a niche franchise in the west at the time, barley keeping its head above water. A spin-off of that, and one so uniquely and specifically Japanese? That was never going to fly.
Or so the thinking went. Of course, now that the developers ands publishers have the confidence that there is an appetite for this franchise, this universe, and just Japanese media in general, globally, they are capitalizing on it. Like A Dragon Ishin is a faithful remake of the original game built in Unreal Engine (it is actually the first game in the series, which has used proprietary engines thus far, to use Unreal), and largely brings the experience missed by the rest of the world to modern standards without losing what made it so special to begin with.
That something is largely the setting. Ishin takes place in the tail end of the Samurai age in Japan. More specifically, it is set in in 1867, in what is known as the Bakumatsu era. This was a time when Japan was facing the simultaneous unrests of impending globalization, encroaching imperial powers, rapid industrialization, great social changes as the traditional class and caste systems endemic to Japanese society in its feudal age got called into question by the common people, and an impending change in the government and systems of governance in the country. ...continue reading

indiatimes.com - Jun 10
A major conveyor belt sushi chain in Japan, Sushiro, has filed a Y67 million (US$480,000) lawsuit against a boy who licked a soy sauce bottle at one of their outlets.

AFP - Jun 09
Japan enacted an immigration law on Friday allowing the government to deport failed asylum seekers, despite pushback from opposition parties and rights groups.

NOJ - Jun 09
A student of a beauty school in Yanagawa City, Fukuoka Prefecture, has died and three other injured when alcohol was sprinkled onto a barbecue they were gathered around, setting their clothes on fire, TV Asahi reports.

NHK - Jun 09
Japan's Emperor and Empress mark 30 years of marriage on Friday. They say they are grateful to people for expressing their heartwarming feelings to them.

NHK - Jun 09
An Upper House committee has approved a controversial bill to revise Japan's immigration law. The legislation is designed to make it easier to deport foreign nationals who are illegally staying in Japan, and to end long detentions in immigration facilities.

NHK - Jun 09
Japanese tennis player Kato Miyu has claimed the mixed doubles title at the French Open. The win comes just days after she was controversially disqualified from the women's doubles.

NOJ - Jun 08
The crows have reached mating season and are becoming ferocious, causing havoc among tourists, TV Asahi reports.

The Japan News - Jun 08
The 2023 International Tokyo Toy Show, one of the largest toy trade fairs in Japan, opened at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center Thursday.

abc.net.au - Jun 08
Japan's Fukuoka District Court ruled on Thursday that not allowing same-sex marriage was "in a state of unconstitutionality", in a complicated ruling that fell short of marriage-equality activists' expectations.

NOJ - Jun 08
As deliberations on the bill to revise the Immigration Control Act reached their final stage in the Diet on Wednesday, about 4,000 opponents staged a demonstration calling for the abolishment of the bill, TV Asahi reports.

NHK - Jun 07
Three 21-year-olds have had papers on them sent to prosecutors for posting online videos of themselves putting their mouths on an ice cream serving machine at a karaoke shop near Tokyo.

Kyodo - Jun 07
Four Chinese nationals have been arrested on suspicion of smuggling about 700 kilograms of illegal stimulants from the United Arab Emirates, police and customs officials said Wednesday.

NOJ - Jun 07
While Kyoto Station is bustling and many tourists wait for a taxi, a shortage of drivers has left more than 50 vehicles in the taxi company's garage, TV Asahi reports.

abs-cbn.com - Jun 07
Japan is set to revise its working program for fourth-generation foreigners of Japanese descent and offer permanent residency to individuals who fulfill certain language requirements, immigration agency officials said Tuesday.

NOJ - Jun 07
The world's leading semiconductor manufacturer TSMC headquartered in Taiwan has indicated a policy to build a second factory in Japan's Kumamoto prefecture, TV Asahi reports.

NOJ - Jun 07
Japan's revised civil law which allows non-trial procedures such as divorce and bankruptcy to be conducted online was passed Tuesday by a majority vote in a House of Representatives plenary session.