Letter From Tokyo

Will Japan's entertainment industry see a renaissance?

It would do well to set its sights on building content that will appeal both domestically and to the world - as its S. Korean counterpart has

Walter Sim
Japan Correspondent
Japanese boy band Arashi, which debuted in November 1999 and went on hiatus starting from last Thursday, rose to popularity at a time when Japanese pop culture was on the ascent. Japanese girl group NiziU was one of Japan's largest breakthrough debut
Japanese boy band Arashi, which debuted in November 1999 and went on hiatus starting from last Thursday, rose to popularity at a time when Japanese pop culture was on the ascent. Japanese girl group NiziU was one of Japan's largest breakthrough debuts in music last year. What is notable is that the outfit was not produced in Japan, but instead by South Korean agency JYP Entertainment. PHOTO: ARASHI/TWITTER PHOTO: NIZIU/INSTAGRAM
Japanese boy band Arashi, which debuted in November 1999 and went on hiatus starting from last Thursday, rose to popularity at a time when Japanese pop culture was on the ascent. Japanese girl group NiziU was one of Japan's largest breakthrough debut
Japanese boy band Arashi, which debuted in November 1999 and went on hiatus starting from last Thursday, rose to popularity at a time when Japanese pop culture was on the ascent. Japanese girl group NiziU was one of Japan's largest breakthrough debuts in music last year. What is notable is that the outfit was not produced in Japan, but instead by South Korean agency JYP Entertainment. PHOTO: ARASHI/TWITTER PHOTO: NIZIU/INSTAGRAM
Updated
Jan 03, 2021, 05:00 AM
Published
Jan 03, 2021, 05:00 AM
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TOKYO • I had known Arashi to be huge before I moved to Japan in 2016, but not quite how huge they were.

I thought they were just another teenybopper sensation and was pleasantly surprised by how the five-member group, which had their debut on Nov 3, 1999, were established mature artists in diverse areas - acting, hosting, concert management and even painting.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Sunday Times on January 03, 2021, with the headline Will Japan's entertainment industry see a renaissance?. Subscribe

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