Nude photos of deceased singer Aki Yashiro spark row in Japan
A Japanese record company is facing a backlash after announcing it would release a CD by a deceased singer that will include nude photographs of her taken privately.
The governor of Kumamoto Prefecture, where the singer, Aki Yashiro, was from, slammed the decision as an "unforgiveable" act in a blog post published Wednesday.
The CD is due to be released on Monday by the record company, which has announced that the product will feature two nude photos of Yashiro, who died in 2023 at age 73, as a "bonus feature."
It said the photos were taken by her then-partner when she was in her 20s.
"If this is not revenge porn, what is it?" Kumamoto Gov. Takashi Kimura wrote in a blog post, referring to the act of sharing intimate images without a person's consent.
Makoto Ono, a representative for the company that runs Yashiro's website, has also spoken out against the move.
"The announcement (of the nude photo release) is an extremely unpleasant event and absolutely unacceptable," Ono said in a press release this week.
Ono's company sent a letter to the record company in March through legal channels demanding that the release be called off, but no response has been received, the firm said.
The record company, based in Kagoshima Prefecture, has told Japanese media they hold ownership rights to the nude pictures.
Social media users in Japan condemned the company with the hashtag "Protect the dignity of Aki Yashiro."
An online petition calling for its cancellation has received more than 7,000 signatures.
"Naked photos being published without permission after death. ... This terrible thing must not happen," one user wrote on the platform X.
Yashiro, who debuted in Japan in the 1970s, is a household name known as the queen of enka — a genre of Japanese music. She was also a jazz singer.
She regularly featured on NHK's prestigious "Kohaku Uta Gassen," a staple of New Year's Eve television.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
3 hours ago
- Japan Today
Japan maps out support steps for key game, anime industries
The Japanese government is seeking to provide support for video game production costs and improve working conditions in the anime industry under a five-year plan to further boost the country's entertainment sector, a key source of exports. The plan, announced by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, also includes anti-piracy measures such as stronger investigations and enforcement. The ministry said Japan's overseas sales in the entertainment field reached 5.8 trillion yen in 2023, up from 1 trillion yen in 2010, making it the nation's second-largest export industry after automobiles, with shipments totaling over 21 trillion yen. The government has set a target of increasing overseas sales in the entertainment industry to 20 trillion yen by 2033. In the gaming sector -- a field generating over 2 trillion yen in sales abroad -- the government is considering production-cost support for companies aiming to expand internationally. In the anime sector, which is facing a shortage of skilled workers, the government plans to introduce mechanisms to address stagnant wages and long working hours to prevent talent from leaving the industry. Damage to the Japanese industry caused by pirated content worldwide, meanwhile, is estimated at around 2 trillion yen. To counter its spread, the government will strengthen cooperation with industry groups that include anime firms as members. © KYODO
Japan Today
5 hours ago
- Japan Today
Brad Pitt reveals his favorite Japanese food, many Japanese people say they've never eaten it
By Casey Baseel, SoraNews24 Japan often gets Hollywood movies later than the rest of the world, but "F1," starring Brad Pitt, is fittingly, arriving in Japanese theaters as quickly as possible, premiering here on Friday, the same day as it does in the U.S. To promote the movie's opening, the producers have released a promotional video in which Kenyu Horiuchi and Shintaro Morimoto, who serve as the dub actors for Pitt and co-star Damson Idris, ask Pitt, Idris, and director Joseph Kosinski some questions on behalf of Japanese fans. The first question involves special training the on-screen cast undertook for their roles, and the next ones deal with special efforts made during filming and the cast's most memorable scenes. The three interviewees also express regret that while "F1" includes footage shot by a separate crew at Japan's Suzuka Circuit, none of them were able to travel to the country themselves for filming. The final question is a common one when overseas celebrities are making Japanese media appearances: What is you favorite Japanese food? Idris leads off with the predictable, but totally agreeable, answer of sushi, with an expression of bliss washing over his face as he fine-tunes his answer to toro, extra-fatty tuna. Kosinski goes a bit farther off the beaten path, saying 'I love a good hot shishito pepper,' a side-dish often found at yakitori restaurants, where they're usually grilled on a skewer over an open flame. But it's Pitt's answer that's truly unique, as he replies, and very confidently, that his favorite Japanese food is: 'Whitefish with ponzu sauce. Always.' Pitt's answer was surprising to a lot of Japanese people. Yes, ponzu, a sauce made from mirin, bonito stock, and citrus juice (such as lemon, lime or yuzu), and often mixed with soy sauce, is a popular condiment in Japan. However, ponzu is most commonly used as a condiment for hotpot or other simmered foods, or as a dipping sauce for sashimi or gyoza. It's generally treated like a substitute for soy sauce, and thus isn't something that Japanese people ordinarily pour on a slice of cooked fish. So not only is it unusual to hear someone say that whitefish with ponzu is their favorite Japanese food, the 'always' is an unexpected emphasizer for an unorthodox combination that you're not likely to encounter in Japanese restaurants or kitchens. Because of that, online reactions to Pitt's answer have largely been some sort of variation on the one embedded above: 'I don't think there are even many Japanese people who'd give that as their first choice.' Other have included: 'Now I wanna know where he tried that.' 'This is kind of like if someone asked 'What's your favorite American food?' and you said 'Alligator steak.'' 'Brad, someone pulled a fast one on you.' 'It's so specific. Was the person who cooked it Japanese? I can't ever remember eating whitefish with ponzu poured on it.' 'I wonder if the fish was grilled, steamed, or simmered.' 'It's got to be something he had with sake.' 'This would be good for a 'try not to laugh' challenge.'' 'Ponzu really does taste good when the flavor seeps into the other ingredients you're eating it with.' More than a few commenters theorized that when Pitt said 'whitefish' he was really talking about fugu, blowfish/pufferfish, which is often eaten with ponzu. That seems unlikely, though, since fugu's international fame as a Japanese delicacy that can kill you if it's not prepared correctly means that it rarely gets linguistically lumped in with whitefish by English-speakers. So odds are that Pitt really has eaten and enjoyed whitefish with ponzu sauce, and on more than one occasion. As for where he ate it, there are a couple possibilities. First, while it's not a standard or traditional combination, it is possible to find recipes, in Japanese, for whitefish with ponzu. There's one here, for example, on Cookpad, a website where home chefs can share recipes with one another. On the website of the UK division of soy sauce maker Kikkoman, which also produces ponzu, the company specifically recommends using ponzu 'as a marinade for fish, meat and vegetables.' If you run a search for recipes on Kikkoman's Japanese website for fish with ponzu, though, you won't find any. Likewise, Mizkan, another major ponzu maker, has 220 recipes for ponzu on its Japanese website, but not a single one that uses it as a sauce for cooked fish. With ponzu experiencing a recent surge in global popularity, it's possible that Pitt orders whitefish with ponzu at a nominally Japanese restaurant he frequents outside Japan, or that he's had it at restaurants in Japan with avant-garde sensibilities and a cosmopolitan, international clientele. 'I bet he goes to some really fancy Japanese restaurants,' mused one commenter. Or it could be that he has a personal acquaintance or private chef who's made whitefish with yuzu a part of their cooking repertoire and presented it to him as a kind of 'Japanese food,' since ponzu is a Japanese condiment and whitefish is part of Japan's culinary culture too. 'I think more so than comparing it to many other kinds of Japanese foods that he's tried, whitefish with ponzu sauce is the dish that has the strongest place in his memories,' said one commenter, and while just about everyone was surprised as Pitt's pick for his favorite Japanese food, no one seems to think it'd taste bad, even if they're not 100-percent sure it's really Japanese. Sources: YouTube/ワーナー ブラザース 公式チャンネル via Hachima Kiko, Twitter/@zimkalee, Kikkoman, Mizkan, Cookpad Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Japanese people reveal the six western foods they find most disgusting -- 5 common misconceptions most westerners have about Japanese food -- Should you add wasabi to your soy sauce at a sushi restaurant? External Link © SoraNews24
Metropolis Japan
8 hours ago
- Metropolis Japan
Asakusa R&B Night: Sumida Fireworks Edition
R&B is experiencing a global revival, and Asakusa is joining the groove. The day after the iconic Sumida River Fireworks Festival, Asakusa R&B Night returns for a special summer edition–a relaxed yet high-energy celebration of rhythm, soul and community. Now in its second year, this grassroots event was created to connect Tokyo locals with international visitors through the universal language of R&B. Hosted at Public House Zen, a stylish venue just steps from Asakusa Station, the night features top local DJs, an inclusive crowd and a setting that blends traditional Japanese aesthetics with modern nightlife. With an open-air terrace, warm vibes and a cross-cultural atmosphere, Asakusa R&B Night offers a unique way to wind down after the fireworks and dive into Tokyo's music scene. Whether you're a regular or a first-timer, all are welcome to join the groove.
