TOKYO--Hello Kitty turns 50 on Friday ... Part of the confusion stems from a misunderstanding of “kawaii,” which is Japanese for “cute” but also connotes a lovable or adorable essence.

All eyes are on Japan this week, thanks to the much-delayed Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, happening July 23 to Aug 8. The event has been a hot debate topic for months now, with some countries and ...

In Japan, ‘cute’ is a big deal. Their own word for it, kawaii (“ka-why-ee”), is more of an ethos than an adjective. Shops and billboards are filled with big-eyed fluffy figures.

Before moving to Tokyo in ... his genre as Kawaii Metal (or ‘Cute Metal’), which mixes some elements from heavy metal and J-Pop. One of the pioneers of this genre is a Japanese idol trio ...