Cover & Gravure + Long Live Report: BTS - The Awaited Moment / AERA Releasing on May 25

The June 1 issue of AERA, releasing on May 25, will feature precious shots from BTS's Tokyo Dome concert on its cover. Their first Japanese performance as a 'complete group' in about 7 years gathered 110,000 fans over two days, enveloping the venue in excitement. Through the cover, gravure photos, and a long live report, we deliver the brilliance of the 'awaited moment' the world has been looking forward to. The opening feature is 'The "New Common Sense" of Mortgages: Paying off in your 80s, Reckless or Strategic?'. Against the backdrop of delayed marriages and soaring real estate prices, cases of mortgage payoffs extending into the 80s are increasing. Amid rising interest rates and inflation, we explore ways of thinking and concrete measures to avoid bankruptcy alongside experts. In addition, there is an article reporting from South Korea on the background of Japanese novels becoming hits there, and the bi-weekly new serial 'New Adult Interview' features actor Sawa Suzuki. In the popular serial 'THE ALFEE: Trajectory of Miracles', the members look back on their massive hit 'Marie-Anne'. This issue is also packed with content. Please take a look!

Cover & Gravure + Long Live Report: BTS
BTS is currently on a world tour with their comeback work after about 3 years and 9 months, The 5th Album 'ARIRANG'. Live photos from BTS's Tokyo Dome concert will adorn the cover of AERA. From songs on the album 'ARIRANG' to mega-hits like 'Dynamite', the stage that carved out the trajectory of the 7 members and their new beginning was truly a 'festival' itself. Along with the cover, we deliver the emotion of the stage without leaving anything out through color gravure and a long live report. Furthermore, you can read the full text of the concert's ending MC via a QR code in the magazine! Please check out this permanent preservation edition.

Opening Feature: The "New Common Sense" of Mortgages / Is Paying Off in Your 80s Reckless or Strategic?
Due to delayed marriages and rising real estate prices, an increasing number of people are scheduled to finish paying off their mortgages in their 80s. Is that repayment plan truly safe? As rising interest rates and inflation squeeze household budgets, many people are anxious. This feature explores the dividing line between those who 'don't need to panic' and those who are 'in danger' to avoid household bankruptcy, and explains the 'new common sense' including options like refinancing or moving. Also, experts say that paying off the remaining mortgage balance in a lump sum with retirement funds in an era of rising interest rates is 'past common sense'. We sorted out the merits and risks of lump-sum repayment with experts.

Reading the Times: 'Text Hip' Behind the Hit of Japanese Literature in South Korea
In the 'Reading the Times' column, which deeply explores a single event or news, a writer living in Seoul reported on the background of Japanese novels becoming hits in South Korea. The Akutagawa Prize-winning novel 'Goethe Said It All' by Yui Suzuki became a bestseller in South Korea with over 120,000 copies sold. Interviews with publishers, translators, and readers revealed that behind the hit is the 'text hip' trend spreading among young South Koreans who are interested in classic literature and famous quotes. We also had Ms. Suzuki contribute an article about the Japanese literature boom in South Korea.

New Adult Interview: Sawa Suzuki
Actor Sawa Suzuki appears in the bi-weekly serial 'New Adult Interview' that started in May. After going through her 20s and 30s suffering from the gap between her mother's ideals and her true self, and breaking out on variety shows in her 40s, she looks back on a period of going astray feeling 'it's different from my true self'. The major turning point was facing her mother during the COVID-19 pandemic. She says that realizing 'my mother is me' allowed her to forgive herself, and long-standing ill feelings melted away. She frankly shared her current state of mind, feeling that now in her 50s she has finally 'gotten herself back'.

THE ALFEE Serial 'Trajectory of Miracles'
This serial exploring the history of THE ALFEE focuses on the first half of 1983 this time. The three members vividly talk about memories of those days when things 'didn't go as planned (laughs)', including the much-awaited secret story of the birth of their first hit song 'Marie-Anne'. Look forward to the Alfee talk!

We also feature articles such as:
- Prosecutorial Appeals to be Banned in Principle by Law Amendment: Asking Iwao Hakamada's Sister, Hideko
- Top 5 Masterpieces Chosen by Fans of 'Hyakki Yagyo Sho'
- Dialogue: Eiko Koike x Keiko Kuroyanagi - Prison Gourmet is Full of Love
- Dialogue: Makiko Kawamura x Manabu Tauchi - What You 'Spend' Money on is Key
- [Source of the Top] Asahi Kasei Chairman Hideki Kobori
- [Women x Working] Women of the Equal Opportunity Act Generation - The Mismatch of 'Can Become' and 'Want to Become' Female Managers
- [Want to be Kind] Social Impact - From 'Like' to 'Pride', The Savior of the Construction Industry: Heavy Machinery Fandom
- Opening Column [eyes] by Kang Sang-jung, Hiroki Azuma
- Tadahei Suzuki [Heroes of Okinawa: The Islanders' Koshien]
- Asami Akiya's Living with 'Clothes I Can Love'
- Masaru Sato's Practical News School
- Satetsu Takeda [This Week's Ill Feeling]
- Manabu Tauchi's Perspective on the Economy
- Jane Su's Saw You the Other Day
- Masayuki Oki's This Week's Shameless Cat
- Kayleen Matsuzaki [Good Things and Cute Things in Japan]
and more.
Please take a look!

*On the release day, Monday, May 25, from 5:00 PM for about 30 minutes, an '#AeraLive' introducing the features and contents of the latest issue will be held on the official Instagram (@aera_net). Please check this out as well.

AERA June 1, 2026 Issue
Price: 650 yen (base price 591 yen + 10% tax)
Release Date: Monday, May 25, 2026