Aera is a Japanese weekly magazine, printed in gravure, published by the Asahi Shimbun. The magazine combines photographs and news stories. In May 1988, Aera replaced Asahi Journal, a more substantial weekly.
The cover story is called Person in Focus. EiichirÅ Sakata takes cover photos for Aera, but when the person on the cover is a photographer, it is a self-portrait.
The title AERA is derived from the Latin word that means "era" in English, and a backronym said to mean "Asahi Shimbun Extra Research and Analysis."
Aera's advertisement in the Asahi features topical dajare (word play).