New Yorker Writer Shared Doubts on Japanese âFamily Rentalâ Article Before Publication The magazine has added an editorâs note saying three leading figures in the article made false claims Yuichi Ishii, owner of Family Romance, appeared in a 2019 movie by German director Werner Herzog about his business. Photo: MUBI By Jan. 11, 2021 6:55 am ET TOKYOâA New Yorker staff writer who researched a âfamily rentalâ service in Japan expressed concern before publication that her sources might not be telling the truth, according to people who spoke with her. The New Yorker won a National Magazine Award in feature writing for the April 2018 article, âA Theory of Relativity,â by staff writer