NATHAN RIVAS WRITES – Recently, the California legislature formally apologized for the state’s role in the incarceration of more than 120,000 people of Japanese descent in internment camps during the second world war. Now, a recently uncovered artifact reveals that Loyola University, (so-called before its merger with Marymount college in…
Author: Asia Media Staff
CHINA: UFC STAR ZHANG WEILI BEATS CORONAVIRUS PARANOIA, WINS VISA, FACES TOUGH POLE
NICK WILCOX WRITES – After a tense, nearly two- week wait to obtain a U.S. visa, Zhang Weili has been cleared to enter the country on February 25- 11 days before her highly anticipated matchup against Joanna Jedrzejczyk, in UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) 248. Zhang, who had to move her…
SOUTH KOREAN CINEMA: ‘PARASITE’ THRIVES IN AMERICA DESPITE XENOPHOBIA
LILLY WEBBER WRITES – After sweeping the Oscars and finishing the night with four different awards, including Best Picture, the South Korean dark comedy thriller film Parasite by director Bong Joon-ho has surprised international audiences and film connoisseurs alike with its success. Parasite’s victory is unprecedented in the Oscars’ history…
FROM ASIA: A MASK PARADE
ASIAMEDIA WRITES — Whatever the actual degree of utility of the medical mask, there is no doubt in Asia of their current ubiquity. These sample shots below, in order, come from the world-famous Shanghai Ballet; a recent wedding in Seoul, South Korea; yet another anti-government protest in Hong Kong; and…
CHINA: BEIJING MOVES TO WALL OFF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL THREE
CHINACOURTESY, WALL STEET JOURNAL — China revoked the press credentials of three Wall Street Journal reporters based in Beijing, the first time the Chinese government has expelled multiple journalists simultaneously from one international news organization since the country began re-engaging with the world in the post-Mao era. China’s Foreign Ministry…
AUSTRALIA: NAKED CAME THE PHILANTHROPIST!
ROSE RTEIMEH WRITES — A world in which it is possible to receive a naked picture of a well-known online model in exchange for a donation to charity is very 2020. Kaylen Ward, a 20-year-old influencer and online sex worker, started a fundraiser on Twitter for multiple Australian fire relief…
SINKING FEELING IN JAKARTA: WILL THE CAPITOL DISAPPEAR BY 2050?
FIONNA WIJAYA WRITES – The worst floods since 2013 swept through Jakarta this January. Jakarta, the political and economic capital of Indonesia, houses the most significant industrial sectors in the country, compelling most of the population to migrate there for economic opportunities. These early 2020 floods claimed over sixty lives…
VIETNAM: THE HORROR OF HUMAN TRAFFICKING
ANH NU TRUONG WRITES – Internationally, today, there are around 20 to 40 million people in modern slavery, otherwise known as human trafficking. Yet cases are difficult to assess because, according to the United Nations, the vast majority go undetected. Only about 0.4% cases are identified. And in Vietnam, human…
KUWAIT: NOT EVEN THE GREATEST EMIR CAN DO IT ALL
JASEM ALQINAI WRITES-Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah recently celebrated his 14th year of rule. The fifteenth Emir of Kuwait was sworn in on the 29th of January 2006. He is the fourth son of Sheikh Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Prior to his rule he served as Prime Minister as well…
NEW ZEALAND AT OSCARS 2020: TAIKA WAITITI PUTS THE SPOTLIGHT ON INDIGENOUS PEOPLES
NATHAN RIVAS WRITES – During this year’s Academy Award ceremony at Hollywood’s Dolby Theater, Taika Waititi became the first person of Maori descent to win an Oscar (for “Jojo Rabbit”), which he dedicated to all of the indigenous children of the world “who want to do art and dance and write…
JAPAN ANIME: WHY NETFLIX IS ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE SHOWDOWN
LILLY WEBBER WRITES – While Japanese animation has become popular in mainstream American culture and internationally as a result of the rising accessibility of anime, this has not always been the case. Due to the previous lack of access to options of watching anime in America, purchasing bootleg VHSs from…
NORTH KOREA: FOOLING AROUND WITH THOSE UN SANCTIONS
EMILY CAPOUYA WRITES — According to a United Nations confidential report, North Korea has violated resolutions made with the United Nations Security Council by continuing to enhance its ballistic missiles and nuclear weapons program. Recently, a summary of the report was submitted to the UN Security Council. Six sections of…
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA: FEWER TABOOS FOR TATTOOS?
DANICA CREAHAN WRITES– To the nearly half a million people who follow @studiobysol on instagram, the fact that most tattooing is illegal in South Korea might come as a shock. Located in Seoul, South Korea’s capital, Studio by Sol is comprised of 29 tattoo artists, each with individual follower counts…
ANN ARBOR: ASSOCIATION OF ASIAN STUDIES ANNUAL BOOK AWARDS
THE ASSOCIATION OF ASIAN STUDIES WRITES — The AAS is pleased to announce the winners of this year’s prize competitions and offer congratulations to all honorees. We encourage everyone to attend the Awards Ceremony at the upcoming AAS annual conference in Boston, MA on Friday, March 20, where the award winners will…
CORONAVIRUS CHINA: THE GREATEST CHALLENGE CHAIRMAN XI HAS FACED
SARAH SHARPE WRITES — The coronavirus, recently named COVID-19 by the World Health Organization, has completely dominated international media outlets and caused hysteria and travel paranoia. The fast-spreading virus has been documented in countries beyond China such as Japan, Germany, and the U.S. With (at this writing) more than 1,000 reported…
LOS ANGELES: BTS CONTROVERSY HITS 2020 GRAMMYS ON STAPLES CENTER STAGE
MANAAL ALI WRITES — For the first time, a K-pop group found its way onstage at music’s biggest night—Sunday’s Grammy Awards. BTS, the South Korean boy band, performed with Lil Nas X, Billy Ray Cyrus, Mason Ramsey and Diplo in their rendition of “Old Town Road.” This artist avengers-like group…