While anti-Japanese sentiments continue to brew across China due to the unseemly scrum over the Senkaku, called the Diaoyu by the Chinese, islands, some celebrities in the region have spoken out against the tension. Notable amongst them is Sora Aoi, a former Japanese pornography actress, who has helped China, or…
Category: Japan
China: Defending His Country
There are a few islands on the northeast side of Taiwan called the Diaoyu Islands, if you’re Chinese. But if you’re Japanese, you call it the Senkaku Islands. Both China and Japan claim the sovereignty of these islands, not only for national dignity but also the rich deposits of natural…
JAPAN: It’s Upsetting the Country’s Constitution
How much tension could a chain of uninhabited islands create? Quite a bit, apparently, as many Chinese take to the streets in outrage following Japan’s decision to nationalize three of the Senkaku islands. Concurrently, some Japanese have voiced a desire to revise the current constitution. The Mainichi Daily, a leading…
SOUTH KOREA: Forgive But Never Forget
Until recently, the stage seemed set for South Korea and Japan to sign the General Security of Military Information Agreement, or GSOMIA, but South Korea suddenly decided to back down from the agreement. The GSOMIA would have been the first agreement to permit the exchange of military intelligence between South…
JAPAN: Fukushima Prime Suspect? The Former Prime Minister!
Ever since March of last year, media finger-pointing over the Fukushima nuclear-power plant disaster has been relentless and endless. But behind the scenes, a special panel was working hard to try to sort the mess out fairly and authoritatively. Now that panel’s draft report has surfaced, and its main conclusion is…
JAPAN ALL DECKED OUT IN DECO: 1920-1945
JAPAN ALL DECKED OUT IN DECO: 1920-1945
JAPAN ALL DECKED OUT IN DECO: 1920-1945
JAPAN: Mainichi Uncovers Clandestine Nuclear Power Meetings
Energy production has been a pressing issue for Japanese politicians and journalists lately, especially as the summer heat approaches. Concerns over possible obligatory blackouts have fueled debates regarding the future of the nation’s nuclear facilities. In light of these ongoing discussions, The Mainichi, Japan’s third leading daily, obtained documents earlier…
VIETNAM: Dramatically Reaching Out to Japan’s Kyodo News
Vietnam has had a tortured relationship at best with once-aggressive Japan, as it has had with the United States. But one thing both Tokyo and Washington have learned about this large, thinly vertical, well-populated and exceptionally feisty Southeast Asia country: Invading, occupying or even trying to “save Vietnam from communism”…
SOUTH KOREA: A Brief Look at the Nuclear Security Summit
In what is being called the largest diplomatic gathering in history, the nuclear security summit held in Seoul this past Monday and Tuesday, with leaders of nearly 60 nations and international organizations in attendance, has led to the release of a sweeping agreement known as the “Seoul Communique.” Initially the…
JAPAN: Trading Punches Via Media, Old and New
A powerful mayor and a powerful media mogul are at each other’s throats. On March 18th, Toru Hashimoto, mayor of Osaka, labeled Tsuneo Watanabe, chairman of the giant Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper group, a “despot.” This remark came in response to the influential chairman’s description of Hashimoto’s mayoral term in the…
JAPAN: A Grateful Prime Minister Takes Out Some Ads
Following the pair of natural disasters and resulting nuclear disaster that ravaged Japan last year, the nation is still making efforts to rebuild the affected areas. On March 9th, Yoshihiko Noda, the Prime Minister of Japan, appeared in an ad on the Washington Post’s online edition, vowing to continue…
QATAR: Journalism Students Fight Obesity—Fat Chance?
Journalism students at Northwestern University, Qatar, have created a website to combat the alarming rate of obesity plaguing the country, as well as the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The website, Sweet Epidemic (http://qatarsweetepidemic.org), aims to raise awareness of the cause of obesity, using a mix of media…
JAPAN: Facebook Comment Sparks Controversy
Controversy over a proposed high-speed railway, known as the Linear Chuo Shikansen, has erupted after the head of Nara prefecture’s general affairs department posted a scandalous comment on Facebook earlier this month. According to the Mainichi Daily News, Japan’s highly-respected second leading daily, the official, whose identity hasn’t been disclosed,…
JAPAN: How to Protect User Information Without Harming Social Media
According to The Daily Yomiuri, Japan’s leading English daily, some e-book apps have allegedly been compiling private information on their users, many without consent. In response, industry experts and one Japanese government ministry have called for the drafting of strict guidelines. Two of the apps accused of gathering information are…