Taiwanese President Ma Ying-Jeou’s re-election for his second term in office on January 14th, 2012 was the big story last week. Chinese Netizens across the Taiwan Strait, of course, are not hardly out of touch. Despite Beijing’s ban on the topic, Weibo (China’s version of Twitter) is buzzing with tweets…
Full Article CHINA: Blog Blotter #6 – Buzzing About Taiwan’s Presidential ElectionCategory: East Asia
CHINA: Scoffing at U.S. Stumbles Over Efforts to Stop Iran’s Nuclearization
It comes as no surprise that many countries are unwilling to aid the United States in their attempt to stop Iran’s nuclear program if such efforts hurt their pockets. But even when their intentions are apparently sincere, methods can prove ineffective. That was the point of a recent article in…
Full Article CHINA: Scoffing at U.S. Stumbles Over Efforts to Stop Iran’s NuclearizationJAPAN: Please Wake Up, Don’t Leave It To China!
The inevitable and historic shifting of global power from the West to the East is the famous central theme of Kishore Mahbubani. Currently dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, Mahbubani has put forth another view of important consequence. It’s that…
Full Article JAPAN: Please Wake Up, Don’t Leave It To China!SINGAPORE: In Search of Forgiveness … from Mao?!
Political criticism encompasses one of the most censored topics in China. Mediums through which people express such views range from the ubiquitous blog to artistic pieces. Regarding the latter, the works of Chinese brothers Gao Zhen and Gao Qiang are among the most critical with their condemnation towards Mao Zedong.…
Full Article SINGAPORE: In Search of Forgiveness … from Mao?!SOUTH KOREA: Static Blurs the Nation’s TV picture
After months of failed negotiations, Korea’s cable television system operators (SOs) are taking a stand against the three major Korean TV Companies – KBS, MBC, and SBS – for charging high prices to broadcast their programs, according to The Korea Times, an English-language daily newspaper.
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: Static Blurs the Nation’s TV pictureCHINA: The Ridiculous Republican Hunt for “Red” Huntsman
As Republican presidential candidates continue to use China as a topic for gaining voter approval in the current Republican Primaries, it shouldn’t go unnoticed that the “bad mouthing” is being heard beyond our own shores. The English-language Chinese newspaper “China Daily” recently published an article highlighting the election’s topic fixation.…
Full Article CHINA: The Ridiculous Republican Hunt for “Red” HuntsmanJAPAN: The Publisher Who Kept on Going
The March 11 natural disasters that ravaged the Tohoku region of Japan early last year forced most local industries to cease operations. Despite the difficulties, Masashi Hijikata, the owner of the Araemishi publishing company, continued producing his quarterly magazine, the Sendaigaku, or Study of Sendai. According to The Mainichi Daily…
Full Article JAPAN: The Publisher Who Kept on GoingSOUTH KOREA: Buddhism Goes Bilingual
The book titled, “Open the Mind, See the Light,” by widely acknowledged Seon Zen master Ven. Jinje has been translated into English, according to The Korea Times, a huge-circulation newspaper based in Seoul. Ven. Jinje is a leading monk of the Joyge Order of Korean Buddhism and one of the…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: Buddhism Goes BilingualRemembering Father Daly
How should the worth of a life be weighed? For when a phenomenon like Father John P. Daly, S.J., dies, that’s a question you start asking yourself. What is a life worth? In his own over-intellectualized Harvard way, T.S. Eliot used to tantalize around that question with this unforgettable line…
Full Article Remembering Father DalyChinese Blog Blotter – Taking China Down?
The Chinese are certainly following the U.S. presidential campaign. A video of a televised Republican primary debate was circulating on the Internet, attracting the attention of up to 500 million Chinese Netizens. In this video, former U.S. Ambassador to China, Jon Huntsman stated that his hope for China is to…
Full Article Chinese Blog Blotter – Taking China Down?SOUTH KOREA: Getting Back a Few Pages of Its History
According to Yonhap News Agency, a leading English-language news source, South Korea is celebrating the Japanese return of 1,200 ancient Korean texts that were taken during Japan’s colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula and kept by the Japanese Imperial Household Agency. Among the books is the “Uigwe,” a collection of…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: Getting Back a Few Pages of Its HistoryCHINA: Piling-on, Mainland Style
Ai Weiwei, probably China’s most famous anti-regime artist, has been facing to blast after blast from the establishment. The list of the most recent round of his critics almost reads like a Who’s-Who in the Mainland Media. They include Hu Xijin, editor of the state-run Global Times; Wang Wen, a…
Full Article CHINA: Piling-on, Mainland StyleJAPAN: Trying to Get Those Outsiders to Understand
Language can represent a daunting obstacle to traveling abroad. Kyodo News, Japan’s leading nonprofit news agency, aims to diminish this barrier through the introduction of Japan Portal. According to The Japan Times, the nation’s leading English-language publication, the trilingual website was created to both convey pertinent Japanese issues to foreigners…
Full Article JAPAN: Trying to Get Those Outsiders to UnderstandPACIFIC PERSPECTIVES: The Death of a Great American Professor: A Story of Scholars and Journalists
Scholars and journalists don’t always get along (right, call this Dept. of Understatement). But their need for each other is endless and often deep, even when each side bull-headedly refuses to admit it. Let’s put the matter this way: Journalists are generally scavenger birds of the moment, tweeting their view…
Full Article PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES: The Death of a Great American Professor: A Story of Scholars and JournalistsJAPAN: Okinawan Newspaper Puts It All on the Record
The relocation of the U.S. Futenma airbase in Okinawa continues to be a pressing issue in Japan’s political discourse. The government has been criticized for its sluggish pace and lack of definitive decisions…
Full Article JAPAN: Okinawan Newspaper Puts It All on the RecordSOUTH KOREA: Launch of 5 TV Channels to Shake Up Nation’s Media
On December 1st, five television channels will be launched simultaneously, beggining what some hail a new chapter in Korea’s media landscape. Four are general broadcasting networks; JoongAng Ilbo’s JTBC, Dong-A Ilbo’s Channel A, Chosun Ilbo’s TV Chosun and Maeil Business’ MBN. And the fifth is an all-news channel, Yonhap News Agency’s news Y.
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: Launch of 5 TV Channels to Shake Up Nation’s Media