The iPad is one of the most recognizable pieces of consumer technology on the market today, changing the way people get information on a daily basis. But was Apple really the first company to develop such a device? Some Chinese say no. On February 17th, the Chinese Proview Technology Company…
Category: East Asia
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,…
NORTH KOREA: A Happier ‘Pen’ for Defected North Korean Writers
Twenty writers claim they are ready to use their “pens, which are mightier than swords, to lead the spread of democracy in North Korea,” reports the Chosun Ilbo, a widely circulated South Korean daily newspaper. These writers, once considered among the elite in North Korea before they defected and continued…
PACIFIC PERSPECTIVES: Keep the Bickering in Private When Nurturing a Serious Relationship
Don’t get me wrong. Abject kowtowing is no way to forge an honest and productive relationship with anyone, including the People’s Republic of China. We have differences with Beijing ― and Beijing with us. Covering them up or ignoring them will allow them to fester. Relatively minor issues can become…
CHINA BLOG BLOTTER: Beijing Puts On A Serious Face Against Foreign TV Series
On February 13, 2012, Mainland China’s State Administration of Radio, Film and Television (SARFT) announced an official restriction on imported TV series. So exactly how is this partial-ban going to work? Pretty exactly, it would seem! The SARFT have issued no less than seven detailed ordinances for television broadcasters. One,…
CHINA: Micro Blogs – Consumer’s Voice in the Free Market
From every indication, should present trends continue, some wags predict that China is destined to become little more than one big blog. Everyone knows the political impact of micro-blogs on mainland China. Now they appear to have become the Chinese people’s greatest weapon in fighting corporate injustice. Such blogs ensure…
SOUTH KOREA: No End to the Media Advertising Controversy
It took years of contentious debate, but the oft-fractious National Assembly passed the long disputed and controversial Media Representative Bill by a large majority. According to the Korea Herald, a leading English language daily, “The bill calls for designating a single advertising broker for public stations” in response to the…
CHINA BLOG BLOTTER: Netizens Parody Hong Kong’s Anti-Mainlander Ad
The mutual dislike between Hong Kong-ers and Chinese mainlanders is nothing new. Although Hong Kong is part of China, it runs as a special administrative region and a half autonomous economy. Unlike the motherland, Hong Kong has a historical advantage as an ex-British colony,…
TAIWAN: Cross-strait cooperation – Be careful how you use it?
Publishing representatives in Taiwan are encouraging bilateral exchanges between their island democracy and mainland China, as a means of increasing readership and producing quality Chinese-language publications. According to the Taipei Times, the head of Taiwan’s Planter Press Co., Lee Ho states that one measure would be reducing taxes on books…
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…
CHINA: Professor’s Suggested China Course Calls for Increased Understanding
It’s been said that people fear that which they do not understand. As China continues to grow in power and becomes increasingly important on a global scale, it is increasingly viewed as a “threat.” However, Hugo de Burgh, a professor of journalism and director of the China Media Center at…
NORTH KOREA: The Young Kim Shocks By Shirking Tradition
In Korean tradition, a soul is believed to stay in this world for 49 days before departing to another world, a period traditionally reserved for mourning. So when Kim Jong-un is caught smiling and being friendly in recent pictures taken within the 49 day period following his father’s death, many…
SOUTH KOREA: Director Locates the Future Hope of North Korea
South Korean director Jung Sung-san’s film, Ryanggang Children, portraying the lives of children in North Korea, is finally being released big-time. The director finished filming in 2006, but it would be nearly six years before the film found a distributor. According to The Chosun Ilbo, a widely circulated newspaper, Jung…
WE ASK/THEY ANSWER: ‘JOURNALISM IS A FABULOUS PROFESSION’ An Exclusive interview with Financial Times Asia Editor and Columnist David Pilling
“Journalism is about finding out things and then telling the audience what you have learnt – it doesn’t really matter whether it is about the human genome or the Chinese shadow banking system. Once you find out what is interesting about a subject, the rest is easy.” Asia Media discovered…
TAIWAN: Free At Last?
It seems that Taiwan’s journalists are not in agreement about how “free” their island democracy really is.In fact, there is a trend surfacing in Taiwanese newspapers with many articles implicitly asking the same question of its readership: Are we a democracy? Certain journalists argue that Taiwan is far too influenced…
JAPAN: Justice Minister Seeks Justice
The private lives of public figures are often the focus of media scrutiny and Japanese Justice Minister Toshio Ogawa is no exception. According to The Mainichi Daily News, Japan’s third leading daily, the Justice Minister “has filed a libel suit against major publishing house Shinchosa Publishing Co” over an article…