Asia Media International podcast on Chinese Feminism Podcast Transcript: Cristina Pedler: Hello, and welcome to Asia Media International podcast. I’m your host, Cristina Pedler. Thank you for joining us. In today’s episode, we are going to dive into the world of #MeToo in China. I’ll discuss how internet censorship hasn’t…
Full Article PODCAST: ‘MADE IN CHINA’ FEMINISM
JAMES HANSON WRITES — How important is your surname to you? Mari Inoue and Kotaro Usui, a Tokyo couple, were denied a marriage certificate during the pandemic because Mari Inoue wanted to keep her legal surname. Article 750 of Japan’s Civil Code requires that married couples adopt the same surname. In…
Full Article JAPAN: WHAT’S IN A (SUR)NAME, SHAKESPEARE ASKED?
ALEX DASHWOOD WRITES — Students from China who have received degrees in higher education overseas—a phenomenon that was promoted as being a leg-up in the job market in China—are currently facing employment struggles in their home country. These graduates are known as “sea turtles,” and are “Chinese people who have…
Full Article CHINA: FEWER ‘SEA TURTLES’ ARE WASHING UP ON US SHORES FOR ACADEMIC CREDENTIALS
YOLANDA NOSAKHARE WRITES — Imagine your favorite “Star Wars” film mating with the “Wizard of Oz” in the year 2092- quite an interesting concept, right? Director Jo Sung-Hee seamlessly accomplishes this with his new sci-fi-thriller “Space Sweepers.” While the Korean film came out February 5th of this year, it is…
Full Article SOUTH KOREA: ‘SPACE SWEEPERS’ IS AN OUT-OF-THIS WORLD BLOCKBUSTER
HEATHER CREAMER WRITES — It’s a short 25-minute train ride from Central Station in Hong Kong to Quarry Bay, a tightly packed neighborhood on the Eastern side of Hong Kong. The number of commercial buildings in this district has increased exponentially over the past two decades, and more buildings go…
Full Article CULTURE: LIFE IN HONG KONG’s ‘MONSTER BUILDING’
AUDIE LAYARDA WRITES — In December 2020, word of forced labor, among other atrocities, in Xinjiang, China, surfaced. While forced labor in China isn’t new, the fact that the Xinjiang region supplies 20% of the world’s cotton pressured powerful figures to make statements. Amid allegations of torture and rape, the…
Full Article CHINA: NO REST FOR FORCED LABOR IN THE COTTON INDUSTRY
SKYLER GALLARZAN WRITES — Last week, I had sent a text to my grandma and grandpa: “Hi Mama and Papa, I am sure you have been seeing the attacks that have been happening to Asian Americans in the news lately, especially older citizens. I just wanted to let you know…
Full Article CORONAVIRUS CHRONICLES: PROTECT OUR GRANDPARENTS. STOP ASIAN HATE.
TOM PLATE WRITES — It is still true, even in this speed-freak era of AI and machine-learning, that international diplomacy needs governments to station quality representatives in foreign capitals, and for international organisations to listen and learn, soak up the ineffable atmosphere, and interact with real people, especially those with “issues”,…
Full Article US-CHINA RELATIONS: A GOOD-VERSUS-EVIL WORLD VIEW DOES NO ONE ANY GOOD
SKYLER GALLARZAN WRITES — On April 14, 2021, the United States Senate voted on a bill that would speed up the review of reported attacks related to COVID-19, establish new methods in reporting these incidents and keep citizens safe. The bill’s name? The COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act. A report conducted…
Full Article ASIAN AMERICANS: THE SENATE TAKES ACTION AGAINST HATE CRIMES
MELANIE MARGARYAN WRITES — Armenians have always rooted for their country and their people. Through several wars and devastating natural disasters, they have joined together with a passionate sense of national pride. This year, they have yet another reason to be proud. The Armenian national soccer team, currently in the…
Full Article SPORTS: ARMENIA HOPES TO MAKE HISTORY IN THE FIFA WORLD CUP
On 16 April 2021, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng spoke with Ken Teizo Moritsugu of the Associated Press (AP) at an exclusive interview. The following is a transcript of the interview: Ken Teizo Moritsugu: First of all, thank you very much for taking the time to be with me…
Full Article CHINA RESPONDS: AN UNFAIR WESTERN MEDIA, A POORLY INFORMED PUBLIC
ANDREW DAHI WRITES — Imagine quarantining in the middle of a civil war for an entire year. Never leaving your house or having outside human interaction. Your wife, who is healthier and a good 10 years younger, goes out for necessities, giving you no good reason to leave the house. Still,…
Full Article CORONAVIRUS CHRONICLES: SYRIA AT THE INTERSECTION OF COVID AND CIVIL WAR
JONAR COWAN WRITES — With bias regarding the origins of COVID-19 contributing to Asian hate crimes, the premiere of Disney’s animation Raya and the Last Dragon March 5 helps us forget all that for a brief second. ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ is revolutionary in its representation of a kind…
Full Article ASIAN CULTURE: DISNEY’S HEART BEATS HARD FOR MULTICULTURALISM IN ‘RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON’
SHAE KUROKAWA WRITES — The Tokyo Summer Olympics is quickly approaching, with less than 100 days before its expected commencement on July 23. But the world is starting to question whether the long-anticipated games will be able to proceed on schedule as COVID-19 cases are on the rise. Talk of…
Full Article JAPAN: WILL THE TOKYO SUMMER OLYMPICS SURVIVE THE PANDEMIC?
MANAGING EDITOR ZHI JIAO DANIELLE GOH WRITES — Dumping radioactive water into the ocean. Is this the making of a sequel to “Godzilla vs. Kong,” the surprise success film of the pandemic era? No. To everyone’s disappointment, this plot will be executed in reality. After 10 years of the Fukushima…
Full Article JAPAN: WILL THE FUKUSHIMA WATER DUMPING PLAN TRASH OUR OCEANS?
CRISTINA PEDLER WRITES – Sri Lanka is leading the way in banning palm oil imports and phasing out cultivation. In an unexpected turn of events, Sri Lanka has banned imports of palm oil and new palm plantations, and told producers to uproot existing plantations in a phased manner. An announcement…
Full Article SRI LANKA: THE WAR ON PALM OIL MAY SAVE THE WORLD