Ella Kelleher is a current senior at Loyola Marymount University, where she majors in English and specializes in multi-ethnic literature. During her college experience, she studied abroad in Japan and contributed to the exchanging of cultures. She has also volunteered at the Honorary Consulate of Kazakhstan in Los Angeles, where…
Full Article JAPAN: HISTORICAL PERCEPTION OF CHINA AND THE WAR
MATEO VALLES QUINTANA WRITES — No one can question her athletic achievements, but her actions off the court have brought her even more media attention. Naomi Osaka, the 22-year-old Black and Japanese athlete who quickly became one of the top tennis players in the world, has a remarkable WTA player…
Full Article JAPAN: NAOMI OSAKA, THE TENNIS SUPERSTAR WITH A HEART AS BIG AS HER SERVE
MALCOLM KAM WRITES — Japan’s criminal conviction rate of roughly 99.9% is nothing new, but many people seem to misinterpret this as a sign that the judicial system is doing a good job of keeping criminals off the streets. The truth is that Japan’s conviction rate is so high because…
Full Article JAPAN: WHERE YOU DON’T HAVE TO DO THE CRIME TO DO THE TIME
LILLY WEBBER WRITES – The long-awaited Japan 2020 Olympics is finally in full swing— or it would be if the COVID-19 pandemic hadn’t forced the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to postpone the event to 2021 (hopefully). The Olympics would have brought renowned athletes and thousands of tourists to the East…
Full Article UNDER OLYMPIAN PRESSURE: LGBT RIGHTS IN JAPAN
SARA SHARPE WRITES — Since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak, countries have been scrambling to create effective and realistic economic stimulus packages. China has promised a year-long fiscal stimulus package amounting to 3.6 trillion yuan ($500 billion USD) in an attempt to continue its strong rate of economic growth,…
Full Article CHINA: UNCERTAIN COMMITMENT TO COVID-19 STIMULUS PACKAGE
ZHI JIAO DANIELLE GOH WRITES – China began rolling out 5G (fifth generation wireless technology) services in 50 cities at the end of 2019, so people assumed that information could be spread rapidly and that people would be more connected. The current Coronavirus outbreak proves otherwise. Technology certainly has been…
Full Article CORONAVIRUS CHRONICLES: ‘AN ARMY PUFFED UP WITH PRIDE IS BOUND TO LOSE’
TALIN DEROHANESSIAN WRITES— Women in the Japanese workforce are required to wear high heels in the office, and they are finally speaking out about it. In some work environments, this is an unwritten rule; in others, it is written in the company handbook. The 2-3-inch heel requirement at work has long…
Full Article JAPAN’S #KuToo: WHY DON’T MEN HAVE TO WEAR HIGH HEELS IN THE OFFICE, TOO?
MICHELLE DOR WRITES– A 34-year- old man in Tokyo named Yusuke Taniguchi with something of a genius memory allegedly stole credit card information from 1,300 customers to enrich himself. While the total amount of loot didn’t actually make him rich, the amazing way that he did it has made him…
Full Article JAPAN: THE TOKYO MAN WHO TRIED TO CASH IN ON AN EXTRAORDINARY MEMORY
GUEST CONTRIBUTOR LEE HONG-KOO WRITES – Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to North Korea is cleverly timed. World leaders attending the Group of 20 (G-20) summit in Osaka, Japan, a week after the visit, will be eager to discover whether China will have a forward-looking stance on the North Korean…
Full Article KOREAN CONUNDRUM: IS IT TIME FOR XI JINPING TO UP HIS GAME?
TALAL BUKHAMSEEN WRITES– Naomi Osaka, the number one ranked tennis player by the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA), is the first Asian person to hold the top ranking in singles. The winner of three grand titles is presently facing a challenge off the court–her dilemma? Her nationality. As a dual-citizen, she…
Full Article JAPAN: Will Naomi Osaka Pick Japanese Citizenship or American?
CAMERON HENDERSON WRITES — The Japanese video game company “FromSoftware” released the much anticipated Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice March 22, 2019. This action-adventure video is for users of Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, which is in single-player, third-person format, calls for logic, creativity, and…
Full Article Japan: Sekiro – a new endeavor for the Dark Soul Series
CONOR FAIRTLOUGH WRITES– In Japan, the Yakuza (Japanese gangsters) has been popularized in movies and television shows. And why wouldn’t it be? The full body tattoo art, gang fights over territory, and iconic images of fingers being cut off for those who “fail” their Bosses. The hype is something that…
Full Article JAPAN: Decrease in Yakuza Numbers?
MINGYI LI WRITES– Last November, one of the auto industry’s most famous executives was arrested and sent to jail. Now, the CEO of Nissan and Mitsubishi, Carlos Ghosn, awaits his fate with his company. Will it bail out its savior, or remain ethical by letting him serve his full term?…
Full Article JAPAN: Nissan’s CEO Puts Company’s Future in Jeopardy
ROBERT BORN WRITES– Sunday, March 3, marked a national holiday in Japan called Hinamatsuri, otherwise known as Girls’ Day or Dolls’ Day. The holiday serves to hope for the health and happiness of young girls. Yet in reality, Japanese culture still shows a brazen unwillingness to support women in the…
Full Article JAPAN: On the Need for MANY More Women in Politics
TALAL BUKHAMSEEN WRITES — Every February, locals and tourists gather in Sapporo, Japan for a week of festivities celebrating the Sapporo Snow Festival. This year’s event, running from February 4th to the 11th, will mark the 70th anniversary of the festival. For its 70th Anniversary, the Snow Festival featured over 200…
Full Article Japan: When it Comes to Snow, It’s the Northern Regions That Are in the Spotlight!