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…
Tag: Japan
JAPAN: Will Naomi Osaka Pick Japanese Citizenship or American?
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…
Japan: Sekiro – a new endeavor for the Dark Soul Series
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…
JAPAN: Decrease in Yakuza Numbers?
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…
JAPAN: Nissan’s CEO Puts Company’s Future in Jeopardy
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?…
JAPAN: On the Need for MANY More Women in Politics
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…
Japan: When it Comes to Snow, It’s the Northern Regions That Are in the Spotlight!
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…
JAPAN: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s Visit to China – A Foreshadowing of the Future
KAISARA WALTON WRITES — Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s visit to China some six weeks ago certainly set a positive tone internationally. At the same time, though, it marked China’s continual growth on the world stage. That’s good for Japan, and China, perhaps. But shouldn’t the United States be concerned?…
JAPAN: Robots Set to Take Over the World
NADIA ALJOJO WRITES – According to the Pew Research Center, more than 70% of Americans worry about the future of robotics. Based on the results of this survey, few will be enthusiastic to hear that robots are officially one step closer to taking over the world. Case in point: By…
JAPAN: YUZURU HANYU, ICING HIS PLACE IN THE PANTHEON OF SKATING LEGENDS
DYLAN RAMOS WRITES – Looks like all those prayers and shrine visits fans made for Yuzuru Hanyu’s victory sure paid off. Oh, and more than a bit of practice, I’m sure. As for what happened on February 17, Jack Gallagher might have already put it best for The Japan Times,…
EAST ASIA: OIL SPILL IN EAST SEA– A QUIET DISASTER
DYLAN RAMOS WRITES – In early January, a tanker carrying 32 people and nearly a million barrels of condensate — an ultra-light, highly flammable oil — was struck by a Chinese bulk freighter east of Shanghai. The freighter, Sanchi, caught fire and burned for nearly a week as it floated…
JAPAN: Japan’s Nishikori Returning to ATP… the Smart Way
JACQUELINE DILANCHYAN WRITES – Japan’s Kei Nishikori made a highly anticipated return to professional tennis this January, but it wasn’t the expected Australian Open, this season’s first Grand Slam, where he made his awaited comeback. Instead, Nishikori made his comeback at the ATP Challenger Tour Event in Newport Beach, which…
JAPAN: IVANKA TRUMP AND SHINZO ABE AND THE LAND OF THE RISING BALONEY!
AASHNA MALPANI WRITES – Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, invited Ivanka Trump to speak about female empowerment at the World Assembly for Women in Tokyo recently. Ivanka Trump, daughter of current U.S. President Donald Trump– a man infamous for repeated offenses and disrespectful comments against women – spoke about the…
JAPAN: OH BABY! YOU REALLY HAVEN’T COME SUCH A LONG WAY
TOKYO (excerpted, courtesy of the Washington Post) — Yuka Ogata wanted to make a point about the challenges working women face in Japan. The men on the Kumamoto Municipal Assembly proved her point for her — entirely inadvertently. The 42-year-old assembly member, on her first day back at work after…
JAPAN: SCARY HALLOWEEN TRAINS BACK ON TRACK
KATRINA CROSBY WRITES – On one side of you, there is a zombie, and on the other– a futuristic robot. All at once, a sexy cop smiles from across the aisle while she slips back into conversation with Sailor Moon. Where is this? None other than one of Japan’s infamous…
JAPAN: MEDIA TO BLAME FOR MASS SHOOTINGS? JAPAN SAYS NO!
CJ STONE WRITES – In the aftermath of the Las Vegas mass shooting that left more than 50 people dea, a debate is underway over why such acts continue to occur. In the process, “the media” is being singled out by some for, if not causing the problem, at least…