JEREMIAH FAJARDO WRITES – Aided by a veil of secrecy, Haruki Murakami’s latest novel has infused new life into Japan’s declining publishing industry. Born in 1949, Murakami has been a key figure in the nation’s modern literary sphere, having won numerous awards in Japan as well as abroad. According to…
Full Article JAPAN: Marketing Magic of MurakamiJEREMIAH FAJARDO WRITES – Seventeen cases of bile duct cancer later, Sanyo-CYP Co., an Osaka printing company, has finally come under the stern scrutiny of the city’s Labor Bureau. According to The Mainichi Daily, one of Japan’s prominent dailies, Sanyo-CYP’s headquarters and No. 2 factory were raided recently. The affected…
Full Article JAPAN: Osaka Printing Company Raided by Labor Bureau
Pursuing avenues for economic revitalization has been an integral part of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s agenda since he took office. Amongst the most contested options has been Japan’s recent decision to commit to negotiations for a Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP). The Asahi Shimbun, one of Japan’s more liberal dailies, argued that…
Full Article JAPAN: The New PM Steps Boldly Into the Trade MorassTokyo’s effort to host the 2020 Summer Olympics has finally hit its stride. According to The Daily Yomiuri, one of Japan’s leading newspapers, popular support for the capital bid hit 83% in a February survey. That’s up 11% from January, and the poll found an equally encouraging decline in people…
Full Article JAPAN: Support, Hopes Grow for 2020 Olympic BidIn the wake of North Korea’s nuclear test, national security issues have become an even greater priority for Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, who is in the early stages of his second run as Prime Minister. However, his responses to the DPRK are already under fire, especially from liberal circles,…
Full Article JAPAN: Is This the Best PM Abe Can Do?After years of restrictions, the use of the Internet will likely be liberalized for use in election campaigns. According to the Daily Yomiuri, one of Japan’s leading dailies, the nation’s major political parties have jointly agreed to allow the use of services, like Twitter, during future campaigns. Drafted by the…
Full Article JAPAN: Japanese Politics Welcomes Modernity …. a Little, Bit, AnywayBoth the passage of time and the ushering in of new leaders have proven to be fruitless in the alleviation of the tension felt in East Asia. It may be well into the new year, but the ties between Japan and China continue to exhibit signs of deterioration thanks to…
Full Article JAPAN: New Year, New Government, Same IssuesThe monumental election in Japan’s House of Representatives is quickly approaching, bringing with it a slew of reports and articles on everything Japanese – from policy to political strategy. Set for December 16th, the election has the potential to change the political landscape of the nation. With issues such as…
Full Article JAPAN: Issues the Big Election Never Really DiscussedThe 2012 U.S. Presidential Election garnered countless reactions from across the globe, and Japan was no different. The island nation, according to Mainichi Daily, has welcomed Barack Obama’s victory over Mitt Romney. The reelection comes at a crucial time for US-Japan relations, considering China’s recent push to increase authority in…
Full Article JAPAN: Banzai! Here’s to Four More Years and Closer Ties!The ongoing disagreement over the Senkaku, or Diaoyu, islands is nothing new to those who follow current events in East Asia, even as both China and Japan have made stumbling efforts at negotiation. the first of which took place on September 25. Despite the storm, the truth is that the…
Full Article JAPAN: Are These Stupid Islands Worth the Trouble?Ever since March of last year, media finger-pointing over the Fukushima nuclear-power plant disaster has been relentless and endless. But behind the scenes, a special panel was working hard to try to sort the mess out fairly and authoritatively. Now that panel’s draft report has surfaced, and its main conclusion is…
Full Article JAPAN: Fukushima Prime Suspect? The Former Prime Minister!Energy production has been a pressing issue for Japanese politicians and journalists lately, especially as the summer heat approaches. Concerns over possible obligatory blackouts have fueled debates regarding the future of the nation’s nuclear facilities. In light of these ongoing discussions, The Mainichi, Japan’s third leading daily, obtained documents earlier…
Full Article JAPAN: Mainichi Uncovers Clandestine Nuclear Power MeetingsA powerful mayor and a powerful media mogul are at each other’s throats. On March 18th, Toru Hashimoto, mayor of Osaka, labeled Tsuneo Watanabe, chairman of the giant Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper group, a “despot.” This remark came in response to the influential chairman’s description of Hashimoto’s mayoral term in the…
Full Article JAPAN: Trading Punches Via Media, Old and NewFollowing the pair of natural disasters and resulting nuclear disaster that ravaged Japan last year, the nation is still making efforts to rebuild the affected areas. On March 9th, Yoshihiko Noda, the Prime Minister of Japan, appeared in an ad on the Washington Post’s online edition, vowing to continue…
Full Article JAPAN: A Grateful Prime Minister Takes Out Some AdsAccording to the Japanese government, seventeen Japanese citizens were abducted and taken to North Korea during the 1970s and 1980s. Among those who are reportedly held by the communist nation is Keiko Arimoto. In 2009, TV Asahi, a Japanese television network, featured a debate program during which journalist Soichiro Tahara…
Full Article JAPAN: Free Speech VS. Political Correctness in Journalist’s CommentsEarlier this month the Straits Times, Singapore’s most widely read newspaper, held its third “Sunday Times’ Parents Forum” where speakers encouraged the parental usage of English-language media in the education of their children…
Full Article SINGAPORE: Forum Held to Promote Usage of Media for Teaching English