In a nation where homosexuality is shunned, journalists rise up to defend the rights and dignity of gay, lesbian and transgender people against verbal and sometimes physical assault from invasive television media. Here’s the kicker: this nation is Pakistan. The country is known for having the highest Muslim population in…
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SINGAPORE: Abuse is Not Attractive
ASIA MEDIA WRITES – Julien Blanc and his company Real Social Dynamics (RSD), have been banned from entering Singapore. The cause? A petition started by a local on change.org. Blanc and his company RSD, based in California, promote the use of violence and threats to seduce women to have sex. As…
INDONESIA: And God Said…Let There Be a Chinese-Christian Governor!
MICHELLE VARINATA WRITES – Not a single person thinks that being Chinese and Christian in a homogeneously Muslim majority will make history in Indonesia’s political sphere. Basuki Tjahaja Purnarma, otherwise known as Ahok, is Jakarta’s first governor of Chinese descent. While Jokowi has already left his position as Governor of…
CHINA: All the Single Ladies
SHUTING LI WRITES – China’s most viewed dating show “Fei Cheng Wu Rao” (“If You Are The One”) is produced by Jiangsu Satellite Television to satisfy Chinese women’s desperate need for the perfect man. And it’s a huge hit. America’s most popular dating show, “The Bachelor” on ABC, has about 7.75…
HONG KONG: SQUEEZING THE JOURNALISTS
ASIA MEDIA INTERNATIONAL WRITES: As the compellingly dramatic protests in Hong Kong intensify, some reporters have been caught in the melee. But for Hong Kong’s journalists, there is more at stake than run-ins with the riot police. The following timely and incisive article on this issue appears courtesy of the…
YOUNG JAPAN: Looking Westward – The Kickstarter Phenomenon
JEREMIAH FAJARDO WRITES – From potato salad to Oscar nominated films, the popular crowd-funding site Kickstarter has been at the forefront of rethinking project funding. Surprisingly, some of the most successful campaigns have come from Japan’s risk-averse entertainment industry. The time for change has come and it’s in the hands…
LOS ANGELES: 2014 U.S.-China Summit & Gala Dinner
Join the Asia Society Southern California for an exciting evening to celebrate the U.S.-China Film Relationship. As in the past, the Gala Dinner will feature high-profile honorees and guests from China and the U.S. This year’s full-day conference will draw on the Film Summit’s roots in U.S.-China co-production.…
Congratulations to Indonesia
ASIA MEDIA STAFF WRITES – Congratulations are in order for Joko Widodo, the governor of the massive metropolis of Jakarta. After an arduous nationwide campaign against a tough, determined and extremely well-financed opponent, this personally modest but overly reformist former furniture salesman won by a margin of four-to-five percentage points. In…
LOS ANGELES: Celebrating Japanese Pop-Culture in Cosplay
YVONNE EPPS WRITES – Anime Expo, the biggest anime and manga convention in North America, was held in Los Angeles this July. The event celebrated the pillars of Japanese pop-culture through industry guests, panels, and premieres. But the main attraction was the thousands of attendees dressed as their favorite characters.…
HOW NOT TO MISUNDERSTAND ASIA: The Farewell Interviews by Editors Fajardo & Garcia
TOM PLATE WRITES – Before graduating with their degrees, Asia Media Magazine managing editors Jeremiah Fajardo and Stephanie Garcia spent time with Asia Media’s editor-in-chief for a final panoramic interview on Asia today. The interviews can be viewed below. Jeremiah’s Interview Stephanie’s Interview A collated version for classroom usage can…
Q&A with Miss Asia USA Contender Eriko Lee Katayama
MIA MARTIN WRITES – When I first met Eriko Lee Katayama last spring she was a classmate of mine in Professor Plate’s Introduction to Media and Politics of Asia. At the time, I was unaware of the details that make her a one-of-a-kind competitor for this year’s Miss Asia USA…
TOM PLATE WROTE the following for the lead newspaper of Dubai, United Arab Emirates — the Khaleej Times. It is one of the most influential daily newspapers of the Gulf States and Arabia. The following essay appeared in a special edition of that newspaper celebrating its 35th anniversary. “THIS…
MURAKAMI MAKING BOOK
Haruki Murakami was born in Japan during the post–World War II baby boom. Although born in Kyoto, he spent his youth in Shukugawa (Nishinomiya), Ashiya and Kobe. His father was the son of a Buddhist priest, and his mother the daughter of an Osaka merchant.[8] Both taught Japanese literature. Since…
FROM TOKYO: THE UNIVERSE IS FLUX
TOM PLATE WRITES — Thanks to the brilliant recent book “UNIVERSE IS FLUX,” by John Teramoto with Stephen Addiss and David Rosand, our art spotlight goes to the late Tawara Yusaku, whose Tawara’s artistic vision was highly influenced by Buddhist concepts of cosmology and space. As the book’s authors tell…
BY TOM PLATE — The term ‘noir’ is rather difficult define but instantaneously recognizable. In the American literary tradition, many of our greatest writers have been associated with the tradition of ‘noir’ (French for ‘black film’). They would include Raymond Chandler, Dashiell Hammett, James M. Cain, Ross Macdonald and Elmore…
‘YESTERDAY’S NEWS’
ASIA MEDIA seeks to spotlight outstanding talent from the Asia-Pacific region that speaks to the cutting edge of our contemporary political concerns and emotional needs as human inhabiting a troubled planet. This issue’s featured art comes from Australia. It is perhaps hard to believe, but this fabulous 46 x 61…