Stories about East Asia from March, 2010
Japan: The Strange Country
Kenichi realized an “info-graphic, motion piece” (which is his final thesis) with the aim of making Japanese people think about their country, that, the Japanese videomaker says, “isn't that normal”. Unfortunately, the English version is no longer available.
Singapore: TwestivalSG 2010
Hundreds of people participated in this year's Twestival Singapore to raise funds for the education of millions of out-of-school children around the world.
Philippines: Online and Offline Student Protests for Education
This past week's student protests in the Philippines demanding greater government budget for education and the prevention of tuition and other fee increases for the coming school year also has an online component in the form of the March 29 Blog Action Day for Education. Participating blogs write about the...
Laos and the drying of Mekong River
Gretchen Kunze writes how the drying up of the Mekong River is affecting Laos, the only landlocked-country in Southeast Asia
Indonesia: Sony vs Sony
Sony Arianto Kurniawan from Indonesia has a personal website which displeased Sony Corporation because the latter claims it has legal ownership over the trademark Sony. Sony the corporation initially charged Sony the person in the court but dropped the charges later.
Indonesia: Anti-smoking Fatwa
An Islamic organization in Indonesia has issued a fatwa (edict) which named smoking cigarettes as haram or forbidden.
Indonesia: Anti-Porn Law
Province officials of Bali and Papua in Indonesia are planning not to implement the recently passed Anti-Pornography Law by claiming that the law would “stifle traditional Balinese and Papuan culture.”
South Korea: Gender issues
The Grand Narratives has a nice roundup post on various current gender issues in South Korea.
Taiwan: Relations with the Pacific Islands and Australia
Michael Turton looks at Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou's recent visit to the Pacific. He analyses how Australia and Taiwan's involvement in the Solomon Islands has been used for political purposes by both countries.
China and Hong Kong: Post 80's Generation
K.E. David from ChinaGeek translated an article written by Yang Hengjun on his encounter with post 80's generation in a talk on democracy. The discussion makes him realize the connection between democracy and young people's future.
China: Google.cn search blocked
Several twitterers, including @williamlong @geekinmedia @aHexie @terryxxy and @mranti, confirmed the blocking of google.cn's search in major cities, such as Beijing and Shenzhen in China. According to @mranti: Google search is blocked in Beijing. Any search will trigger reset.
China: Kidney Stone Babies’ father on trial
Today, Zhao Lianhai, the founder of “kidney stone babies” whose 4-year old son was poisoned by Sanlu melamine tainted milk in 2008 was put on trial today under the criminal charge of “provoking an incident”. The trial ended at 2:30pm, Zhao pleaded not guilty but the verdict has yet to...
China’s Top IT Enterprenuers Call For Internet Special Zone
CTD translated a local news about top IT enterprenuers’ call for the setting up of Internet Special Zone free from censorship in Shenzhen.
China: The potential of Microblogging
Toadi from interlocals.net has translated a Beijing News’ interview with Hu Yong on the potential of micro-bogging in China.
Japan Government: On the Fall of the Employment System
A think tank for Japan's Cabinet, the Economic and Social Research Institute (内閣府 経済社会総合研究所) (ESRI) published a study that quantified the present status of lifetime employment and seniority-based wage (i.e. the Japanese employment system). They used the data (1989-2008) from Basic Survey on Wage Structure (賃金構造基本統計調査) (BSWS) of the Ministry of...
University of the Philippines Controversies
The U.P. ISSUES, an alternative weblog that looks at the “view from the other side that never sees print in UP's official website,” posts commentaries, statements, and news reports on the controversial issues hounding the University of the Philippines, the country's premier state university.
Teaching in the University of the Philippines
John Ryan Recabar of Going Against the Current blogs about his job as an instructor at the University of the Philippines.
Japan: Long life to bluefin tuna. The experts’ word.
With 68 countries voting against, CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species that regulates the international trade of wild animals and plants, rejected a ban on Atlantic bluefin tuna, that was slated for listing on Appendix One, i.e. a complete ban.
Japan: Cherry Blossom Viewing 101
Legonjapan made a video [en, ja] to explain the abc of Hanami, or flower viewing. The animation teaches the related terms and the etiquette to follow during the parties, usually held under the pink flowers in full bloom (around the end of March or the beginning of April).
Japan: A whale of a controversy
Only a few days after The Cove was awarded the Oscar as best documentary, drawing public and media attention around the world to the hunting of cetaceans issue, anti-whaling group Sea Shepherd’s leader Peter Bethune was arrested in Tokyo, re-igniting the controversy between Japan and Australia-New Zealand.
The Virtual Choir: Technology, Collaboration and Music
Composer Eric Whitacre , after seeing a Youtube video of a young soprano singing his song "Sleep" wondered: What if he could get people, regardless of where they were in the world, to record themselves signing all the other parts of his a capella choir piece? So he did, and following, you will be able to see the various results of this great experiment of online collaboration with the Virtual Choir.
About our East Asia coverage
Oiwan Lam is the North East Asia editor. Email her story ideas or volunteer to write.
Nevin Thompson is the Japan editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
