Stories about Japan from November, 2010
The Cold War Origin of Asia's Troubled Waters
Andy Yee reviews the Cold War history and the role of the U.S in the Northeast Asia territorial conflicts in Asia Sentinel.
Japan: Vintage political posters
Pinktentacle published a rare selection of Japanese vintage political posters realized after the war.
Japan: Young voices against job-hunting system
Students who are obsessed with job hunting [en] and cannot find a job, young workers who had to give up on the job of their dreams because their hunt wasn't successful, graduate students who had to enroll in a master's to have a chance to be hired by companies who...
Japan: Kids perform traditional Kabuki drama
Photojournalist Buddhika Weerasinghe published on his blog a series of photos of kids performing Kabuki, a traditional Japanese form of theater. On occasion of the 10th anniversary of Maruoka Kid Kabuki, a group of elementary and junior school students performed Chushingura, the legendary 18th century tale of 47 ronin (or...
China: Sanyo workers in Shenzhen stage strike
China Labour Bulletin reports that more than a thousand workers at Sanyo Huaqiang Laser Electronics in Shenzhen’s Longhua district staged a one day strike last week over working conditions and a planned merger with a factory in another district in downtown Shenzhen.
Japan: In memory of a courageous prosecutor
Journalist and yakuza expert Jake Adelstein pays his last respects [en] to Toshiro Igari [ja], a prosecutor who was found dead in Manila (Philippines) in August. Igari-san was the author of many books [ja] on the organized crime and in the last months he was investigating the collusion of the...
Japan: Inspired by Tokyo's Yamanote Line
An introduction to personal photography projects that were inspired by Tokyo's Yamanote train line.
Japan: On the two new art festivals
Realtokyo editor-in-chief Tetsuya Ozaki offers his view on the two international art festivals that launched in Japan this year.
Japan: “Investigations in Suburban Tokyo”
Chris Berthelsen from a-small-lab posted his slides for a workshop titled “Transforming Neighbourhoods – Tokyo/Berlin“, where he investigates the city of Tokyo for hints of “usable cities”.
Japan: “100 English Dreams” by Christiana Aretta
100 English Dreams is a visual storytelling project by Christiana Aretta in support of the JET program, in which she asked her Japanese elementary school students, “Do you think you will use English in the future and why?”.
Japan: I now pronounce you friend and friend
For those who take note of social categories a new one has been created: that of ‘marriage mates’. The tomo-fuhfu (where literally tomo means ‘mates or friends’ and fuhfu ‘married couple’) is the new term coined by writer Megumi Ushikubo to indicate those couples who have grown apart from each...
Japan: Tezuka fire safety posters
Pinktentacle presents a series of fire safety posters featuring famous manga artist Ozamu Tezuka‘s characters. The series dates back to 1979.
Japan: Snow crab season
Buddhika Weerasinghe published photos of the Snow Crab – or Echizen crab – season that just kicked off in Fukui Prefecture (about 300 km north of Tokyo).
Japan: Leaked video of collision with Chinese boat
What is believed to be the authentic footage of the collision between the Japanese patrol ship and a Chinese fishing boat has been leaked and uploaded onto Youtube [video, ja]. Several videos taken by the Japanese Coast Guard off the disputed Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands were made public showing what happened at...
Japan: Superficial media and misinformation
An anonymous blogger at NewzJapan.com harshly criticizes CNN's coverage of Japan. In the post titled Halloween in Japan and CNN’s Lack of Research [en] the blogger says to “be surprised and appalled” by the superficiality with which some of their articles treat the Japanese culture and customs.
Africa: Cinema Africa 2010 in Tokyo, Japan
Cinema Africa 2010 in Tokyo, Japan: “The Cinema Africa festival is here again! It will run from 13th to 25th November, co-sponsored by the National Film Center of the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, and in association with the Embassy of the Republic of South Africa.”
Korea:Japanese Pop Star's Asian Slanted-Eye Photo Controversy
Two members of Morning Musume, Japanese pop group made headlines in several Korean newspapers with photos of them slanting their eyes (photos from Korean blog),the same posture that got Miley Cyrus under fire for taunting people of Asian descent. In the original link(removed), one member wrote below the photo ‘this...
China: Relation with Japan and the U.S
China Matters comments on the lowering of temperature between China with Japan and the U.S. at the at the Hanoi ASEAN gathering.
About our Japan coverage
Nevin Thompson is our Japan editor. Email him story ideas or volunteer to write.
