Stories about Japan from March, 2013
VIDEO: Student Film on Japan's Ruthless Job Hunt Goes Viral
Recruitment Rhapsody, an emotional short animated film that captures the rigid and obstacle-ridden job hunt process Japanese students must endure has gone viral with more than 350,000 views.
Japan's Prime Minister On Your Smartphone
The Japanese prime minister’s office revealed apps that give smartphone users easy access to official announcements and photos from official events. Masaru Ikeda at StartupDating writes: for the younger generation who don’t subscribe to physical newspapers or watch TV news shows, it could be a good touch point for them to stay up to speed...
VIDEO: Tokyo Gives Harlem Shake a Whirl
Popular Internet video meme the Harlem Shake [en] has hit Tokyo. A verison organized by a Latino under the pseudonym Saw was filmed on March 17, 2013 in Shibuya, the heart of Japan's youth culture, and the video was uploaded on YouTube a few days later. Portal Mie [pt], an online portal that serves Portuguese-speaking foreigners in Japan, has...
Japan's ‘Sex Slaves’ Phantom Fuels Petition
The GoPetition site published Do not select Tokyo to host the 2020 Summer Olympics petition which has been introduced to many local sites. It accuses the current Japanese administration of denying the truth that more than 200,000 women and girls were indeed forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Army during...
Tokyo Smog Stokes Fears of China's Spreading Pollution
Alarm is growing in Japan that neighboring China's jaw-dropping levels of air pollution may be wafting over the island nation.
Anti-Whaling Activists Hit a Nerve in Japan
Online commentary surrounding a collision between a Japanese harpoon ship and two vessels from the marine conservation group Sea Shepherd last month has offered a glimpse into the Japanese public's nuanced perspective on whaling.
Japan's Jaded Public Pushes for Nuclear Truth Post-Fukushima
Two years after the powerful earthquake and resulting tsunami off the northeastern coast of Japan triggered a meltdown at the Fukushima nuclear power plant in what became the largest nuclear disaster since Chernobyl, the Japanese people are becoming increasingly frustrated with the government's reluctance to come clean on the risks associated with nuclear power.
French Magazine's 50 People Shaping Japan
Interest for Japan is at its peak among readers in France [fr] despite the Asian nation's gloomy economic outlook. Therefore, French Magazine ZoomJapan [fr] has featured 50 Japanese people that are transforming the archipelago; from architect Kyohei Sakaguchi―who established what he calls “independent government”―, to dancers, activists, business entrepreneurs, and journalists. The compilation...
Japan: Where Does My Money Go?
A group of coders and concerned citizens have launched a Where Does My Money Go? [ja] website to explore tax spending in the city of Yokohama. With cooperation from the city, volunteers participated in a hackathon to brainstorm how to creatively showcase the city's tax spending.
Viral Japanese Animated Video Leaves Internet Misty-Eyed
A short animated video created by popular Japanese comedian Tekken, better known for cracking jokes in black-and-white makeup than producing stop-motion tearjerkers, still has the Web talking a year after it was first went viral.
