· March, 2013

Stories about Japan from March, 2013

Japan's Prime Minister On Your Smartphone

  24 March 2013

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

  21 March 2013

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

  20 March 2013

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...

Anti-Whaling Activists Hit a Nerve in Japan

  16 March 2013

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

  15 March 2013

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

  8 March 2013

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?

  8 March 2013

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.