· April, 2013

Stories about Japan from April, 2013

Tokyo Joins NASA's App Challenge

  24 April 2013

Japan participated in NASA's International Space Apps Challenge 2013 with a hackathon in Tokyo on April 21 and 22, 2013. Eighteen project teams developed apps with the aim of improving life on Earth and in space, including an app to create dishes in a shape of celestial bodies [ja] such as...

China Says ‘No’ to Japan's Earthquake Aid Offer

  24 April 2013

The Chinese government has turned down Japan’s offer to help with relief efforts following an earthquake in China's southwest Sichuan province that left at least 193 people dead and more than 12,000 injured.

Japan's Next Election Campaign will be Tweeted, Emailed and Blogged

  23 April 2013

Japan has approved a bill that will allow political candidates to tweet and blog during their election campaigns. Up until recently Japanese electoral candidates had to cautiously navigate their Facebook pages, Twitter accounts and blogs to avoid breaking the country's strict election laws which banned all online political activity.

East Asia's Appetite for Eels Pushing Species to the Brink

  19 April 2013

During Japan's sweltering midsummer it's traditional to eat a plate of golden-brown broiled unagi kabayaki, or broiled eel. But the tradition is now at risk. Skyrocketing demand for glass eels, once considered a high-brow delicacy, is pushing Japanese fishermen to exhaust the population and causing prices to soar.

China's Anti-Japanese TV War Dramas Knocked for Vulgarity

  14 April 2013

The Chinese entertainment industry's incessant production of anti-Japanese TV dramas, under the scrutiny of netizens for a while now, has hit a nerve with China's state-controlled media after two photographs from a war drama showing a nude girl saluting a group of Chinese soldiers leaked online.

Earthquake Hits Awaji Island in Japan

  13 April 2013

A strong earthquake hit Awaji island of Japan on Saturday morning April 13, 2013. Twitter user JUN took this photo [ja] of the devastation. Seven people were severely injured, according to a report [ja].

Japan's First Non-Profit Radio Turns 10

  8 April 2013

The first non-profit community radio station to be licensed for broadcast in Japan made its debut a decade ago out of a small corner cafe in Kyoto city. Kyoto Sanjo Radio Cafe [ja], FM 79.7 on the dial, celebrated its 10-year anniversary on March 31, 2013. They aired a program to...

South and North Korea in ‘State of War’

  3 April 2013

North Korea has a long history of bellicose rhetoric and threats against South Korea and its allies. The North's latest aggression, however, has been as intense as ever and tensions in East Asia region have escalated dangerously fast over the past few weeks.