Stories about East Asia from April, 2009
China: Brutal film on brutal history
Lu Chuan‘s retelling of the Nanking Massacre, City of Life and Death, is in theaters now; according to the people at China Film Journal, “it's a hard, brutal film to watch.” Bullogger blogger Garbled Text won't be [zh] going to see it, lacking trust in Lu following mistreatment of animals...
Japan: The Trouble with ‘Free’ Money
As part of an economic stimulus package, the Japanese government is spending two trillion JPY for cash handouts to boost consumer spending. To put it simply, all Japanese citizens and those registered as residents will receive 12,000 JPY, or 20,000 JPY for those under 18 or over 65, once they've lodged their application forms.
Japan: Tunisians in Japan
Blogger kuskusu, whose husband is Tunisian, makes some observations about the Tunisian people living in Japan. Dividing them into two categories, she observes that, since 9/11, immigration laws in Japan have become more severe and illegal Tunisian residents are very few nowadays. While many of them come to Japan as...
Global Health: Swine Flu Threat Spreads Worldwide
Confirmed or suspected cases of swine flu, which was detected in Mexico earlier this month, have now been found in at least seven other countries around the world. The World Health Organization says that this outbreak constitutes a "public health emergency of international concern."
Diarrhea deaths in Myanmar
The Irrawaddy reports that there is a diarrhea outbreak in Rangoon City in Myanmar.
Brunei: Child-safety laws
Rogue Economist from Brunei notes that laws on child-seat and safety belts are not properly observed and implemented.
Brunei: Islamic Banking
Rogue Economist from Brunei sees no difference between Islamic Banks and conventional banks in terms of their operations.
Thailand: Anti-censorship Site Got Blocked
The website of anti-censorship movement in Thailand, Freedom Against Censorship Thailand (FACT), got blocked by several University connections and ISPs on 25 of April. At the time of writing, it has still been blocked. The first report came from Thai Netizen mailing list. Blogger Arthit Suriyawongkul wrote in his blog...
Japan: The “anime” business
Hiromichi Yasuda (増田弘道), production director of the anime production company Simple d'essai [ja] and author of Anime Bijinesu ga Wakaru (アニメビジネスがわかる, lit. Understanding the Anime Business), constantly updates his blog [ja] with news and reviews of books about the anime business world in Japan.
China: Labour net launched
A news website, China Labour net has been launched. According to the launching statement: the aim of this website is to facilitate sharing of information, experiences and opinion of the labour movement between China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and the rest of the world. We will regularly upload articles on the...
Japan: 50 Japanese Twitter Bots to Follow
From the weather in Tokyo to updates on what manga was published that day, Ascii.jp has posted a list of 50 Japanese Twitter bots to follow.
Taiwan: “Luc Besson, you find the wrong guy”
TEIC(Taiwan Environmental Information Center) criticize French director Luc Besson‘s decision to invite Hau Lung-pin, the Mayor of Taipei City, to dub his latest documentary film about environment while Hau is actually a tree killer and nature destroyer(zh).
Cambodia: Doubts over the Khmer Rouge Tribunal
The Khmer Rouge Tribunal is now weeks into its first trial with the prosecution of Duch for crimes against humanity and war crimes. But as the trial continues, many wonder how effective the Tribunal will be in achieving national reconciliation in Cambodia.
Korea: Things that might surprise you in North America
A netizen shows an interesting post about 22 things that surprise you while you travel America. It is fun to see how things are natural in a place could be observed as interesting by others. 1. 하이웨이 차선 위 사진의 차선의 힌선과 흰선이 연결되는 중간을 자세히 보시면(빨강...
Japan: Petition for Tsuyoshi Kusanagi
Blogger akinori-i is asking people to sign an online petition that calls for tolerance from the media and the government for SMAP member Tsuyoshi Kusanagi, following his arrest for drunken nudity.
China: Plurk is blocked
Erick Schonfeld from Techcrunch reported that plurk has been blocked in China. The question followed is will twitter be the next in the ban list?
Taiwan: Fights in the Legislature
Taiwan's Legislative Yuan was once again in the spotlight as another fight broke out between politicians from opposing parties. Letters from Taiwan looks at reasons why Taiwanese politicians resort to fighting.
Japan: Green deal
Martin J Frid blogs about Japan environment minister's plan of a “green deal” to to boost the economy and the environment.
Japan: Place to visit in Tokyo
Mari Kanazawa recommends a number of touristic sites to visit in Tokyo.
China: Imagined hotel room stories
Fauna from ChinaSMACK translated a Neteast story on a set of artwork titled as “Those things that happen in hotel rooms”.
China: A practical handbook for beating street vendors
The book, The Practice of City Administrator Law Enforcement, shows how brutal the practice of Chengguan. Joel Martinsen from DANWEI has translated the Southern Metropolis Daily report on the Handbook.
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