Latest posts by Chris Salzberg from May, 2007
Japan: Self-Defense Forces to be Deployed to Henoko, Local Blogger Issues a Plea
On the evening of May 9, Japanese broadcaster Nippon TV broke the news that the Japanese government is planning to send the Self-Defense Forces (SDF) to put down protests in Henoko Bay, Okinawa. Local protesters have responded in shock to this move. One local blogger describes the move as an attempt to legitimize the role of the SDF as a national military.
Japan: May Day march in Tokyo
On April 30th in Tokyo, a May Day march (“MayDay for Freedom and Lives”) with over 400 participants wound its way through central Tokyo. A report on the event has been posted at gyaku.
Japan: All talk and no action on conservation, environmental issues
Shari at My So-Called Japanese Life comments on “Lip Service Environmentalism” in Japan, namely, the tendency for “Japanese people [to] like to talk about how much they value nature”, while “on a personal level, [doing] little to nothing to change their lifestyle or habits to protect the environment.” Shari concludes:...
Japan: A new take on “Textbook Revision”
Matt Dioguardi at Japan in amber has posted a long and very detailed post noting a similarity between the ideas of right-wing groups pushing for “textbook revision” in Japan and leftists and libertarians in the United States on the topic of U.S. history and foreign policy. Matt takes as his...
Japan: Bloggers cry foul over plans for Henoko Bay
Okinawa, Japan's southernmost prefecture, consists of some 160 islands in an archipelago stretching from Kyuushuu to Taiwan. For many decades, Okinawa has borne the brunt of Japan's post-war military burden, having been seized and occupied by American forces immediately following the end of World War Two. The latest chapter in the ongoing tale of America's military presence in Okinawa involves a plan to construct a new military airport in Henoko Bay, a plan which has been opposed fiercely by local residents and environmentalist groups.
