Nevin Thompson is the Japan Editor for Global Voices. He is a translator, writer, and journalist, and has been connected to Japan for more than twenty years.
Nevin currently lives and works on an island off the West Coast of Canada, and spends about three months each year with his family in Tsuruga, a small city on the Japan Sea Coast, just north of Kyoto.
Latest posts by Nevin Thompson
18 August 2017
Seventy-Two Years Later, Japan Remembers the End of a Devastating War
Prime Minister Abe's remarks on the anniversary of the end of World War II did not express Japan's guilt. The emperor's remarks expressed feelings of "deep remorse".
13 August 2017
On Anniversary of Nagasaki Bombing, Japanese Government Criticized For Refusing to Sign Ban on Nuclear Weapons
“Whose country are you leader of anyway?” — a representative of survivors of the 1945 bombing lashes out at Prime Minister Abe Shinzo
6 August 2017
Japanese Politician Pressures School Principal About the Use of History Textbook that Explains the ‘Comfort Women’ Issue
‘Why was this textbook selected?’ trended on Twitter after a Japanese politician questioned the selection of a school textbook referencing the ‘comfort women’ issue.
3 August 2017
Japan Reacts With Alarm to Venomous Fire Ant Invasion
Fire ants have never been observed in Japan before.
30 July 2017
A Request to ‘Imagine the World Differently’ One Year After Mass Murder at Japanese Care Home
The video features how residents in a care home for people with intellectual disabilities responded to the largest mass murder in Japan after World War II.
20 July 2017
A Look Back at Japan's Transformative ‘Showa Era’
One Twitter account combs encyclopedias, photo magazines, guidebooks and other sources for nostalgic images from Japan's postwar recovery.
14 July 2017
The Unusual, Sometimes Mysterious Bookmarks Found in Used Books in Japan
"This handmade bookmark in my second-hand book is so cool."
12 July 2017
Japan Celebrates Day Devoted to Sticky, Aromatic Cultured Soy Beans
On Monday, July 10, Japan feted its favorite food made from cultured soy beans: natto.
7 July 2017
In Effort to Stop Anti-Korean Hate Speech, Osaka Mayor Wants to Loosen Internet Privacy Laws
For more than a decade, Osaka and other communities with large populations of ethnic Korean residents have struggled to deal with far-right organizations that target ethnic Koreans and other minorities.
Early Typhoon Brings Torrential Rains and Deadly Flooding to Japan
"It's become apparent there has been massive destruction."
1 July 2017
In Japan, Paraplegic Man Resorts to Crawling Up Stairs After Being Refused Help Boarding Plane
"Why is Japan's implementation of "barrier free" so excessively luxurious?"
29 June 2017
Beatles Memorial Day Marks the Anniversary of the Iconic Band’s First Visit to Japan
The 1966 visit by the Beatles to Japan is regarded as a turning point in Japanese postwar culture.
23 June 2017
June and July Mark the Anniversary of the Wartime Destruction of Japan's Cities
Bombing raids systematically targeted Japan's cities for complete and utter destruction in June and July 1945.
22 June 2017
Thousands of Japanese Woodblock Prints Just Became Available Online
The Library of Congress prints collection depicts a vast number of subjects including actors, women, landscapes, scenes from Japanese literature, daily life in Japan, and views of Westerners in Japan.
17 June 2017
Japan's Controversial Anticonspiracy Bill Becomes Law
"It's possible that the law, which is intended to deal with organized crime groups, will expand to affect ordinary citizens."
16 June 2017
Japanese Traditional Sweets Day Means Twitter Is Full of Mouth-Watering Photos of ‘Wagashi’
Did you know Japan has observed "traditional sweets day" on June 16 for more than a thousand years?
10 June 2017
Locals Rejoice as Restart Planned for Nuclear Power Plant
The reactor restarts are welcome news to isolated host communities. However, residents of one of Japan's most densely populated regions are fearful about the potential for another massive nuclear accident.
3 June 2017
A Hashtag in Support of Victims Takes Off on Japanese Twitter After a High-Profile Journalist Is Accused of Sexual Assault
In Japan, as in other countries, many sexual assaults go unreported, but one victim has decided to go public in the hope of getting justice.
31 May 2017
The Myth of the ‘Nice Canadian’
Is Canadians' reputation for niceness preventing Canada from really achieving true greatness as a country?
27 May 2017
On the 45th Anniversary of Okinawa's Return to Japan, People Protest US Presence
It's been 45 years since the United States returned Okinawa to Japan. But American bases still dominate the landscape, and the politics of the prefecture.
