The famous Kaguraden adjacent to Izumo Taisha As I learned on my most recent trip, the pleasure of rural Japan is that you’ll never know who, or what, you’ll bump into next. I took a three-day trip to Izumo, home to Izumo Taisha, one of Japan’s most prominent Shinto shrines. Morning […]
One of United States President Donald Trump’s current international security objectives is the dismantling of North Korea’s nuclear stockpile. In a recent series of talks at the G20 in Hamburg, Trump expended much energy on this subject, and stressed heavily that Chinese pressure on Pyongyang would be necessary to accomplish nuclear disarmament. However, his […]
“China’s high speed rail technology is already far better than the Japanese Bullet Train, Shinkansen.” That was how, six years ago, Wang Yongping, head of the Chinese Railway Ministry’s advertising department, refuted allegations of intellectual piracy. In an interview with China’s state news agency Xinxua on July 7, 2011, he said that Chinese […]
From early morning, and under cloudy skies, on August 15th, the 72nd anniversary of the end of World War II, visitors continued to gather at the Yasukuni Shrine grounds in Kudankita, Tokyo. Ahead of the 6 am opening, more than 200 people had queued up in front of the shrine gates, which were embossed […]
The city buses in Seoul started carrying plastic replicas of the “comfort women” statues On August 15th, as part of the National Liberation Day ceremony commemorating the 72nd anniversary of the liberation of the Korean peninsula from Japanese control, President Moon Jae-in touched upon the issue of conscripted laborers, saying “the suffering continues of […]
Could Abenomics carry on without the man whom it is named after, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe? That is the question confronting investors as they observe the sudden slide in Abe’s poll ratings and the critical backlash from the now emboldened opposition. In the Japanese context, “opposition” does not refer to the minority parties […]
Preliminary figures released by the Cabinet Office on August 14 indicated that the seasonally-adjusted gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 1.0% after adjustment for inflation compared to the previous period. If this pace continues for a year, it will lead to an annual growth rate of 4.0%. Growth has continued […]
Japanese Media loves to cover the Kake Gakuen issue. But the question is whether this issue is illegal or not. The phrase “fake news” has been spread throughout the world by United States President Donald Trump. It reveals an aspect of today’s democratic societies quite well. Media have started telling us, “the government isn’t […]
It has been four decades at least since dozens of Japanese citizens were abducted by North Korean state agents in Japan, yet the problem has yet to be resolved, anything bold and significant yet to be done by the government to get them back home. What can—and should—be done, immediately? Kyoko Nakayama, […]
Roughly four months into United States President Donald Trump’s government, the issues and challenges that confront it, in both domestic policy and foreign affairs, have become apparent. On the domestic front, his attention-grabbing campaign pledges—such as limiting entry of Muslim immigrants into the country and building a wall along the Mexican border—have […]
Megumi(center) had happy time travelling to Hiroshima with her parents Shigeru and Sakie Yokota, and her little brothers Takuya and Tetsuya. Hello, Megumi. Summer has come in Japan. It is greener and greener by the day. Your favorite flowers are in bloom all over. Megumi, we remember you with such fondness! […]
For the past six months, the national assembly has focused on the Moritomo/Kake educational institution approval issue. It is, however a small matter in terms of the national agenda. So why does the media continue to sensationalize it? I believe there are two background points. The first point is that Prime Minister […]
