On March 17, it was officially decided that some of the baseball and softball games during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics would be held at Fukushima Azuma Baseball Stadium. The 2020 Olympics will mark the beginning of the 10th year since the Tohoku earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear power plant disaster of early 2011, […]
In early June, author Naoki Hyakuta, 61, was scheduled to speak at Hitotsubashi University during the two-day “Kodaira Festival.” University officials, however, cancelled his lecture, citing the lobby of some students and other lecturers who, they said, considered Hyakuta’s remarks had been “discriminatory toward certain ethnic groups.” Mr. Hyakuta addresses the students who […]
It happened in the lush woodland area of Khimki, near Moscow, late at night in July 2012. Someone set the heavy equipment on fire in the construction site for a new highway leading from Moscow to St. Petersburg, the second capital of Russia. Activists who were against deforestation fiercely protested against developers and […]
Every year, a number of Japanese students graduate from Stanford University in California, where Daniel Okimoto, 74, teaches political science. They all go back home as soon as they earn a degree, he notes. On the contrary, students from China, Taiwan, Korea, and Singapore usually stay to work at companies in Silicon Valley, home […]
JAPAN Forward reaches out in unfiltered English to let its writers inform a wider audience of the current issues and debates in Japan that are influencing its national direction. By doing so, it is hoped that the content in English will help correct misinformation and further the understanding of Japan in the non-Japanese-speaking world. […]
GENEVA, Switzerland—On the morning of June 12 here (late night Japan time), United Nations special rapporteur on freedom of expression David Kaye presented a report to the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) on conditions in Japan. Kaye was “especially concerned” by three points: “direct and indirect pressure that officials can exert over the […]
The abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korean agents decades ago is a national tragedy. It is designated by the Abe administration as the “Most Important Issue,” yet it remains unresolved. This is because North Korea is the subject of international criticism and pressure for an issue other than the abductions: its continued […]
A lecture by author Naoki Hyakuta, scheduled for June 10 at the Hitotsubashi University, has been cancelled due to pressure from various groups opposed to his political views. Some experts criticized the move, saying “freedom of speech and university autonomy has been lost.” The lecture was part of the two-day “Kodaira Festival” organized by […]
Rights advocates roundly condemned in a recent symposium the violations being committed by China in Baluchistan, the biggest of the four provinces of Pakistan. Speakers revealed the forced evictions, arson, and other forms of oppression that the Pakistani government allegedly allows Chinese investors to commit. “China’s influence is expanding, as are the […]
United Nations Office at Geneva David Kaye In April of 2016, United Nations Special Rapporteur David Kaye visited Japan to study the state of freedom of expression in the country. He was here for 8 days from April 12, and met with government officials, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and “anonymous” members of the media. […]
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe receives a letter of South Korean President Moon Jae-in from his special envoy Moon Hee-sang (left) on May 18th at Tokyo In a meeting on May 17, Moon Hee-sang—special envoy of South Korean President Moon Jae-in to Japan’s House Representative—told secretary general Toshihiro Nikai of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP): “While […]
Japanese business has been flourishing in Africa. More than 400 Japanese companies have offices on the continent. Their activities range from power generation to sourcing octopuses and red roses for Japanese consumers. The Japanese government strongly encourages trade with Africa. However, the World Bank warns that a slowdown in parts of the region […]
