Latest posts by Chris Salzberg from April, 2008
Japan: Nagano red for Olympic torch relay
The Japanese leg of the Olympic torch relay came to an end on Saturday without serious incident, but many Japanese bloggers who attended the event were left with lasting -- and often bitter -- impressions. With all the red flags, many bloggers pointed out how Nagano, for one day, seemed to transform into China.
Japan: Japan Today supports Scientology
Ken at What Japan Thinks writes about opposition from readers of Japan Today to video ads for the Church of Scientology.
Japan: Yomiuri article on Japanese chemical weapons buried in Chinese land
Sayonara, Mata Ashita comments on an article in Yomiuri shimbun, Japan's largest newspaper, about chemical weapons buried in Chinese land at the end of the Second World War.
Japan: Twitter in Japanese, with ads
The new localized version of Twitter in Japanese has been launched, as reported by Joi Ito, Asiajin, and the Polar Bear Blog. The Japanese version, unlike the current English one, includes advertisements, and there is a plan to eventually export these ads back to the English version.
Japan: Food Crisis added to G8 Agenda
The GLOCOM blog reports that the world food crisis will be placed on the agenda at the G8 Summit in Hokkaido, Japan this summer.
Japan: About40, and what next?
Changing times in Japan are opening the door for a new style of television. "About40", aired for the first time on April 11th, has done something novel for a Japanese TV drama: aim at the age bracket of 35 to 45 year old women, and hit it big. The new drama targets the late-thirties demographic of single women who entered the work force during the 80s bubble, captured in the newly-coined term "arafo". Bloggers give their initial thoughts on the show, and provide their perspectives on being "arafo" in modern Japan.
Japan: Why can't I be an anarchist?
Japanese university student Hasan at hasanhujairi[dot]com describes a class in which his professor, outlining the progression of the study of Economic History in Japanese academia, ends by telling his students: “Just don’t be Anarchists; we can’t have rebellious Anarchists running amok on campus.”
Japan: Thoughts on the Tachikawa flier case
Japanese blogger Dr-Seton describes an urban legend [ja] about children in public housing who were kept inside, only allowed out to play in a small park. When one day the children were let free outside, rather than run around, they stuck to a very small space. He uses this story...
Japan: Footage of Tibet and East Turkestan
Japanese podcaster Morley Robertson at i-morley makes an appeal to the global press to take up video footage from Tibet and East Turkestan. Part of the footage is of the home of the Dalai Lama, shot in 2007, a building which he explains was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution (later...
Japan: Major Parties Cooperate to Legislate Regulation of “Harmful” Internet Content
Japanese bloggers have been making noise the past few days in reaction to two separate bills, submitted first by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party of Japan (LDP) and next by the leading opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), each aiming, in apparently similar ways, to legislate regulation over Internet content deemed to be "harmful" to minors (users under age 18). According to bloggers, the latest moves by government legislators, despite having received virtually no mainstream attention, constitute potentially the most extensive Internet regulation proposed thus far.
Japan: Next generation advertising communication
Japanese blogger Tokuriki Motohiko at tokuriki.com reviews the book [ja] “Next generation advertising communication” (次世代広告コミュニケーション） by Yokoshima Ryuji [ja]. The book considers the gap between the methods of mass marketing and those of Internet advertising, a gap which, from his one year of experience at the Agile Media Network, Tokuriki...
Japan: Blogs a dangerous business?
Japanese blogger Akihito at Shirokuma Nikki picks up a New York Times article about the stress of 24/7 blogging, reflecting on the attraction of blogs as a medium to connect with other people, to immediately access responses to your own thoughts, and in some cases to reach a broad level...
Japan: Ikeda Nobuo on new Internet censorship bill
Blogger Ikeda Nobuo writes in English about a new bill submitted by LDP legislator Takaichi Sanae to censor “harmful” content on the Japanese Internet. He writes that “mainstream media are silent, probably because the bill would kill their enemy.”
Japan: New Internet regulation bill sparks reactions from bloggers
A new legislative bill aiming to regulate access to “harmful” web content by minors (under age 18), presented to a government panel on March 19th by LDP member Takaichi Sanae (高市早苗), has sparked criticism from Japanese bloggers. Apparently worded by Japan's National Police Agency, the new bill proposes to make...
Japan: Otaku Research #1
Matt Alt at Neojaponisme translates a 1983 article by Japanese essayist Nakamori Akio, the first part of the “Otaku Research” series entitled “The City is Full of Otaku”, referring to the “obsessive” subculture in Japan associated with manga and anime.
Japan: Was it lucky?
Akky at Asiajin reports on an interesting case of “lost in translation”. Chicago Cubs fans at a Major League opening game in Chicago, where Japanese baseball player Kosuke Fukudome made an impressive debut for the team, were seen waving signs with the Japanese words “偶然だぞ” (Guzen da zo), roughly translated...
Japan: The Rising Price of Food
It may seem like a cruel April Fool's joke, but it isn't: after dozens of years without change, the prices of many staple foods in Japan are set to rise steeply this month, following a trend that began with the price of bread. Bloggers offer their thoughts and concerns.
