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politics

Vietnam mulling moniker modification as part of constitutional revisions

Jun 6, 2013 by Casey Baseel
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Changes are expected to be made to the Vietnamese constitution this October during sessions of the country’s National Assembly. The current constitution was ratified in 1992 as part of the doimoi political movement that relaxed many of the government’s economic controls, and was a major departure from its previous incarnation.

Although minor revisions were made to the constitution in 2001, far more extensive alterations are expected in the next round. Among the many points to be discussed is the possibility of altering the country’s official name.

May 31, 2013 by Mike
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We’re actually surprised nobody had this idea before. A Korean national has uploaded a photo of him – for the squeamish let’s say, um, “micturating” – all over Yasukuni Shrine and vowed to continue to defile the sacred landmark every time a Japanese politician makes an insensitive remark.

May 28, 2013 by Master Blaster
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On 24 May, members of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s cabinet convened to make and official statement concerning long standing rumors swirling around the opposition party. These rumors are regarding the Prime Minister’s Residential Quarters (Sori Daijin Kotei) and the super spooky ghosts that may dwell inside.

Since taking power last September Prime Minister Abe has implied, “I’m not spending the night in that place,” by never spending the night in that place.

Mar 16, 2013 by Jessica
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In Japanese, obachan is a word that means aunt, but is sometimes used to refer to a middle-aged or elderly woman in a derogatory way. There is no good translation in English, but the image is of an eccentric, loud, irritating busybody long past youth or beauty. Not many women would choose to apply this word to themselves, but a new political party has emerged out of Osaka that is proudly claiming ownership of the word and attempting to reform the image of Japan’s obachans. We went to find out more about this All Japan Obasan Party. Read More

‘More than 90 Percent’ of Hong Kong Citizens Long to Return to British Rule

Mar 15, 2013 by Philip Kendall
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According to a story in the South China Morning Post, more than 90 percent of Hong Kong citizens polled in a recent survey said that they wanted the region to return to British rule, stating that they fear much of what makes the region great will eventually be lost.

Mar 13, 2013 by Master Blaster
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The masked wrestler rights movement was dealt a blow on 11 March as wrestler turned municipal legislator, Skull Reaper A-ji, was refused entry to a scheduled city council session as long as he was wearing his mask.

When interviewed by reporters、 Councilman Skull Reaper, who was elected last month, expressed regret over the matter saying, “Frustrating. If I take my mask off, I’m an entirely different person. I will not take it off.”

Mar 1, 2013 by Master Blaster
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Since Shinzo Abe’s election win late last year, a faint hope for some kind of action in the long stagnant government of Japan was kindled. “Perhaps the return of his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) to power could finally get some gears turning again in the nation?” people thought.

So far the fruit of LDP leadership has been a novel way to filibuster by frequently going potty – which I guess makes it a fig.

Jan 22, 2013 by Master Blaster
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Yasuhisa Tokugawa is a descendant of the Tokugawa family consisting of the legendary Shoguns such Ieyasu Tokugawa. Yasuhisa, now 64, had a successful career in the oil business from which he retired.

Now he’s doing what you’d probably expect a retired business man to do: he became the head priest of the most controversial shrine in Japan.

Jan 16, 2013 by Master Blaster
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With the transfer of power occurring in China, it’s only natural for new policies to be put into effect either for the improvement of society or for purely superficial demonstrations of power to both domestic and international rivals.

Currently a lot is being made on online message boards of reports coming from Chinese media outlining new orders for 2013 which apply to all branches of the People’s Liberation Army. Some Japanese media outlets have been interpreting these orders as “prepare for war… presumably against Japan.”

Dec 12, 2012 by Jessica
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Usually when you hear about a fresh-faced new voice in politics, it’s usually, well, a fresh face. Not so much with Ryukichi Kawashima, who is running for office for the first time at the ripe old age of 94.

Kawashima is running to represent Saitama Prefecture’s 12th District and is the oldest candidate out of the 1,504 people running in the current election. He had been putting aside money from his pension to use for his own funeral expenses, but decided the 3 million yen (about US$36,000) would be better spent as an election fund. Deep concern over the future of the country motivated him to run, he says. “I thought it was time I did something.”

Dec 7, 2012 by Steven
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Japan’s 46th general election is a little over a week away, and if there’s one demographic that could care less, it’s the otaku. For the obsessive Japanese nerd, it doesn’t matter what political party wins the election, so long as they can buy the latest shiny toys and spend quality time with their 2-D lovers.

Still, while otaku may feel like the major political issues of this election, like energy policy and social security, are of no concern to them, their lifestyle isn’t completely unaffected by the decisions of the higher ups. For example, some worry that joining the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) would bring changes to copyright laws that could threaten the thriving doujin, or fan-made works featuring licensed characters, market. You hear that, otaku!? No more Final Fantasy porn!

That’s right; you can always count on porn to get otaku moving. That’s why PC Shop MK, a software shop in Sapporo, Hokkaido that specializes in new and used erotic games, is offering huge discounts for customers who vote in the December 16 election.

Dec 2, 2012 by Master Blaster
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With Japan’s general election looming on 16 December, the tension in Japan is so thick you could cut it with a noodle. Yes, the country has been mired in a political malaise of apathy since the days of Koizumi.

The Prime Minister’s seat has been a musical chair for the past 6 years with no dynamic leadership on the horizon to guide the country into the future. Government in Japan is largely a good old boys club where people rise to positions of power simply by being the grandson of some great leader way back when.

Google has set up a campaign to help politicians get more in touch with their electorate and hopefully hash out a plan for Japan’s future that people can get behind – not to mention help promote the social network Google+. Google Japan will be putting regular people face to face with representative of the major political parties for a little Q & A session on 14 December.

Nov 22, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Running for election in Japan isn’t easy. But when your face is shown alongside titles like “pervert” and “molester,” it’s probably a lot harder than it ought to be.

Japan’s political system is a mess right now and, despite having seen six prime ministers come and go in as many years, the country is headed for an election next month, with one-time PM Shinzo Abe putting himself forward to be re-elected.

The politician was made a laughing-stock earlier this week, however, when the Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) early morning TV show Asazuba accidentally displayed Mr. Abe’s photo alongside a news report about a sex offender’s arrest.

Despite having no relation to the incident whatsoever, Mr. Abe’s face filled viewers’ screens along with the shocking titles, prompting the nation to spit out its corn flakes, or at the very least dribble a bit of natto onto the table.

Suffice to say, the politician was not pleased, and, suspecting this to be part of a “campaign of negativity”, took to his public Facebook page to tear TBS a new one…

Nov 19, 2012 by Jessica
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Back in high school, the best my friends and I could come up with to cause a ruckus was a little underage drinking, but kids these days can manage to bring countries to the brink of war with their shenanigans. Lawless whippersnappers!

Nov 14, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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I’m sure we all have politicians whom we’re not especially fond of, and, while most of us would never go as far as taking a leak against one of their campaign posters, the thought of making our feelings known through… unusual… means might have occurred to us on more than one occasion. My own dear uncle, for instance, was once temporarily barred from entering the US after writing a particularly heartfelt letter to former president George W. Bush during his tenure. But that’s another story…

On Sunday this week, a 40-year-old man in Osaka decided that his strong dislike of politician Kei Yamamoto needed to be expressed physically, and, spotting the politician’s face on a poster down a quiet countryside road, decided to let rip with a golden shower of contempt.

Unfortunately for him, who should be cruising by at that exact moment but the politician himself…

Oct 21, 2012 by Karen Bremer Masuda
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Ultra-rightist movements in Japan are visible through men who cover their faces with black bandannas, sun glasses and helmets. They drive around in what is as close to an armored van as a Japanese civilian can get and spew military music and political rhetoric from loudhailers fixed to the top of the vehicle. You can hear them coming from miles away and are reminded that the nationalism that led Japan into World War II is still alive to some extent, albeit among a small minority of people.

It is hard to believe, quite shocking in fact, that young Japanese women who don’t appear to have a provocative thought in their head are becoming politically active on the rightist’s side. Read More

Chinese Website Defuses Diplomatic Tensions by Breaking Down Japanese Stereotypes like “Are Japanese women golddiggers?”

Oct 10, 2012 by Steven
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As political tensions between China and Japan continue to grow, it becomes ever more important for citizens of both countries to remain level-headed and remember that a nation’s actions do not always reflect the character of its people. Not all Chinese people have a taste for indiscriminate mob violence and not all Japanese people squirt mayonnaise on unsuspecting high school girls.

Luckily, Chinese web portal NetEase has put together an illustrated guide to addresses a number of misconceptions Chinese people have of Japanese people.

A noble initiative, to be sure, but for some reason the guide only touches on misconceptions of Japanese women. Well, as long as they help break down those harmful stereotypes inhibiting international understanding…

Take a look at what kind of cultural insights the diplomats at NetEase are offering their readers below.

Oct 5, 2012 by Philip Kendall
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Maybe Jackie Chan was wrong after all?

Amid the reports of demonstrations, mob violence and damage to property in the name of protest over the rightful ownership of the Senkaku islands, it has been difficult to focus on the facts and keep a clear head.

Yesterday, however, the Japanese government took a step towards legally resolving the dispute, producing official documentation that refutes the Chinese government’s claim over the islands, and suggesting that the Chinese side is “contradicting” itself.

Oct 5, 2012 by Steven
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It’s easy to understand why residents of the southern Japanese island of Okinawa would be upset with the deployment of twelve new Osprey hybrid aircraft to the Futenma U.S. military base.

While the U.S. assures the Japanese government that the aircraft are safe, an accident in Morocco that killed two U.S. Marines in April and then another in Florida in June make them a hard sell for Okinawans, especially since the Futenma base is surrounded by crowded residential areas.

So it wasn’t surprising when hundreds of protesters raised banners and chanted outside Futenma on Monday to show their concern over the safety of the aircraft, the first six of which arrived at the base that morning.

It was surprising, however, when, the next day, two groups of Okinawans gathered at a park near Futenma to protest the arrival of three new Osprey by flying kites near the aircraft as they attempted to land.

Oct 4, 2012 by Karen Bremer Masuda
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There is no doubt that tension stemming from territorial disputes between Japan and both China and Korea is making East Asia a volatile area. Even Taiwan, which has been known as a pro-Japanese country, sent fishing boats to the Senkaku Island area in protest of Japan’s nationalization.

But while mainland China is pulsing with anti-Japanese sentiment, Taiwan’s pro-Japanese stance has yet to waver and Japanese business men could be comforted that China’s influence on Taiwan did not reach so far as to change it. We spoke with one Japanese business man—we’ll call him Mr. T—who was in Taipei when anti-Japanese sentiments on the mainland were at their highest.

What he found was a higher level of pro-Japanese sentiment than we could have imagined. We’ve assembled Mr. T’s experiences for you below: Read More