Tag: politics (Page 3) | RocketNews24

politics

Revisit 20 Photos of Some of The Most Powerful Moments and People in Modern History

Mar 12, 2012 by Master Blaster
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Thanks to the proliferation of the internet we can see countless images in an instant with the click of a mouse. Most of the pictures available online, however, are of cats with misspelled captions or people confusing Joseph Kony with Carl Weathers.

Feb 28, 2012 by Steven
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Yoshihiko Noda is Japan’s 6th prime minister since 2006 and it’s no surprise that over half a decade of gridlock has left most Japanese people feeling either cynical or apathetic towards politics.

Recently, a thread emerged on popular Japanese internet message board 2 channel that highlights just how much people don’t care about what their political leaders are talking about.

According to the initial post, an official video of a public address made by Prime Minister Noda regarding comprehensive reforms of Japan’s social security and taxation systems had received no more than 300 views after 4 days of being uploaded.

Oct 24, 2011 by Steven
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Scholars have long grappled with the question: “Who loves fried chicken more, African-Americans or Chinese people?” African American’s love of fried chicken is said to date back to the 19th century, when chicken was the only livestock slaves were allowed to raise. On the other hand, the Chinese have been frying chicken for centuries and their love for even Western variants on the dish is evident in the skyrocketing popularity of Kentucky Fried Chicken in the country.

Sep 29, 2011 by Steven
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Lightweight and easy-to-use, the disposable lighter is an indispensible dispensable tool for any smoker on the go. However, in the hands of an unsupervised child, the small flame of a lighter can quickly lead to burns, uncontrolled fires or death – which has been the case in a series of fires caused by children playing with standard 100 yen (1.20 USD) lighters.

With this in mind, the Japanese government mandated that starting September 27 all disposable lighters sold in the country must be equipped with additional safety devices that meet the standards set by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

As convenience stores in Tokyo have already begun to sell the new lighters, we picked one up to see just how difficult they are to use. Read More

Insulting Ulleungdo Island Banner Hangs Japanese

Sep 1, 2011 by Mac Denny
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An acquaintance of mine visited Ulleungdo Island, a volcanic island in the Sea of Japan over which Japan and Korea are locked in a territorial dispute. Three Japanese politicians aiming to visit Ulleungdo last month were denied entry into Korea, but Japanese are normally able to tour the island. There is even a tourist website for the island that targets Japanese.

Jul 15, 2011 by Steven
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During a visit to a shelter in the disaster-struck city of Ishinomaki in Miyagi prefecture last month, leader of popular Japanese male idol group SMAP Masahiro Nakai passed out handheld game systems to children to help make their the shelter life a little more bearable.

However, this act of charity was soon surrounded in controversy as it was recently revealed that local officials were taking away the game consoles from some of the children. Read More

Major Korean Telecom Company’s Commercial Calls to Erase “Sea of Japan” From the Map

Jul 13, 2011 by Steven
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Major Korean telecommunications carrier KT has released a commercial that advocates erasing “Sea of Japan” from the map and replacing it with “East Sea.” Read More

A Creative Solution to Japan’s National Anthem Problem

Jun 23, 2011 by Steven
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There has been much controversy in the past 12 years over the forced performance of the Japanese national anthem, Kimigayo, at public school ceremonies and events in Tokyo. The anthem, along with the symbolic Japanese flag Hinomaru, is seen by some as symbols of Japanese pre-war imperialism, and others claim that requiring teachers to face the flag and sing is unconstitutional. Many teachers who have protested by refusing to stand have lost their jobs. Subsequently, many have tried to file legal complaints against the action, seeking rehire or compensation, and were often unsuccessful.

Finally, on June 6, 2011, the Supreme Court of Japan ruled it constitutional to require teachers to stand in front of the flag and sing Kimigayo. However, even after this ruling, it is likely that some stubborn teachers may still sit against the current. For that purpose, there is the new Compulsory Standing Chair with Automatic Kimigayo Detection System. Read More

North Korea Presents: The World Happiness Index

Jun 4, 2011 by RocketNews24
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On May 24 the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released the “Your Better Life Index,” a customizable tool to rank countries around the world according to your personal standards of living. While several other similar ‘happiness indexes’ exist to evaluate countries beyond their GDP, this is the first one based on personal preference.

Soon after North Korea released its own world happiness index. Personal preferences are also heavily reflected in this ranking—that is, the preferences of whichever loyal government official threw the list together. Read More

The Death Of Bin Laden As Seen By Obama & Friends As Seen By 2channel

May 17, 2011 by Steven
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On May 2, 2011 Osama bin Laden was killed by U.S. Navy SEALs during a special operation in Pakistan. President Obama stated that the death of bin Laden is “the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al-Qaeda.”

As details of the operation were reported around the world the scene of President Obama and government officials watching the situation unfold live via camera feed from the White House emerged as a representative image of the event.

The severe expressions of those present show the room was filled with palpable tension. However, a series of images posted to Japanese Internet forum 2channel show the mood in the room may have been slightly different than mainstream media has let on. Read More

Japanese Politicans (Literally) Dream of Recovery

May 12, 2011 by Steven
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Feelings of fear and anxiety continue to murmur among the Japanese people two full months after the March 11 disaster. In this climate of uncertainty it is crucial that Japan’s leaders maintain a strong image that broadcasts their steadfast determination to see this crisis through until the end. Read More

An Edano Odyssey, Part 3: Kan Can

Apr 26, 2011 by Steven
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During a visit to Fukushima on April 21 Prime Minister Naoto Kan made an inspection of several shelters to listen to the demands of refugees directly and assure them of the government’s continuous support as the nuclear crisis continues.

Unlike Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano, who visited four days earlier, Prime Minister Kan stayed out of the 20 km no-go zone during his trip. He did, however, follow Mr. Edano’s lead in keeping the trip short. Perhaps this was due to the inhospitable atmosphere: wherever Kan went he was met with voices of anger from refuges who suggested, “Bring all the cabinet ministers here and try living here yourselves. Try and see what we’re going through.”

It seems that, like Mr. Edano, Prime Minister Kan may need to try harder to convince the Japanese of his selfless dedication in pulling the country out of this crisis. Read More

An Edano Odyssey, Part 2: Armagedano

Apr 23, 2011 by Steven
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Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano has become something of a running joke among Internet forms in Japan after donning conspicuously large protective gear during an in-the-car, on-the-ground inspection of the 20 km evacuation zone in Fukushima on April 17.

Mr. Edano is also being criticized for rushing the inspection and leaving Fukushima too soon despite being more heavily outfitted than the workers who visit the area daily. Consequently, when Mr. Edano called for people to “stop overreacting” over Fukushima during a press conference two days later, some snidely responded with, “You’re one to talk.”

Our resident political analyst has informed us that, to restore his image, Mr. Edano is secretly preparing a new outfit for his next visit to Fukushima that is sure to be received much more favorably: Read More

An Edano Odyssey, Part 1: Full Armor Edano

Apr 22, 2011 by Steven
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On April 17 Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano made his first visit to the earthquake disaster area, attending a conference with the mayor of Minamisōma city and making an inspection of the missing persons investigation with the 20 kilometer evacuation zone.

Surely it is tempting to laud Mr. Edano, the man overseas media has branded the ‘Jack Bauer’ of the crisis for his hands-on attitude. However, the conspicuously heavy-duty gear worn during the inspection and the surprising swiftness with which he left the scene has made Mr. Edano something of a running gag on Internet forums in Japan. Read More

Hakonori

Dec 6, 2010 by RocketNews24
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In Japan, the act of sitting in a car’s side window so that the upper body is exposed outside is called “Hakonori”. It’s popular with Japanese vehicle gangs (known as “Bosozuku”). It’s also highly illegal in Japan. Read More