Author Archives: philipbrasor

Media watch: NHK takes a bullet for the official Olympics documentary

Posted on January 11, 2022 by philipbrasor

On December 26, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK aired a special program on its BS1 satellite channel about the making of the official documentary for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, which is being directed by Nara-based filmmaker Naomi Kawase. One … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Puppy mill violations point up weak animal welfare laws

Posted on January 9, 2022 by philipbrasor

Japan tends to go through intense phases with regard to popular breeds of pet dogs. About 50-60 years ago it was the spitz, and 20-30 years ago you couldn’t pass a dog run without stumbling over a dozen or so … Continue reading →

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Review: Spider-Man: No Way Home

Posted on January 7, 2022 by philipbrasor

The mind-boggling box office success of the latest Spider-Man installment during another surge in the pandemic only goes to prove that there’s no such thing as too much Spider-Man, and while some will point to the MCU imprimatur as being … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Sperm “donor” sued for lying on his application

Posted on January 4, 2022 by philipbrasor

In late 2020, the Japanese government passed a law that recognizes married couples who have children via donated sperm and eggs as being the legal parents of those children. The law would go into effect in one year’s time, meaning, … Continue reading →

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Best Movies 2021

Posted on January 3, 2022 by philipbrasor

For the second year in a row I have decided to forego a ten best list, since I didn’t see nearly enough of the movies released in Japan in 2021 to make any sort of authoritative judgment on which were … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Citizens groups seek truth about 1923 post-quake killings

Posted on January 2, 2022 by philipbrasor

September 1, 2023, will mark the 100th year anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake, which struck Tokyo and surrounding areas, killing more than 140,000 people. In the days that followed, an additional number of Korean residents of the affected areas … Continue reading →

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Best albums 2021

Posted on January 1, 2022 by philipbrasor

Over the past month I’ve read many reviews saying that 2021 was an especially great year for music. Given how much longer it took me to compile the following list, I would tend to agree, but we each approach our … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Yomiuri Shimbun to become PR organ for Osaka?

Posted on December 27, 2021 by philipbrasor

On December 22, an item appeared on the Osaka Prefectural government’s official home page. It was an announcement for a contract signing ceremony that would take place after lunch on December 27 in the third floor conference room of the … Continue reading →

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Media Mix, Dec. 25, 2021

Posted on December 26, 2021 by philipbrasor

Here’s this week’s Media Mix, which is the usual review of themes and persons that I felt stood out in the media during the past year. It’s also the last Media Mix. The Japan Times’ management has decided they no … Continue reading →

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Review: Kagawa District 1

Posted on December 24, 2021 by philipbrasor

Director Arata Oshima’s followup to last year’s surprise hit documentary, Why You Can’t Be Prime Minister, is a clear case of striking while the iron is hot. Prime Minister focused on lawmaker Junya Ogawa, a walking cliche of political idealism … Continue reading →

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