Category Archives: Media

Media watch: Five years in, how does Naruhito stack up to his father?

Posted on April 22, 2024 by philipbrasor

On March 22, Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako visited victims of the New Year’s Day earthquake that struck the Noto Peninsula on the Japan Sea coast. It was the couple’s second visit to a disaster area since Naruhito ascended to … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Media watch: Mainstream press again decides Koike’s possibly fraudulent c.v. isn’t news

Posted on April 15, 2024 by philipbrasor

Back in 2020, shortly before Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike ran for a second term, a journalist named Taeko Ishii came out with a book about Koike called Jotei (Empress) that became an instant best-seller. Ishii included an interview with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Tagged | 2 Comments

Media watch: Local governments finance potential future mothers as marriages decline

Posted on March 25, 2024 by philipbrasor

Though the dwindling birth rate continues to be an important media topic, two recent news items, taken together, highlight one of the less remarked upon reasons for the lack of babies in Japan. At the end of February, the welfare … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Media watch: Tamori edges closer to full retirement

Posted on March 11, 2024 by philipbrasor

On Feb. 14, NHK announced that its regular program, “Buratamori,” would end in April. The official explanation is that Tamori, the show’s star, who is now 78 and reportedly still in good shape, feels the format of the show is … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Tagged | Leave a comment

Media watch: Citizens group billed for destruction of memorial it didn’t want removed

Posted on February 25, 2024 by philipbrasor

Earlier this month, Gunma Prefecture removed a memorial monument in a park in the city of Takasaki. The monument had been erected in 2004 by a local citizens group to commemorate Korean laborers who had been brought to Japan during … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Tagged | Leave a comment

Media watch: A 1945 marine tragedy comes back to haunt the Japanese government

Posted on February 5, 2024 by philipbrasor

Last week the Gunma prefectural government removed a monument from a park in the city of Takasaki that commemorated Korean laborers mobilized to work in the prefecture during World War II. The monument was installed in the park in 2004, … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Media watch: Some fast food operators handle price increases better than others

Posted on January 9, 2024 by philipbrasor

Most businesses that survived the pandemic are now doing well owing to something called “revenge” spending, which is essentially a reflexive action by consumers after they’ve been liberated from reduced spending due to restrictions, whether mandated or market-driven. At the … Continue reading →

Posted in Media, Money | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Media watch: Korean actor criticized for knowing about history

Posted on January 2, 2024 by philipbrasor

If you’re into K-dramas, you’re probably aware that on Dec. 22 a new one called Gyeongseong Creature premiered on Netflix. Like the titular monster it’s a hybrid: part sci-fi horror mystery, part historical melodrama. Set in the spring of 1945 … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Media watch: Extended Henoko timeline means US military gets what it really wants

Posted on December 23, 2023 by philipbrasor

Last Wednesday, the Fukuoka High Court ordered Okinawa Governor Denny Tamaki to “approve” the modified plan for landfill work ordered by the central government for relocating the US Marine Corps Air Station Futenma to the Henoko area of Nago on … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Tagged | Leave a comment

Media watch: Kishida’s premiership sustained by inferiority complex

Posted on December 5, 2023 by philipbrasor

It’s commonly thought that Japan is run by its bureaucracy and that politicians don’t have much to do with shaping and moving policy. Though it’s an over-simplification this belief still has merit. All you have to do is look at … Continue reading →

Posted in Media | Tagged , , | Leave a comment