Category Archives: Media

Media watch: Nobody takes the evacuation plans for Sakishima seriously

Posted on April 4, 2025 by philipbrasor

Last week, the government released a plan to evacuate the residents of the Sakishima archipelago, which comprises the outlying islands of Okinawa Prefecture, in the event of a Chinese invasion of Taiwan. Since the U.S. has pledged to defend Taiwan … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Tokyo ward reminds citizens that they aren’t members of the royal family

Posted on March 30, 2025 by philipbrasor

One of the peculiarites of Japan’s family registration (koseki) system is that a citizen can designate any address in the country as their main domicile, or honseki, regardless of where they actually live. A person’s residential address must be registered … Continue reading →

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Media watch: The roots of Nihon Hidankyo are not just in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but in Tokyo too

Posted on March 16, 2025 by philipbrasor

When the Japan Confederation of A- and H-Bomb Sufferers Organizations, better known as Nihon Hidankyo in Japan, won the Nobel Peace Prize last year, there were probably quite a few Japanese who were unfamiliar with the group, which represents survivors—hibakusha—of … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Does cancelled concert indicate Japan’s real intentions toward Kurdish refugees?

Posted on March 10, 2025 by philipbrasor

On Feb. 24, the Japan Kurdish Cultural Association (JKCA) was scheduled to hold a concert with a Kurdish singer at the Saitama Kaikan in Saitama Prefecture, but it was cancelled the day before. According to the Saitama Shimbun, the reason … Continue reading →

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Media watch: All public toilets are not created equal

Posted on February 23, 2025 by philipbrasor

Inbound tourists invariably rave about Japan’s superior security and hospitality, and while you often hear them comment positively about smart toilets, it’s usually in the context of how surprisingly common they are. However, we’ve almost never heard anyone talk about … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Government refuses to remove names of Korean soldiers from war shrine because that’s just the way it is

Posted on February 5, 2025 by philipbrasor

In the middle of January, Japan’s Supreme Court decided against a lawsuit brought by a Korean family against the Japanese government for refusing to remove the name of their deceased relative, who died in the service of Japan’s emperor during … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Government to punish UN office for having opinion similar to that of Japanese citizenry

Posted on January 31, 2025 by philipbrasor

On Wednesday, Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) held a press conference to announce it would freeze funding for the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), which is managed by the United Nations’ Office of the High … Continue reading →

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Hiroshima in context

Posted on January 26, 2025 by philipbrasor

This coming August will mark the 80th anniversary of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, and at this point in time the ramifications of the act itself remain fairly circumscribed. People still argue as to whether it brought an end to the … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Former justice minister gets firsthand look at prison life—as an inmate

Posted on January 11, 2025 by philipbrasor

In June 2021, Katsuyuki Kawai was sentenced to three years in prison and fined ¥1.3 million for violating the Fair Elections Law after a judge determined he had bought votes for his wife, Anri, when she was running in the … Continue reading →

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Media watch: SAS response to flight attendant’s plea transcends “customer service”

Posted on December 23, 2024 by philipbrasor

‘Tis the season, as they say, and in that light we thought we’d offer something positive in this space for a change, and where better to look in the Japanese media than Asahi Shimbun’s Mado column, which usually covers heartwarming … Continue reading →

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