Category Archives: Media

Media watch: Social services continue to miss the real reasons behind child abandonment

Posted on September 23, 2024 by philipbrasor

Earlier this month, the Children and Family Agency released statistics about child abuse in Japan. In 2022, 72 children died as the result of “abuse,” two fewer than in 2021. However, in recent years this statistic has remained pretty much … Continue reading →

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Media watch: How sustainable is Japan’s health insurance system?

Posted on September 9, 2024 by philipbrasor

There are reasons why I, an American, have decided to live the rest of my life in Japan, and though one of them is the current state of political discourse in my native country, that factor entered into the decision … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Prince Hisahito’s rumored Todai ambitions aren’t getting any encouragement in the press

Posted on September 5, 2024 by philipbrasor

Though the Japanese media is invariably respectful and circumspect when it comes to the Imperial household, I’ve never gotten the impression that the general public, while respectful themselves, really harbors much affection for the royals. It may be simply a … Continue reading →

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Media watch: NHK’s annual end-of-war anniversary special tackles propaganda

Posted on September 2, 2024 by philipbrasor

I’m about halfway through the second volume of Gary Giddins’ biography of Bing Crosby, which takes in “The War Years 1940-1946.” Crosby was at the peak of his stardom during this period, earning the highest income in Hollywood except for … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Koike again refuses to acknowledge Korean massacre

Posted on August 28, 2024 by philipbrasor

Sept. 1 marks the 101st anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake, and for the eighth year in a row, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike will not send a message of condolence to a group that holds a memorial ceremony for the … Continue reading →

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Media watch: NHK critiques atomic bombing through dramatic proxy

Posted on August 25, 2024 by philipbrasor

Last week I interviewed a Japanese journalist for an industry publication about Japanese content sales overseas, in particular Japanese TV dramas. I brought up the current NHK morning drama series, or “asadora,” which is aired every weekday for 15 minutes … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Japan’s selective history on display again with new UNESCO World Heritage site

Posted on August 2, 2024 by philipbrasor

On July 27, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee agreed to register the Sado Island Gold Mines off the coast of Niigata Prefecture as a World Heritage Site, the 26th for Japan. Sado was at one time the largest gold mine … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Korean and Japanese groups set to excavate disaster site with or without the government’s permission

Posted on July 22, 2024 by philipbrasor

In February 2022, we posted a piece about the 1942 Chosei coal mine disaster in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture, which killed 183 workers, 136 of them Koreans who had been brought to Japan. A local group was formed in 1991 and … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Ministry throws cold water on local government’s registration of same sex couple

Posted on July 14, 2024 by philipbrasor

In May, a same sex couple made news when the city of Omura in Nagasaki Prefecture allowed them to be indicated as the equivalent of a common law couple in their resident certificate, or juminhyo. It is the first time … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Will the new bills make their own existence unnecessary?

Posted on July 1, 2024 by philipbrasor

On July 3, the Bank of Japan will start circulating new paper currency, which is something it does every 20 years or so. The ostensible reason is to check counterfeiting, a Sisyphean task since the fact that the bank has … Continue reading →

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