Category Archives: Media

Media watch: If public misspeaking were an Olympic event, the LDP would get all the gold

Posted on November 26, 2023 by philipbrasor

In terms of entertainment value, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which is gone but far from forgotten, continues to pay dividends. The latest source of delight is Ishikawa Prefectural Governor Hiroshi Hase, a former Olympian wrestler who, during a lecture he … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Diet members neglect to read the room and (inadvertently?) raise their own pay

Posted on November 18, 2023 by philipbrasor

As Prime Minister Fumio Kishida’s support numbers continue to drop, the Diet on Nov. 17 approved an increase in pay for him and the rest of the cabinet, not to mention a select group of bureaucrats who perform “special work,” … Continue reading →

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Media watch: New child-oriented housing loan plan literally has something for everyone

Posted on November 13, 2023 by philipbrasor

Last week the Japan Housing Finance Agency announced a new scheme whose ostensible purpose is to support couples who have children or plan to have children. The scheme targets couples looking to buy homes by offering to reduce the interest … Continue reading →

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BIFF 2023: Interview with Nam Dong-chul

Posted on October 17, 2023 by philipbrasor

As preparation for my coverage of the 28th Busan International Film Festival, which took place Oct. 4-13, I talked via Zoom to the interim festival director, Nam Dong-chul, who is also the chief programmer for the festival. Nam sort of … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Johnny’s fans complicate matters for advertisers and broadcasters

Posted on September 17, 2023 by philipbrasor

The main concerns for the media right now with regard to the sex abuse scandal surrounding the male idol production company Johnny & Associates is the loss of advertising gigs for the company. There have already been announcements of certain … Continue reading →

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Media watch: To survive, ex-cons have nowhere to go but back to jail

Posted on September 8, 2023 by philipbrasor

In an essay posted Aug. 23 on Magazine9, activist Karin Amamiya wrote about “someone the same age as me” (48) named Hiroshi Yamada who is currently on death row for the murder of an elderly couple in Nagoya in 2017. … Continue reading →

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Busan International Film Festival 2023 press conference

Posted on September 6, 2023 by philipbrasor

It seemed somewhat telling that the first question from reporters attending the online-only press conference for the 2023 Busan International Film Festival was about the Zoom format itself. Prior to COVID, the press conference, traditionally held the first week of … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Struggling to keep the memory of the 1923 Korean killings alive

Posted on September 1, 2023 by philipbrasor

Today marks the 100th anniversary of the Great Kanto Earthquake, one of the worst disasters to ever strike Japan, a country that’s had more than its share both natural and man-made. In the days following the quake, which was centered … Continue reading →

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Media watch: U.S. draws Japan further into its militarist mindset, this time through history

Posted on August 27, 2023 by philipbrasor

In a recent interview with Asahi Shimbun, Prof. Ritsu Yonekura, who teaches media history at Nihon University, talked about “August journalism,” a topic we’ve covered extensively since we first started writing about Japanese media in the mid-90s. August journalism refers … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Hiroshima native recalls fleeing the horror of the bomb only to end up in the middle of another war

Posted on July 31, 2023 by philipbrasor

For Japanese media, August is traditionally the month of war and remembrance, since Japan gave up the fight on August 15, six days after the U.S. dropped its second atomic bomb on a Japanese city. Regardless of your opinion as … Continue reading →

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