Category Archives: Media

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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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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