Category Archives: Media

Number 1 Shimbun February

Posted on February 1, 2023 by philipbrasor

Here is our media column for the February issue of the Number 1 Shimbun, which is about the struggle to find an heir to the Shinzo Abe political dynasty.

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Media watch: Nobody wants to talk about the death penalty

Posted on January 25, 2023 by philipbrasor

In November, Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Yasuhiro Hanashi was compelled to quit his post as justice minister after he made a careless remark at a political gathering. Hanashi said that he felt the job of justice minister was “low-key” and … Continue reading →

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Media watch: South Korea happily takes over as brands leader

Posted on January 23, 2023 by philipbrasor

A Jan. 14 article on the Chosun Online website revealed that South Korea has overtaken China as the luxury brand capital of the world in terms of consumption. Citing data compiled by investment bank Morgan Stanley, the news service noted … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Victim of crime seeks compensation the hard way

Posted on January 15, 2023 by philipbrasor

When a person is the victim of theft or fraud, it is often difficult for them to recoup their losses, even if the perpetrator of the crime is caught and punished. According to a Jan. 12 article in the Asahi … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Is Japan bankrupting itself just to make the U.S. happy?

Posted on January 11, 2023 by philipbrasor

We’ve already written about the huge amount of money that Japan plans to spend for defense in the coming years. We’ve also written about how Japan will acquire all the new hardware it says it needs. What we didn’t write … Continue reading →

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Media watch: You can’t pay people to have kids

Posted on January 8, 2023 by philipbrasor

On Jan. 4 during his New Year’s press conference, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to implement measures to increase Japan’s low birth rate. In 2022, the number of babies born in Japan went below 800,000 for the first time, and … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Even celebrities die alone

Posted on December 28, 2022 by philipbrasor

On July 25, the Japanese actor Yoko Shimada died in a Tokyo hospital. She was 69 years old. Some older people may remember Shimada as the female lead in the 1980 American TV miniseries Shogun, which was based on James … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Kishida’s kid not cut out for Nagatacho

Posted on December 26, 2022 by philipbrasor

If you have access to Japanese Twitter you may have noticed some Tweets about a certain female reporter who works for Fuji TV. The posts invariably link to tabloid news articles that describe the woman as being involved in some … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Is Japan’s new defense posture vis-a-vis the U.S. a case of the tail wagging the dog?

Posted on December 24, 2022 by philipbrasor

Though the Japanese government’s intentions to double the defense budget over the next five years has caused some controversy here, in the U.S. it has mostly met with unequivocal support. President Joe Biden, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, and other … Continue reading →

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Media watch: Welfare payments decrease despite inflation

Posted on December 21, 2022 by philipbrasor

The welfare ministry’s main task with regards to public assistance is to make sure individuals who receive government funds due to financial difficulties are not taking undue advantage of the system. Consequently, the rationale behind public welfare in Japan isn’t … Continue reading →

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