Something Knew Japan

A section of Aichi Prefecture art festival, titled 'After "Freedom of Expression?", shut down three days after its Aug. 3 opening to the public. The exhibition featured works of art refused to display at public galleries,  dealing with the themes such as 'comfort women', the emperor, Article 9 of Japanese constitution or criticism of the government.  A major factor in the decision to cancel it is that the statue symbolizing 'comfort women', a replica of the Statue of Peace in front of the Japanese embassy in Seoul, was severely criticized. The organizers received a considerable number of threatening emails, phone calls and faxes, including one which hint darkly the arson attack, Aichi Governor Hideaki Omura said. The Statue of Peace sculpted by South Korean couple, Kim Soe-gyeong and Kim Un-sung, who involved in the democratization movements in the 1980s as students of art at Chung-ang University in South Korea. Since then, they have created art wo...

On Friday, March 1, 2013, two U.S. Navy sailors convicted of raping and injuring a woman in Okinawa in October 2012 were sentenced to nine and 10 years in prison. The crimes resulted in strong protests, especially in Okinawa, against the frequent crimes and sexual assaults involving members of the U.S military forces in Japan. Even though the Americans in this case expressed remorse, it will certainly not be easy for the victim, a Japanese woman in her 20s, to easily erase that nightmare incident from her memory. Indeed, as numerous so-called wartime "comfort women” (Imperial military sex slaves) and rape victims of members of the U.S.  forces have testified painfully, the awful experiences they underwent dominated the rest of their lives. Here in Japan, unfavorable or shameful aspects of the nation's history are routinely passed over as if nothing happened. Incredibly, even the Great Est Japan Earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011, and the subsequent, ongoing catastr...

This year, the new Ainu law was enacted to replace the 1997 Ainu Culture Promotion and Dissemination of Information Concerning Ainu Traditions Act. While Japan legally recognized the Ainu as the indigenous people of Japan for a first time, it has never consider for the rights of the Ainu people as international criteria on indigenous people. In common with the previous law, the new law focuses on mainly traditional and cultural aspect by promoting Ainu industry and tourism, but neglecting to protect the Ainu’s right to self-determination, the collective right to live in freedom, to the lands and resources. The law has also not regulated the repatriation of the Ainu ancestral remains the Ainu human remains sometimes by committing the ‘grave-robbing’ to aide for the studies. The issue of the remains’ repatriation has been a major importance for the Ainu people for very long time. continue on the website. Japan's indigenous Ainu sue to bring their ancestors' bones back ...

74 years ago today, 8:15 am, the atomic bomb that was dropped over Hiroshima from an American B-29 bomber. The hibakusha, survivors  exposed to radiation, and the descendants of the victims have been suffering from various diseases caused by nuclear weapon. The Japanese government has taken a stance of not joining a U.N. treaty banning nuclear weapons. On August 9,1945, at 11:02am. the second atomic bomb destroyed the city of Nagasaki.

Fascination or indifference ? Stereotyped presentation with an air of exoticism denies much of the country’s reality A "Morocco boom’’ looks set to break out in Japan this year – especially appealing to younger women through Moroccan tastes in fashion and beauty care. Babouches (Moroccan slippers), tunics, marché bags, Tajin pots, mint tea glass, lamps shade, rose water, ghassoul, henna... all these things, both fashion items and decorative goods, are nowadays being regarded with growing interest. Features about Morocco have already appeared in about 10 women’s fashion magazines over the last six months, and I know of at least two or three magazines that will feature Morocco in June. This new phenomenon will touch and affect a vast swath of the Japanese population, and though it has been suggested that Morocco should grasp the chance to promote its business and tourism, it is important to be aware that beyond this optimistic outlook there may be potential downsides lurk...