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Critical media studies have long understood the role of the media in not just illuminating disputes between nations but in inflaming them. The media can be used to inform or distort the background and causes of conflict and arouse public opinion. This article surveys the potentially calamitous decline of public perceptions in China and Japan toward the other and asks if the media is a monitor of this decline or a party to it. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A recent decision by the Supreme Court of Japan has dealt the conservative right another blow in the comfort women issue. In this article, David McNeill places the court's decision to uphold an order forcing the city of Nagoya to pay its promised share of the budget for the 2019 Aichi Triennale — despite the controversial artworks displayed there — in the context of a broader campaign by the right to realign history in accordance with Japanese government objectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article reports that in Japan, a scholar of communications, in the hope of getting people to talk with one another, holds "boxing" competitions in which the blows are thrown verbally, in verse. In a crowded Yokohama hall, boxers file into a ring watched by cheering students and a panel of university professors. Nobody is predicting a winner, but precedent favors the bookish, the verbally gifted, and the female. When Katsunori Kusunoki, a professor of communications at Tokyo's Kanto Gakuin University, suggested "poetry boxing" as a competitive sport, he was greeted with raised eyebrows. But 10 years later, the annual tournament is still going strong, pitting opponents against each other armed with motormouths instead of fists. Poetry boxing is face-to-face communication in its rawest form, before a live audience. The rules are simple: In a ring with a blue corner and a red corner, 16 boxers face off in pairs in intense, three-minute competitions of stand-up verse. Winners must negotiate a series of challenges that include a timed presentation and a nerve-racking round of improvised jousting, prompted by shouts from the panel of judges. A tuxedoed MC keeps the crowd amused with nicknames for the deliberately mismatched competitors. Occasional low blows are part of the fun. Anything is fair game, as long as it stays within the time limit. Competitors come armed with haiku, comics, fairy tales, minidramas, dance, and hip-hop set to monologues on topics as diverse as politics and "natto," the famously smelly fermented-bean paste. Verbal gladiators come from across the nation and from most layers of Japanese society: university students, housewives, the disabled, teachers, salarymen, pensioners. The youngest so far was 15; the oldest was 93, although he never got past a local preliminary.

Not long ago Japanese campuses were Spartan affairs with few frills American students take for granted. But times have changed. College enrollments are plummeting as Japan's supply of youngsters dries up and universities prepare for a profound shakeout that could see more than a quarter of all campuses closing in the next few years. Now, Japanese universities are doing everything to recruit students. This article describes the strategies employed by different Japanese universities to attract students.

Japan's higher-education system is the second largest in the world, after the United States, but it fares much worse than the United States when it comes to gender equity. Just 7 percent of Japan's 750-odd colleges and universities are run by women, compared with 23 percent of those in the United States. While four out of the eight members of the Ivy League now boast female presidents, none of Japan's top academic institutions has ever allowed a woman to rise to the top. This article examines the factors that contribute to the gender imbalance in Japanese academe. This article also describes the possible solutions in improving the ratio of female to male professors in Japan. [This article is produced by Chronicle of Higher Education, Washington, DC.]

Paul Snowden's appointment as a dean to the School of International Liberal Studies at Waseda University was considered so unusual that he compared it to the first moonwalk. Snowden's new position was the highest position reached by a non-Japanese at Waseda, Japan's top private university. Waseda's embrace of foreigners is still considered an exception to the rule in Japan. While some parts of the Japanese society are slowly opening up for foreigners, universities in Japan remain strikingly homogeneous and isolated from the globalizing trend in higher education. This article examines why Japanese universities continue to feel unwelcoming to foreigners.

The article discusses issues concerning the decline of watchdog journalism in Japan. Topics covered include control of the free distribution of information via press clubs, the changes in the press club system in 2009-10, comparison of the prewar and postwar systems and indication that members of the government of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe plan to revoke broadcasting licenses of overly critical networks.

The article focuses on the aftermaths and nuclear crises caused by Sendai Earthquake, Japan, 2011. It is informed that Fukushima Daiichi Reactors were in the process of meltdown before the tsunami hit it. As per Tokyo Denryoku KK (TEPCO), gas tanks at the site exploded after the earthquake and the there are still problems related to the fractured pipes and cooling systems. TEPCO and the government of Japan admit that there is a suspicion regarding the security and safety of the nuclear plants.

Examines the influence of economic crisis on the multimedia sector in Japan. Reconstruction of telecommunications, computer and electronics industries; Context of the economic reform policies of the government; Diversification strategy in multimedia investments of Sony Corp.; Role of multimediatization in restoring the economic condition.

Keywords: Asia Pacific Journal; Japan; Asia Pacific; Pacific Rim; Asia; East Asia; Northeast Asia; Southeast Asia; Southwest Asia; South Asia; Contemporary Japan; Contemporary Asia Pacific; Contemporary East Asia; US-Japan relations; US-China-Japan-Korea relations; Japan-East Asian Relations; Japan-Northeast Asian Relations; Japan-Pacific Relations; Japan-Southeast Asian Relations; Japan-Middle East Relations; Japan-Central Asia Relations; Japan-South Asia Relations; Japan-European Relations; Okinawa EN Asia Pacific Journal Japan Asia Pacific Pacific Rim Asia East Asia Northeast Asia Southeast Asia Southwest Asia South Asia Contemporary Japan Contemporary Asia Pacific Contemporary East Asia US-Japan relations US-China-Japan-Korea relations Japan-East Asian Relations Japan-Northeast Asian Relations Japan-Pacific Relations Japan-Southeast Asian Relations Japan-Middle East Relations Japan-Central Asia Relations Japan-South Asia Relations Japan-European Relations Okinawa N.PAG N.PAG 1 11/23/20 20201101 NES 201101 Compelling women's fiction in Japan hardly began with its two brightest contemporary stars, Kawakami Mieko and Murata Sayaka. Until she joined Japan's literary hall of fame in 2016 by winning the Akutagawa Prize, Murata had toiled away in convenience stores for half her life. Asia Pacific Journal, Japan, Asia Pacific, Pacific Rim, Asia, East Asia, Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, Southwest Asia, South Asia, Contemporary Japan, Contemporary Asia Pacific, Contemporary East Asia, US-Japan relations, US-China-Japan-Korea relations, Japan-East Asian Relations, Japan-Northeast Asian Relations, Japan-Pacific Relations, Japan-Southeast Asian Relations, Japan-Middle East Relations, Japan-Central Asia Relations, Japan-South Asia Relations, Japan-European Relations, Okinawa. [Extracted from the article]

Keywords: Asia Pacific Journal; Japan; Asia Pacific; Pacific Rim; Asia; East Asia; Northeast Asia; Southeast Asia; Southwest Asia; South Asia; Contemporary Japan; Contemporary Asia Pacific; Contemporary East Asia; US-Japan relations; US-China-Japan-Korea relations; Japan-East Asian Relations; Japan-Northeast Asian Relations; Japan-Pacific Relations; Japan-Southeast Asian Relations; Japan-Middle East Relations; Japan-Central Asia Relations; Japan-South Asia Relations; Japan-European Relations; Okinawa EN Asia Pacific Journal Japan Asia Pacific Pacific Rim Asia East Asia Northeast Asia Southeast Asia Southwest Asia South Asia Contemporary Japan Contemporary Asia Pacific Contemporary East Asia US-Japan relations US-China-Japan-Korea relations Japan-East Asian Relations Japan-Northeast Asian Relations Japan-Pacific Relations Japan-Southeast Asian Relations Japan-Middle East Relations Japan-Central Asia Relations Japan-South Asia Relations Japan-European Relations Okinawa N.PAG N.PAG 1 03/24/20 20200301 NES 200301 B Abstract: b Olympic organizers have used a mix of spin and patriotic arm-twisting to sell the 2020 Games in their attempt to rebrand Japan as open and multicultural. "Japan is not, and will never be, a tier-two country", Abe said in his first major policy speech to a foreign audience in early 2013..."I am back, and so shall Japan be." It was a less tolerant Japan on display in 2016, when Mori Yoshiro, a former prime minister (and head of the JOC) angrily berated athletes on their way to Rio for singing the Kimigayo, Japan's national anthem, with insufficient gusto (McCurry, 2016). [Extracted from the article]

Asia-Pacific Journal Subscription Drive July 2019 With tensions between the US and China at fever pitch in the era of Donald Trump, with mounting conflict between the US and Korea, between China and the nations of the South China Sea, and between Okinawa and the US-Japan, APJ is a vital resource. The media has treated the primary conflicts as economic and financial, but they are deeply intertwined with geopolitical conflicts that could easily lead to war including nuclear war. APJ has no corporate, foundation or university angel, so our ability to publish relies heavily on our core supporters. We come to you twice a year to request the financial support that allows us to provide APJ free to our 22,000 regular readers and thousands of others around the world who receive the journal as subscribers or via Facebook or Twitter. The journal is strong and growing. We need support to publish and to maintain it free to global readers. If you value the journal, please go to our homepage http://apjjf.org/Subscribe where you can both subscribe to our semi-monthly Newsletter and contribute (tax free) via Paypal or credit card. All contributions are welcome. But we need support in the range of $100-500-1,000 to maintain the site toward our annual goal of $12,000. The Editors [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the documentary broadcasted by the television channel British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) in June 2018 titled Japan's Secret Shame portraying the horrifying experience of being raped of the Japanese journalist Ito Shiori. It also discusses her struggle to win justice for the rape victims of the country.

In this article, the author offers information related to the Naraha village located in the south of Daiichi Nuclear plant in Fukushima, Japan in which residents was evacuated due to radioactive decontamination at the plant. It mentions that in the village the shopping centre, a new kindergarten and a secondary school under construction. It also mentions that nuclear evacuees are reluctant to return to communities.

The article addresses the controversy over the young woman statue assembled at a park in Glendale, California to remember the women who were forced into prostitution by the Japanese Empire during World War II. Topics discussed include the views of right-wing video blogger Tony Marano on the statue as a symbol of disrespect towards Japan and demanded its removal and efforts of Japanese newspaper "The Asahi Shimbun" in featuring comfort women of World War II.

The article discusses issues surrounding a system of sexual slavery that Imperial Japan allegedly organized for its military during World War II. Topics cited include the investigation of Japan Prime Minister Abe Shinzo on the government apology to comfort women, the 1993 Kono statement, acknowledging the army's role in forcing women to sexual slavery and a series of article from the "Asahi" newspaper based on witness Yoshida Seiji.

The article focuses on the project of the government of Japan to build 440 concrete walls and breakwaters along the 230 kilometers of coastline in prefectures of Fukushima, Miyagi and Iwate. It states that the wall, that will cost more than 80 billion yen, will protect the cities from the disaster of tsunami. It also focuses on the views of the villagers of Koizumi on the project who suspect the idea of protection from tsunami as the proposed 14.7 meter-tall wall can invade tsunami.

This article focuses on a documentary video conducted by Al-Jazeera America news channel and showed on the "America Tonight" show, which presents an analysis of the causes and impact of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in Japan. It discusses the danger posed by the nuclear crisis to people living in the West Coast of North America, the reporting of the profiles of the workforce of nuclear operator Tokyo Electric Power Co. and the decontamination of an area by the disaster cleaning project.

The article focues on the problem with education and the moral and spiritual decline of the youth in Japan and the education reforms being made by the Japanese government. It presents statements from Japanese Education Minister Shimomura Hakubun on the problem and his plan to improve curriculum of moral education and improvements in textbooks, and Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's plan to revise the 1946 constitution, the education law and the nation's security treaty with the U.S.

The article discusses efforts of Japan's government to decontaminate Fukushima Prefecture after rain and snow laced with radiation fell across the area and contaminated acres of farming land and forests. It notes that the Fukushima cleanup faces the challenge of securing sites to store contaminated soil, leaves and sludge as landowners balk at hosting interim dumps for 3 years. The toxic waste may probably stay in Fukushima for good as other local governments refused to accept the toxic waste.

The article discusses the efforts of Toyota Motor Corp. in fixing the problems occurred at the automobiles of Royal Family of Japan and compares it to the attitude of the company in fixing the problems occurring at various models of automobiles in the U.S. For the Royal Family, the company took very serious efforts and fixed the problem quickly. However, to various accident that occurred in the U.S. because of technical errors, the company mainly tried to cover up the problem.

An interview with Japanese journalists Uesugi Takashi and Ito Mamoru is presented. When asked about his rumored banning from the media due to his comments on Fukushima nuclear disaster, Takashi mentions that he stopped appearing on television programs as the electric utilities in the country are considered as major sponsors in the industry. Mamoru mentions that local journalists are responsible for reporting the incident despite the efforts of the Japanese media to avoid triggering panic.

The article discusses the need for Japanese Prime Minister Abe Shinzo to use the whaling issue as a bargaining chip to win diplomatic points with allies including Australia and the U.S. Morikawa Jun, author of "Whaling in Japan: Politics, Power and Diplomacy," urges Abe to completely forget whaling due to his nationalist background. Morikawa stresses the difficulty of justifying the maintenance of whaling operation in Antarctic waters, citing the regular annual sabotage from anti-whaling groups, diplomatic fallout, rising price of oil, falling catch of minke whales and stagnating consumption of whale meat.

The article discusses how Japan survived the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that happened in Japan on March 2011. It says that studies forced authorities to accept a potential 8-magnitude earthquake any time, the possible consequences of which are frightening for Tokyo. According to the author, journalists from the country's major newspapers and television companies covering Minamisoma disappeared. The 21 separate problems reported at the Fukushima plant from 2002 to 2006 are also discussed.

The article reports on the systematic problems of the compensation process following the Fukushima nuclear disaster. About 114,000 people from the contaminated prefecture of Fukushima were forced to abandon their farms, homes, schools and jobs between March and May 2011. Those who have voluntarily relocated to escape radiation were not given compensation package by the government and Tokyo Electric Power Cooperative (TEPCO). The failure of Japan's Act on Compensation for Nuclear damage to stipulate details and rules for applying for compensation is noted. TEPCO is criticized for failing to deal with the financial liability by itself.

The article discusses the situation at Fukushima, Japan a year after its Daiichi nuclear power plant exploded. It recounts the earthquake and the following tsunami that struck the rural city on March 11, 2011 which left hundreds homeless, injured and dead. It mentions that a year after the disaster, the Tokyo Electric Power Co.-(Tepco) operated nuclear power plant is "in a state of cold shutdown. It describes the on-going work in attempts to cool down the nuclear reactors under plant manager Takahashi Takeshi. It also cites that the radiation from the Daiichi plant has covered eight percent of the entire country with emptied towns and contaminated farmlands.

The article provides information on Fukushima nuclear crisis amidst the lies and misinformation. It discusses the key question for Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO) regarding to the extent of damage inflicted on the Daiichi plant before the first tsunami reached the plant 40 minutes after the earthquake. According to government spokesman Edano Yukio, there has been no meltdown. The suspicion that the quake caused severe damage to the reactors is strengthened by reports that radiation leaked from the plant minutes later, according to the author.

An interview with Watanabe Atsushi, an ordinary Japanese main in his 20s, is presented. When asked why he is using a pseudonym, he refers to his employer's lack of permission to give media interviews. He believes that it was a natural choice for him to work as a maintenance worker at Daiichi nuclear plant. He says that he thought that they were on a mission to provide safe power for Japan, and was proud of it.

The article explores the impact of the Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan on the nuclear power agenda of the government of Japan, as well as the government of Great Britain. It relates that several countries have decided to abandon plans of building nuclear power following the Fukushima incident, including Germany and Italy. It discusses how the British government manipulated information to convince the public that post-Fukushima nuclear power is safe. It reveals that Kyushu Electric Power Co. had manipulated the debate on whether to restart two suspended nuclear reactors in the Saga Prefecture of Japan which prompted the mayor of Genkai, Kishimoto Hideo to approve the restart of the reactors.

The article reports on the implications of the nuclear meltdown in the Fukushima prefecture in Japan after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami. It highlights the uncertainty facing the residents of Fukushima who were asked by the central government to leave after the International Atomic Energy Agency warned of exceeding radiation limits for cesium and other toxins. Farmers claim that their produce is safe for consumption but they blame the country for being hysterical about the contamination.

The article focuses on the implications of the decision of Japanese Prime Minister Kan Naoto to ask for the closure of the Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant. The first two reactors of the power plant were already online before modern seismology developed an accurate study of earthquake activity in the area. According to studies, a possible 8-magnitude earthquake would also lead a Fukushima-scale accident in Hamaoka and would signal the collapse of Japan. Chubu has announced a delay in building the sixth reactor in Hamaoka after the Fukushina nuclear crisis.

The article discusses the intensifying political tremors in the Fukushima Prefecture as thousands of parents in the area demand that the government of Japanese Prime Minister Kan Naoto reverse a decision to increase radiation limits for schools in the area by 20 times. It cites the resignation of the government advisor Kosako Toshiso who denounced the prime minister's "whack-a-mole" policies on the crisis and pointed out that the increased acceptable annual radiation exposure is inconsistent with internationally commonsensical figures. It mentions plans by parents and lobbyists to meet with government bureaucrats on May 2, 2011 to demand the withdrawal of the radiation standard.

The article discusses the warning of Sato Eisaku, former governor of Fukushima Prefecture, Japan from 1988 to 2006, on the Fukushima nuclear plant owned by the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco). He had received 21 problems in the plant between 2002 and 2006 unreported by Tepco and Japan's Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency (NISA) that turned Eisaku from an initial enthusiast to a bitter critic of the plant and Japan's energy policy. The article also enumerates the ill effects of the March 11, 2011 nuclear crisis in the Daiichi power plant complex.

The article features Mayor Sakurai Katsunobo of Minami-Soma City in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan whose 11-minute video on YouTube pleading for help after his city's coast was pulverised in the quake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 scored 200,000 hits and sparked a worldwide relief effort. It mentions that Takaki Issei, an official of the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (Tepco), was seconded to the city to report daily the efforts to stop radiation leaks from the nuclear reactors. The article also reports about the updates on the city one month after the disaster.

The article reports on the effect of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Minami-Soma City which is near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant in Japan. Minami-Soma Mayor Katsunobu Sakurai posted a video on the Web site YouTube which shows him asking for assistance. According to Sakurai, the government ordered the locals to stay indoors, and the city was left isolated without food or fuel. Issei Takaki, an official from the Tokyo Electric Power Co. (TEPCO), has given daily reports to the mayor following the video's release. Although the radiation from the plant is low, Sakurai says that Japan must stop building nuclear plants because radiation's effects are worldwide.