Blinken Quietly Lobbies for Crackdown on Arabic News Media
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has reportedly lobbied the government of Qatar to crack down on free expression in the Arabic news media.
Damage from Fukushima Disaster Continues to Mount
Over twelve years have passed since the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, yet the human toll and financial burdens continue to grow.
Biden Losing Support Over Extreme Pro-Israel Stance
US President Joe Biden, already facing what increasingly appears to be an uphill battle to win reelection in November 2024, has further alienated much of the progressive wing of his Democratic Party with his extreme pro-Israel stance since the offensive launched by Hamas on October 7.
Mixed Court Ruling on Transgender Rights
The Supreme Court ruled that a law requiring surgery to remove a person’s reproductive capabilities to register a gender change was unconstitutional, but it upheld a requirement, at least temporarily, for transgender people to undergo surgery that alters the physical appearance of genitals.
Visible Minorities: Memory-Holing the “Japanese Only” Signs
Exclusionary businesses have a long history in Japan, and people seem to be forgetting it. Here’s a reminder from somebody who has studied them more than anybody.
Erdogan Denounces Israeli Military Action as “Barbaric”
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has publicly rejected the notion that the continuing Israeli military attacks on Gaza represent a legitimate response to the threat of the Islamist Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Visible Minorities: Be Mindful About Cultural Education
Japan’s internationalization is inevitable. So is teaching Japan’s future generations of diversity. If done wrong, educating about Japanese culture and society could do more harm than good.
Haitian Support Growing for Military Intervention
Haiti is currently facing its highest levels of gang violence in recent years, prompting the country’s self-proclaimed prime minister to seek foreign intervention. Despite the complications and failures of previous interventions, recent surveys indicate that both citizens and local charities might be open to this approach.
Visible Minorities: Citizenship and Authoritarian Racism
Authoritarians are once again trying to racialize citizenship. In Asia, that’s quite normal. The problem is that conservative movements worldwide are similarly trying to shore up their dwindling popularity by undemocratically disenfranchising the very immigrants they had once invited over.
Video Game Triggers Racism Debate in Japan
A popular video game set in a fantasy world triggered an online debate among Japanese, highlighting ideas and social attitudes regarding anti-black racism.