Disasters South and North
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on September 8, 2018.
UN Committee Urges Abe Government to Address Comfort Women Issue
The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) advised the government of Japan to take a more active stance towards the Comfort Women matter. The UN report was published on August 30, and it called for a “lasting solution” based on “a victim-centered approach.”
Japan Spacecraft Collects Samples from Asteroid’s Surface
Since the launch of the Hayabusa-2 spacecraft from the Tanegashima Launch Center into space in 2014, and after its three-and-a-half-year journey, it finally reached its destination—an asteroid called Ryugu.
Japanese Destroyers Head to the South China Sea
Japan has launched three military ships into the South China Sea, a move which could potentially stoke tensions with its giant Asian neighbor.
Time to Give Fox News the Boot
When is the news media not the news media? It’s when its adherence to a political ideology comes before its responsibility to inform the public about the realities of current affairs. It’s when it becomes more comfortable lying to keep a friendly regime in power than serving as a watchdog for the public interest. In that sense, Fox News has never qualified as a news organization.
Japan Urged to Address Discrimination Issues
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported on August 31, 2018.
The Artistry of Ice Cream
For some people in Japan, ice cream is not just a dessert, but an art form all of its own.
Japan Contradicts US Foreign Policy on Palestinians
This week Japan will be extending its support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA)—an act which goes against the foreign policy of the Trump administration.
Outlawing the Terminators
Terminators are closer to becoming a reality than most people realize. Killer robots are being developed around the world as next generation weapon systems. If this trend goes unchecked, experts say it could jeopardize international security and, in the long run, perhaps pose a threat to the future of humanity itself.
Defrauding the Tsunami Victims
Two Director-Generals of the Fisheries Agency from 2011 and 2012, Masanori Sato and Kazuyoshi Honkawa, have been accused of taking funds from the victims of the 2011 tsunami and distributing them to the whaling industry. This is the contention of Ren Yabuki, the Director of the NGO Life Investigation Agency, and he has now launched a lawsuit against these officials.