Softening the Soft Lockdown
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported in the first half of May 2020.
Tag Archives: Donald Trump
Misreporting, Bias, and Fake News
Defense Minister Taro Kono’s denunciation of NHK and the mainstream news media as “fake news” for reporting that his ministry had decided to give up the Araya Training Area in Akita city as host for an Aegis Ashore facility was a cynical ploy on his part, but it did highlight once again that many people misunderstand the news media in rather fundamental ways.
Expanding the State of Emergency
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported in the last half of April 2020.
Tokyo Sinks into Covid-19 Crisis
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported in the last half of March 2020.
Visible Minorities: No Free Pass for Shirking Responsibility
There’s an oft-used expression in Japanese: sekinin tenka. Best translated as “passing the buck,” it’s a reflex of dodging blame for one’s own actions by transferring responsibility to others. For too long, Japan has done so on the world stage with impunity—even when it affects the world adversely.
The Covid-19 Crisis Stabilizes
SNA (Tokyo) — The following stories were reported in the first half of March 2020 by the Shingetsu News Agency. Rolling Coverage: Covid-19 —The Sakhalin authorities have requested that the Russian central government restrict all air and sea transport connections with Hokkaido from March 5
The WHO Chief is a Political Hack
The Covid-19 crisis has elevated the visibility of the World Health Organization (WHO) as never before. Indeed, this may be the very first time that a bureaucratic agency of the United Nations, not the Security Council or General Assembly, has become a focus of global media attention. It is quite unfortunate, then, that the WHO’s main face at this crucial juncture has turned out to be a political hack.
Covid-19 Mismanagement Puts Abe Regime on the Ropes
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported in the last half of February 2020.
Diamond Princess Puts Japan Under the Microscope
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported in the first half of February 2020.
Document: Political Mission of the Japan Communist Party
Whereas most Japanese political parties, whether the ruling conservatives or the mainstream opposition, effectively have little in the way of fixed party policies, the Japan Communist Party, the nation’s oldest political party, is very different, taking its own platforms very seriously.
