Visible Minorities: Non-Japanese Residents Claim Political Power
Non-Japanese politicians find that they must be the change which they hope to bring to the country.
Tag Archives: New York City (New York)
Operation Lone Star Boosts Republicans
While it is on dubious legal and sometimes factual ground, Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s “Operation Lone Star” looks to be a political winner in 2024, causing headaches for US Democrats both at the national and local levels.
Redefining the Global Majority as “Anti-Semitic”
The US House of Representatives passed a resolution last week which redefined the term anti-Semitism in such a manner to brand billions of people—probably the global majority—as being “anti-Semites.”
Israel Carrying Out “Textbook Case of Genocide”
Craig Mokhiber stepped down from his position as director of the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, posting a letter to his boss accusing Israel of carrying out “a textbook case of genocide” in Gaza and the West Bank.
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.
Visible Minorities: Salute to the Author of Cartels of the Mind
Ivan Parker Hall, author of landmark book Cartels of the Mind: Japan’s Intellectual Closed Shop, died in Berlin on February 1, 2023, at age 90.
Battling for Democracy in Peru
Civil society groups in Peru are calling for a national strike against the unelected interim President Dina Boluarte, while international progressives, including current and former Latin American leaders, see the hand of rightwing groups and the US government behind the attempted overthrow of the popular will.
Death Toll Mounts in Iran Protests
Demonstrations against Iran’s authoritarian regime have continued for nearly two months in spite of the rising number of people killed by state forces and the Iranian parliament’s recent vote to execute protesters.
SoftBank Financialization Throttles US Local News Media
SoftBank Group, Japan’s second-largest public company, has quietly acquired a massive stake in US local media over the past few years. It is part of the financialization movement which critics argue is hollowing out local news media and eroding the nation’s democracy.
Karen Hill Anton: Hope, Strength, Grace
Breast Pocket Mountain by Karen Hill Anton tells a story of self-discovery in rural Japan, which fills the reader with hope. Karen, a New Yorker, ends up raising a bicultural family, becomes a writer for the Japan Times, a teacher of modern dance, and a Shodo calligraphy practitioner of merit.
