Visible Minorities: “Overtourism” As Racism
Some Japanese need to stop blaming the tourists for doing what they asked them to do—come here and enjoy themselves.
Tag Archives: Yen
Japan Becoming Military Spending Great Power
Japan plans to massively increase its defense budget over the next four years, climbing into the ranks of the highest-funded national militaries. Depending on developments–and future currency exchange rates–there is even the possibility that Japan could soon rank as the No. 3 military in the world as measured by its budget.
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.
An Epitaph for Kishida’s New Capitalism
The Kishida government has declared that all Japan taxpayers have a “responsibility” to support its policy of dramatically increasing military expenditures, accepting the premise that Japan’s neighbors are likely to launch an armed attack unless deterred from doing so. This marks the effective end of “New Capitalism.”
Working Timeline of Covid-19 in Japan
The Covid-19 crisis became a dominating issue for the world, and Japan is no exception. This is a timeline of the events so far.
Bread & Roses: Love and Money for a Japanese Princess
I wear two hats. My day job is teaching social security and labor law at a university. I also serve as executive president of a labor union. In this installment of the column, I will discuss my recent musings about welfare and the Imperial household.
Searching for Japan’s Covid-19 Transformations
Immediately after the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, many began to imagine a physically and conceptually transformed Tokyo. While we may be nowhere near the end of the slow-motion train wreck that is Covid-19, imagining a post-pandemic Japanese society that can benefit citizens is the beginning of revitalization, and hopefully, a more substantial set of transformations.
Indigenous Community Fights Eviction in Taiwanese City
For the past five years, the Kaohsiung municipal government has been evicting residents of a community known as the city’s oldest indigenous settlement. But even though their houses have largely been torn down, some of the residents still refuse to move.
Expanding the State of Emergency
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported in the last half of April 2020.
A One-Sided US-Japan Trade Agreement
A roundup of the most significant news stories from Japan reported in the second half of September 2019.
