Controversial Politicians, North Korea, and More [Sunday News]

by 15 Comments

Every Sunday we gather the week’s weird and interesting Japanese news and present it to you in our Sunday News column. It might not always be hard-hitting news, but we hope that it still informs and entertains you. Enjoy!

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Women Forced Into WWII Brothels Served Necessary Role, Osaka Mayor Says

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I could contextualize this story and tell you all about the history of WWII and Japan’s apologies and reactions since then, but all you need to know from this story is this: Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto is a huge turd. This is just the latest in a series of awful things he’s done and said, so any outrage I have at this is muted by Hashimoto’s sadly predictable behavior. Once a turd, always a turd.

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Japanese Aide Makes Rare Trip to North Korea: Every once in a while, Japan extends the olive branch to the hermit kingdom with the hopes that maybe someday, North Korea will play nicely with its neighbors. For the first time in a long time, a high-level representative from Japan is in the DPRK right now trying to make nice with the Kims. Good luck!

Japan Mulling Offering Fast-Track Entry to Foreign Travelers: Japan has discussed many options over the years to boost tourism (including giving away free airplane tickets), but the latest plan has been to offer the same accelerated entry into the country. Americans and Canadians already enjoy this convenience, but more countries are currently being considered. Fortunately for everybody, North Korea is currently at the bottom of the list.

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VIDEO: World Cosplay Summit 2013 Event Trailer: The World Cosplay Summit first caught my eye a few years ago when a Japanese governor and mayor cosplayed to promote the event. This year’s WCS isn’t until August, but it looks like promotion for the event has already begun. I hope that they can up the stakes a bit and convince the prime minister to dress up too.

Arctic Council Adds 6 Nations as Observer States, Including China: Recently the Arctic Council added six new countries as “observer states,” including Japan. What could Japan’s motivation be for joining the council? Maybe it’s more access to all of that delicious, delicious arctic whale.

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More Photos Of Abe Shinzo On Top Of Military Hardware

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Even though I never plan to run for elected office, I’ve learned one thing about being a politician: never, ever pose for a picture on a tank, plane, aircraft carrier, or any other military vehicle. Michael Dukakis and George W. Bush learned that years ago, and Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe is learning that posing on a fighter jet might not be the best idea. Just kiss a baby or something, dude.

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  • 古戸ヱリカ

    Photos Of Abe Shinzo On Top Of Military Hardware sounds like some Tumblr site. And by sounds like, I mean is.

    http://abeshinzoontopofmilitaryhardware.tumblr.com/

  • Vicky

    Interesting they wanna boost tourism but don’t want foreigners moving there lol

  • DAVIDPD

    What a chauvinistic pig.

  • http://twitter.com/SactoMan81 Raymond Chuang

    Wasn’t this the same mayor who waged a campaign against the traditional “bunraku” puppet theater in Osaka? And took a lot of political “heat” for doing so?

  • Henro 88

    The disgusting thing about Japan’s attitude towards the war is that they invaded and colonized Korea – tried to wipe out the Korean people, shipped them to Japan as slave laborers to drive the war effort – and now they all sit around wondering why Korea is so mad at them, and blaming all their local crime on “zainichi” Koreans – oblivious to the fact that any problems that the zainichi Koreans face was completely, 100% caused by Japan in the first place. EVEN IF the zainichi Koreans are causing problems in Japan (they aren’t), it would still be Japan’s fault in the first place for FORCING THEM to come here!

    Hashimoto is perhaps not representative of Japan as a whole – but in my experience, his flippant attitude towards the horrors Japan visited upon Asia is not uncommon. A lot of schools don’t even teach WWII history. As in, they don’t gloss over it or present a biased version of the history – they just plain don’t teach it. It’s like some vague myth to the children here, because they never, ever hear about it except when something like this happens or when A-Bomb Day rolls around again. And then, it’s just “Why does Korea hate us? Why did they drop the bomb on us?” And the adults just shrug – because they don’t know either, and everyone goes on with this vague idea that Japan is somehow the victim. Hashimoto probably doesn’t even know what year the war started or when it ended.

  • David Andrade

    The only thing I think is worse than the mayors words is how people in Asia think Japan has to “Atone” for their actions in WWII, Different people are in charge, and times have changed. Forgive and forget, it’s this grudge holding that causes all kinda of problems for people.

  • http://www.tofugu.com/ Hashi

    Probably. He’s done so many terrible things at this point that I’ve basically lost track.

  • Mescale

    Generalising a whole population is a bit harsh.

    I mean that would make all Americans fat, genocidal, gun loving, xenophobes who only care about money and good teeth.

    I mean that might not be representative of America as a whole (e.g. not hashi) but in my experience all Americans are gits, who have no remorse over their countries flippant attitude to death and destruction that they peddle wholesale across the world, and have the balls to claim is freedom and liberty.

    See what I did there.

    You don’t know Japan, you don’t know Japanese people and what you have experienced is a narrow and very biased view of what Japan is. You are no better than Hashimoto spouting your hateful rhetoric with no idea of reality. We’re all just lucky you’re not a politician.

  • Henro 88

    Um…that’s why I said “in my experience.” This is…my experience. I never said it was true for the entire country. I didn’t generalize the whole population. I gave you what I know from my experience. If you disagree, try to, you know…give me some kind of counterpoint instead of just insulting me.

    “You don’t know Japan.” Oh, I don’t? And you do? Show me. So far you’ve said nothing to give me any confidence that YOU know the first thing about Japan. So, prove me wrong and make me look stupid in a blaze of facts about how much Japanese people know about their war.

    I gave you my experience. If you want to tell me how your experience is different, please do. I would welcome a correction to anything I said that was wrong.

  • Soapy Dishwater

    That Sunday news image is too hilarious to not have a wallpaper size.

  • Mescale

    I will give what you ask, but because I am the Gandalf of internet trolls, it will be in the form of a quest.

    Are you really who you want to be, really?

    You ran away from America because it was a bad place with bad people and bad things, and you went to somewhere else, maybe somewhere you thought was better but found it was just the same thing, only without central heating.

    You’re still in a bad place, a different place.

    Perception works in a biased way, you see what you look for, and if you look for bad things you’ll find them.

    Its really easy to make your life miserable, expect the worst and find it, is that how you want to live?

    It doesn’t matter if you’re in America or Japan, you need to change yourself. Try smiling, try to not think the worst of people. And try to look for good things. It isn’t about ignoring the bad things or pretending they don’t exist, its about finding a balance.

    You have a great chance in Japan to learn new things, meet new people and become more than you are. but you’ll have to leave your baggage behind, your preconceptions. Learn how to enjoy your life.

    I lived in Paris for 4 years, I didn’t learn the language, I didn’t experience the culture, I didn’t meet the people. I wasted 4 years of my life, and I wasted it in one of the most awesome places in the world. On my last day I walked around Paris, I experienced it, I enjoyed it, and I realised what I had missed.

    Don’t be that guy.(me) Be someone else.

    So your quest is to answer your own question, find the Japan you are sure doesn’t exist, find the facts that prove you are wrong.

    Peace out bruh.

  • Hito

    I dlisked the first half of your comment. I totally loved the second half. I take my hat to you, sir.

  • http://www.tofugu.com/ Hashi

    *drops the mic*

  • Henro88

    I’m really sorry to break this to you – truly sorry – life is hard,
    child (and I assume you are a child from your little naive rant there
    about “being who you want to be, life is full of sparkles and ponies” or
    whatever you’re on about). Japan is a real country with real problems.
    Understand that? REAL problems. As in…um…not in my head? Not some
    delusion of a bitter foreigner? As in…they are real.

    “Perception
    works in a biased way, you see what you look for, and if you look for
    bad things you’ll find them.” No, you blithering moron. SOME BAD THINGS
    ARE REAL.

    And GUESS WHAT: I have worked in international
    business. I am now working to teach young people to be fluent in English
    so that THEY can work in international business. I have seen and
    experienced the insularity of Japan’s thought; I have encountered her
    prejudices and racism first hand, and through friends. I have been
    hamstrung by people who have no interest in working with an overseas
    company on anything but their own, ethnocentric terms. I have seen many
    of Japan’s problems, and guess what: IT IS MY JOB TO HELP FIX JAPAN’S
    PROBLEMS. It is my job to help young people get over their own biases
    and prejudices – to work through the structure of their own language in
    order to better understand the structure of another. It is my job to
    help businesses understand how things work overseas and adapt to it.
    EVERY DAY of my life is spent wrestling not just with my own prejudices
    and biases, but with my STUDENTS’ and COWORKERS’ as well.

    That’s
    not even getting into my personal life and the struggles with having an
    international marriage and Japanese step-children. And if you had even
    the slightest notion of how HARD that is, you would not be spouting
    your feel-good nonsense. You talk about finding myself on some
    Gandalf-esque journey – son, I am in the MIDDLE of one, and I am at a
    much, much higher level than you will ever reach.

    So, yes. I am
    who I want to be. Calling out racism in my friends, family and students
    is absolutely, 100% who I want to be. If you don’t like it when I call
    out racism, then…well…gosh, you can go fuck yourself, I guess? I
    really don’t know what to say to someone who thinks racism is ok. I
    don’t know what to tell you. I really don’t. If you want to sit and tell
    me that the prejudices and racism I encounter are somehow in my head?
    In my perception? I can give a hearty fuck you to you. If you want to
    say that I shouldn’t call out racism, I can say you are wrong. But if
    you think racism is fine and dandy…then…you are beyond any words I
    can say to you.

  • Mescale

    I’m sorry you have such an awful existence that you can’t even imagine one which isn’t.

    I’m also sorry your reading comprehension is poor in English.

    With you being both highly bigoted and poor at Engish its kind of funny you are teaching students English and how not to be prejudiced, when it seems those are two of your weak points. Its no surprise Japan is in such a poor state.

    I guess the biggest problem with Japan is that it’s so bad at English it can’t hire any good English help. No wonder everyone thinks Gaijins are gits, I can see you’ll be doing all you can to avoid disabusing Japan of that notion.

    Also you smell of poo.