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90,000 commuters affected as WWII shell disposed of in Tokyo

An unexploded bomb from WWII being discovered in one of the biggest cities in the world might seem unusual, but at this point in history it’s almost a routine; so routine, in fact, that the Japanese Self-Defense Force disposed of the device in three hours flat. I can’t think of anything more badass than getting rid of a bomb in as much time as it takes to watch The Fellowship of the Ring. [via Reddit]

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Gangsters busted for extorting deaf Tokyo man with sign language : On some level, I guess it’s good that the yakuza don’t discriminate; they extort everybody even disabled people. But this story of two deaf yakuza henchmen extorting a 75-year-old deaf man is tragically comic and downright despicable.

Yen Strengthens Again, in Challenge for Abe: It seems as if the yen giveth, and the yen taketh away. After months of phenomenal market performances and a cheaper yen, it seems as if the economy is bouncing back from the early, incredible effects of Abenomics. You mean to tell me that the economy is complex, unpredictable entity? I’m shocked, shocked I say!

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Japan tests 310mph bullet train : As I plod along on my commuter train into Tofugu World Headquarters every day, I wonder what it would be like to have the kind of train technology they have in Japan. By 2027, Japan will see the deployment of high-speed maglev trains that are capable of speeds of up to 300 mph (about 500 kph). [via Reddit]

TV icon Hard Gay thrusts into the world of professional modeling: Everybody knows about Hard Gay, Japan’s leather-clad, air-humping former pro-wrestler and TV talent; but for better or worse, Hard Gay’s alter ego Masaki Sumitani is looking to shed that image. Instead, Sumitani is trying to break into the modeling world, showing off his, some would say, hard physique. フォ〜！

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English Teacher Shows Porn DVD To Students By Accident

Being a teacher must be hard enough worrying about things like lesson plans and schedules and all of the mundane parts of getting kids to sit still and learn every day. So I’m a little sympathetic that one English teacher in Japan mixed up a DVD of The Sound of Music that he wanted to show his class with a more adult film. At the very least, I’m sure that the kids learned something that day.

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China Refuses to Confirm Okinawa Island Belongs to Japanese

Japan and China have feuded over islands in the Sea of Japan for as long as anybody can remember, but it’s always been over minor, fringe islands. It seems as if China isn’t content with that, as it’s now beginning to eye Okinawa, an island that’s more or less been indisputably Japan’s for over a century. Next up: China claims that historically, Tokyo has always been a part of China. [via Reddit]

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Donald Keene’s Latest Japanese Adventure: Donald Keene is the oldest of the old school of Japanophiles. He was awarded the Order of the Rising Sun before you were an otaku-tinted twinkle in your father’s eye. Keene is now trying out something new and very Japanese: adult adoption. The Donald adopted a friend 20 years his junior as a practical way of dealing with getting older. Can he adopt me, too?

VIDEO: “Invader Invader”, the New PV from Kyary Pamyu Pamyu: It might not seem like news that a Japanese musician has a new single out, but when that Japanese musician is pop superstar Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, I’ll make an exception. I haven’t watched the PV (promotional video) yet, but I’m guessing that there are brightly colored outfits, cute imagery, and bizarre happenings. (I joke because I love.)

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Japan Says It Will Abide by Apologies Over Actions in World War II: One of the hot-button issues in Asian politics has long been Japan apologizing for its aggression in WWII. Lately, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been worrying people at home and abroad for hinting that the Japanese government might take back its landmark 1995 apology for its wartime actions. Fortunately, a minister in the Abe cabinet has reassured the public that the government has no plans for such a reversal.

Yen Hits Century Mark the Old-Fashioned Way: The yen has been promising to hit the oh-so-significant ¥100=$1USD mark for months now but, yesterday, it finally did it. And, surprisinly, it wasn’t Abenomics that pushed the yen over the top—it was some anonymous currency trader doing a series of massive transactions that finally pushed the yen over the top.

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Author Murakami makes first Japan public appearance in 18 years

Haruki Murakami is a strange breed. Even though he’s far and away Japan’s most famous author, he’s not really that Japanese. He’s lived for a while outside of Japan, wrote his first novel in English, and is generally not that fond of publicity in his homeland. Now, after nearly two decades of public silence in japan, he’s making a public appearance to promote his new book, Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. [via News On Japan]

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Japan PM: Women, advanced technology key to restoring economy: Japan’s economy has been in the doldrums for decades, but prime minister Shinzo Abe’s set of economic policies known as “Abenomics” has been trying to fix all of that. Part of Abe’s plan to jump start Japan’s economy includes accomodating mothers in the work place, encouraging shorter working hours and on-site daycare centers for workplaces. While it all sounds good in theory, whether or not Japanese companies will implement these practices remains unclear. [via Reddit]

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Revisiting a Constitution Crafted ‘in a Week’: It’s always struck me as odd that while the US has amended its constitution a whopping 17 times, the modern-day Japanese constitution has remained exactly the same since its inception in the postwar years. But now, Japanese Prime Minister and his LDP are considering changing the cornerstone of Japanese law for the first time in more than seven decades. First amendment planned? “Soft subs only.”

Majority oppose 24 hour buses and trains: Even though the newly-proposed later bus hours have been getting a lot of favorable press in the West, Japanese people aren’t as keen on the prospect. In fact, a majority of Japanese people polled in an online survey say that 24 hour public transit is unnecessary. What makes them say that? Noise, traffic, or price, nobody knows for sure; all we know if that you may still have to catch that early bus home from your nomihodia.

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Live Action Kiki’s Delivery Service: Studio Ghibli has been known for decades as an animation powerhouse, but now the house that Miyazaki built is trying its hand at something new—live action. For its first foray into the live action, Ghibli is revisiting an old classic, Kiki’s Delivery Service. What comes after live action movies for Ghibli? Maybe a 4DX version of My Neighbor Totoro where you can feel like you’re actually riding the cat bus. One can only hope.

AKB48′s Tomomi Kasai in fling with president of AKS management agency: Japanese idol groups sometimes forbid its members from any sort of romantic relationship, as was made extremely clear last year when an AKB48 starlet was demoted for a relationship with Koichi an unknown man. But it seems when the relationship involves a group’s manager, the rules can be bent a bit. Somehow , I’m unsurprised that idol group management plays fast and loose with the rules.[via ]

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Scientist Says Pollution From China Is Killing a Japanese Island’s Trees: As China’s air slowly turns into a toxic grey soup, Japan might be beginning to feel real consequences from its neighbor’s pollution. Ancient trees are dying off in the southern islands of Japan and some scientists are beginning to believe that China’s industrial waste is to blame. It’s chilling to think that what’s happening to trees hundreds of miles away must pale in comparison to what’s happening in China.

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Part of Abenomics has been the weakening of the yen. The yen has been losing value steadily for the last few months, and last week, it even briefly reached ¥100 = $1 USD. Nothing special happens if the exchange rate hits that mark, but it’s symbolically significant. Nice, round, even numbers always make people happy.

Beyond the significance of a ¥100 to $1 exchange rate, there are lots of implications to a weak yen. A lot of people automatically assume that a weak yen is a Bad Thing. After all, it’s weak! Weak is bad, right? It’s a little more complicated than that.

We’ve talked before about the bigger implications of Abenomics but, frankly, I’m sure not many of you care that much. You’re probably not an economist, and not a lot of this affects you directly.

So I thought it might be helpful to take a look at how ordinary people are affected by Abenomics and the weak yen.

To a Foreigner

Chances are, if you’re reading this you probably live outside of Japan. In that case, good news! The weak yen is pretty much an all-around Good Thing for you. Foreigners, for the most part, benefit a lot from the weak yen.

Let’s say that you like to buy things from Japan, whether it’s a book, CD, skein of yarn or anything else. A weak yen means that these things are going to be relatively cheaper for you, so you’ll be able to buy more of your precious, precious anime.

If you’re planning on visiting Japan sometime in the near future, then even better! A weaker yen probably works in your favor. As you exchange the currency from your home country into yen, the exchange rate should favor you and give you more bang for the buck.

The only bad situation for a foreigner that I can think of is if your business depends on people in Japan buying your product. A weak yen means that the exchange rate hurts Japanese people trying to buy foreign products, but I imagine that this applies to few people reading this.

To Somebody Living in Japan

If you’re living in Japan, then the weak yen is kind of a mixed bag. The yen you earn in Japan is worth less abroad, so importing things from overseas is more expensive. Good luck getting those exotic Western animation DVDs!

But the weak yen can also be beneficial to people in Japan. If you work for a company that relies on exporting things outta Japan, then good news—people abroad will be able to buy more of your products since they’re (relatively) cheaper.

This is pretty common. Japan’s economy has historically been export-based, so many Japanese companies benefit from the weak yen. You can see some of the positive effects on Japanese companies as the Nikkei has steadily risen in the last few months.

Where Does It Go From Here?

In a nutshell, that’s how the weak yen should affect you right now.

But this is an incredibly simplified overview of the weakening of the yen. As its value goes down more and more, its more complicated effects will emerge. And who knows? In a few months, the story of the yen might make us all wonder what the hell a Bitcoin is.

Header photo by epSos.de