North Korea hasn’t forgiven Japan’s invasion and occupation of the Korean peninsula, and still views Japan as its biggest enemy. In the past, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea has kidnapped and killed Japanese citizens and threatened to nuke Japan into oblivion.

Given that history, it’s amazing that a Japanese man is one of the biggest confidants of the Kim family, and has become a linchpin between Japan and North Korea. That man? Kenji Fujimoto, a sushi chef who’s been serving the Kims on and off for over two decades.

Fujimoto’s fashion sense: WWE wrestler meets aging sushi chef

Fujimoto (not his real name) knows more about the inner workings of North Korea than most governments. After living in the DPRK and gaining the trust of Dear Leader Kim Jong-il, Fujimoto’s wealth of knowledge about the country has helped Japan—and the world at large—understand more about the hermit kingdom.

Even high-level Japanese officials like Isao Iijima, who visited North Korea earlier this year, don’t have the kind of access that Fujimoto has to DPRK’s ruling Kim family. Nobody outside of the North Korea knew current leader Kim Jong-un’s age (about 30) until Fujimoto casually mentioned it at a press conference.

Fujimoto’s unique knowledge and experiences have made him a minor celebrity in Japan; after leaving North Korea over a decade ago Fujimoto hasn’t worked a normal job, instead living off of book deals, interviews, and TV appearances.

Earlier this week, GQ released a new interview with Fujimoto. The interview is great not only for people who’ve never heard of Fujimoto before, but also for those (like myself) who are familiar with Fujimoto and his time in North Korea, but don’t know some of the nitty-gritty details.

Fujimoto covers his childhood, his first foray into the DPRK, his friendship with Dear Leader Kim Jong-il, and taking care of Kim Jong-il’s sons, including current leader Kim Jong-un.

Kim Jong-un was apparently introduced to his favorite basketball team, the Chicago Bulls, by Fujimoto, who brought VHS tapes of the Bulls to North Korea for the Kim boys to watch.

Think of it—without Fujimoto, Dennis Rodman might never have visited North Korea.

That’s not a world I want to live in.

Kim. Rodman. Double Team 2. Summer 2014.

It’s fascinating to me to think about Fujimoto’s profound influence on North Korea, and what it means for the two countries. The DPRK has a reputation as being the most isolated country in the world, and Japan is North Korea’s number one enemy.

Despite all that, North Korea and Japan can’t shake each other. If one Japanese man can have such a profound influence the supposedly closed off country of North Korea, it’s impossible to deny the interdependent relationship between Japan and North Korea.

The two have hundreds of years of history together and the actions and policies of each country affect the other more than they might care to admit.

But the most interesting thing to me about the GQ interview is that not only does Fujimoto plan to return to North Korea, but he wants to switch up his cooking. Instead of making sushi in North Korea, he wants to try his hand at making ramen.

Maybe this is interesting to me because it means that Fujimoto has emotionally moved on from Kim Jong-il, who loved sushi; maybe it’s because it marks ramen replacing sushi as Japan’s national dish; or maybe it’s because I just love ramen.

Probably the latter.

Read the GQ interview if you haven’t already to read more about Fujimoto and his life in North Korea.

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

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

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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Putin posts photos of puppy gifted from Akita Prefecture: Last year Russian President Vladmir Putin was gifted an adorable Akita puppy from the governor of the Akita Prefecture. In what’s presumably a gesture to show that he hasn’t had the dog killed or jailed, Putin posted pictures of him frolicking in the snow with the Akita and another. See, scary authoritarian leaders can have a soft side, too! [via News On Japan][/threecol_two] [threecol_one_last]

Sukiya, Matsuya to cut ‘gyudon’ prices: What’s better than the cheap, cheap beef bowls (AKA gyudon) from Japanese fast food giants Sukiya and Matsuya? How about even cheaper beef bowls from Sukiya and Matsuya? Word is still out if gyudon rival Yoshinoya will follow suit, but one thing’s clear: everybody’s winning (but the cows). [via News On Japan]

Boar rampage leaves eight hurt in Hyogo town: Even though people like to portray Japan as a hyper-futuristic megaopolis, the country still faces problems that it’s faced for centuries. One such example is wild boars, one of which ravaged a town in Hyogo prefecture, injuring eight people. No matter how advanced your country’s toilets are, it’s still hard to stop a 200lb boar. [via News On Japan]

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Why Japan is the most interesting story in global economics right now: As the yen is reaching towards ¥100 to $1 USD, people all over the world are watching intently to see what the results of Japan’s dramatic economic policies will be. Since Japan’s situation is so similar to that of other industrialized countries, its economic experiment could have huge implications elsewhere in the world. No pressure, guys! [via Twitter]

Japan outranks U.S. as world’s biggest recorded music market: After years of people screaming that the music industry is dying, Japan is showing ample evidence that it’s still very much alive and kicking. More surprising than that, Japan has not only surpassed the United States as the largest consumer of recorded music, but a lot of that is still CDs. Gotta get those AKB48 handshakes somehow!

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Japan deploys Patriot antimissile system in downtown Tokyo: As Kim Jong-un continues to throw a global temper tantrum, North Korea’s neighbors have to make contingency plans, just in case the DPRK accidentally launches a successful attack. In Japan’s case, it’s set up anti-missile system throughout the country in major cities. More advanced, robotic solutions, are undoubtedly in development as we speak. [via Reddit]
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