Philip Brasor - The Japan Times

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Mar 30, 2019

Will Japan finally promote its female politicians?

Japan has one of the lowest participation rates of women in national parliaments in the world, but a law is meant to remedy this deficit, even if it includes no enforceable quotas or penalties.

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Mar 23, 2019

Idols and agencies in Japan navigate a brand new landscape

Television personality Masahiro Nakai made an appearance as a "surprise guest" on the March 10 installment of Nippon TV's law-related variety show, "Gyoretsu no Dekiru Horitsu Sodanjo" (“Line-up Law Office”). Earlier, guest Koji Kato had related an anecdote featuring Shingo Katori, Nakai's former...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Mar 16, 2019

News outlets gloss over South Korea friction

March 1 marked the 100th anniversary of a speech given by a student in a Seoul park declaring Korean independence. To commemorate the event, South Korean President Moon Jae-in delivered an address in which he called for strengthening bonds between Japan and South Korea, which are severely frayed at present...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Mar 9, 2019

Just how convenient are convenience stores in Japan?

The recent trend of online videos showing "baito tero," or "part-timer terrorism," enacted by part-time workers has sparked another media discussion about the plight of low wage earners. Most of these videos were recorded by people working in food-related businesses, and explanations for why they are...

JAPAN / YEN FOR LIVING

Mar 5, 2019

Japan's tax laws get in way of more women working full time

One of the key elements of the Abe administration's efforts to stimulate the economy is getting more women into the workforce. As it stands, Japan has one of the highest rates of working women in the developed world, so the problem is not so much jobs but rather the quality of the jobs women get and...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Mar 2, 2019

NHK's restructuring plan sparks concern over influence

In a recent post for the progressive website Common Dreams, consumer advocate and one-time presidential candidate Ralph Nader bemoaned public broadcasting in the United States. Created by the government "to provide serious programming without any advertisements," the Public Broadcasting Service and National...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Feb 23, 2019

Leopalace21 scandal highlights the risk tenants face in Japan compared to building owners

The theme of the Nippon Television series "Shiawase! Bonbi Girl" (“Happy Poor Girls”) is one of the most resilient on Japanese television: People of limited means getting by. As the title indicates, the subject is young women and one of the regular segments, "Jokyo Girl," highlights a young woman...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Feb 16, 2019

Are press activities being undermined in Japan?

The Foreign Ministry ordered freelance journalist Kosuke Tsuneoka to surrender his passport after he tried to leave Japan on Feb. 2 for Yemen, which is in the midst of a civil war. The ostensible reason for the order is that Tsuneoka in January attempted to travel to Yemen through Oman, which refused...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Feb 9, 2019

News outlets' coverage of abuse cases can make the situation worse

In her 2017 book, "Thinking About Child Abuse,” Haru Sugiyama describes her correspondence with Yukihiro Saito, who is serving a lengthy sentence for causing the death of his 5-year-old son, Riku, in the mid-2000s through neglect. In his letters, Saito expresses regret, but also says his memories about...

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Feb 8, 2019

Examining the high price of Japan's water systems

When we were negotiating for the purchase of a piece of land, the realtor told us that the lot we were interested in had no access to public waterworks, which meant we would have to dig a well. At first, this aspect seemed like a demerit, since hiring a company to dig the well would cost more than ¥400,000...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Feb 2, 2019

Tabloid's objectification of women continues to stir controversy

The weekly magazine Spa has apologized for an article it published in December that ranked universities in terms of how easy it is to get their female students into bed. The article generated backlash but the apology was issued in response to a petition that had been drawn up in protest.

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Jan 26, 2019

Isle dispute with Russia tied to base issues, argues author Koji Yabe

There seems to be little chance that Russia will ever give back any part of the four islands it seized from Japan at the end of World War II, but the Japanese government, as well as some mainstream media, continues to act as if the possibility exists. Prior to last week's meeting between Prime Minister...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Jan 19, 2019

Hitachi chief's remarks on nuclear industry spark debate

On Jan. 1, Hiroaki Nakanishi, chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren), held press interviews on the outlook of the business community and, at one point, the discussion turned to nuclear energy.

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Jan 12, 2019

Japan's vernacular press coverage tiptoes around tattoo controversy

Before the Olympic Games come to Tokyo in the summer of 2020, Japan will get a chance to prove its mettle as an international sporting events host with the Rugby World Cup this fall. The games will be spread out among 12 stadiums nationwide, which means the whole country will be the focus rather than...

BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING

Jan 11, 2019

In 2019, how hungry is Japan for whale meat?

Japan is currently the object of criticism for its decision to leave the International Whaling Commission, and resume commercial whaling in territorial waters and its own exclusive economic zone. People who support the move cite either cultural reasons — Japan traditionally, they assert, is a whale-eating...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Jan 5, 2019

Internet rightists' strategy of provocation gaining traction in Japan

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Dec 29, 2018

Heisei Era a bumpy ride for Japan's media organizations

The media is busy assessing the Heisei Era as it comes to a close. Although not as dramatic as the Showa Era, it's been a bumpy ride. Japan still hasn't gotten the hang of this democracy thing, and an engaged, objective press is essential to a functioning democracy. As the following rundown illustrates,...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Dec 22, 2018

Rationale for extending Japan's copyright protections unclear

Several weeks ago, I was surprised to read that a revision to the copyright law would go into effect on Dec. 30, extending the current protection period from 50 years after an author's death to 70 years. When the extension was first discussed as part of the original 12-member Trans-Pacific Partnership...

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Dec 15, 2018

Carlos Ghosn's arrest spurs debate on executive salaries in Japan

On Dec. 10, Masaaki Tanaka, former vice president of Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, told a news conference he would step down as president and CEO of Japan Investment Corp., an entity set up by the government in September to develop new industries through capital investment.

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX

Dec 8, 2018

Korean wartime labor rulings spark debate

The 2017 South Korean film, "The Battleship Island," has yet to receive a theatrical release in Japan, even though it's set on Hashima, more commonly known as Gunkanjima, a former mining complex off the coast of Kyushu and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Given the current diplomatic tensions between Japan...

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