Why the Kuril Islands matter
The new American administration is expected to pressure Russia to return the Kuril Islands to Japan. Moscow has already started deploying modern sophisticated weapons to the region, while Washington...
Tag: japan
An Orwhalean Dystopia: The Cultural Significance of Japanese Whaling
Whaling has been a major part of Japanese culture for well over 1,000 years. In times gone, an old Japanese proverb spoke to the efficiency of the practice: "There's nothing to throw away from a...
Must reads: Parenting, A.A., othorexia, counterfeiting
Before we delve into the posts we’re reading and loving elsewhere on the internet, don’t miss Philippa Willits on the case for abolishing marriage. And subscribe to the Global Comment podcast on...
More than a “Suicide Forest”: Logan Paul, Aokigahara, and the Complicated Stigma of Suicide in Japan
In Japan, NHK (Japan’s public broadcasting organization) produces a program called Cool Japan. In it, new transplants to Japan are taken on cultural field trips around the country. In the...
Forget Godzilla: Let’s talk about Ghidorah
In November, we celebrated Godzilla's 63rd birthday. The big guy with atomic breath is still going strong with his recent series reboots in Japan and in the United States. Doesn’t look a day over...
Must reads: Olympics, comfort women, Boko Haram, and more
Casting about for something to read today? We have you covered with commentary and news from across the globe, and as always, we're interested in hearing about what you're enjoying as well! Drop a...
Disability Hate Leads to Mass Murder in Japan
In the early hours of Tuesday morning, 19 men and women were stabbed to death, and 25 others wounded, in the Tsukui Yamayuri-En centre for disabled people in Sagamihara near Tokyo, Japan. The...
Global Comment must-reads for the week
Happy Leap Day from Global Comment! Your US-based Editor in Chief is gearing up for Super Tuesday and critical primaries in the morning, but before tucking into bed, how about some lovely reading to...
Eating Out In Tokyo: A Tourist’s Guide
It’s early afternoon when we finally work our way through the line at Ran Sushi to take seats at the bar, where the two chefs work deftly as they slice through fish at almost lightning speed,...
Is Angelina Jolie’s Unbroken Racist?
Nobody can say that Angelina Jolie doesn't love her subjects. Watching Jolie's Unbroken, a WW2 drama about US soldier Louis Zamperini’s imprisonment in a Japanese labor camp, it was impossible not...