| Jan 8, 2013

Xenophobia finds fertile soil in web anonymity

by Ayako Mie

As diplomatic strains with China and South Korea worsen over territorial disputes, more and more Japanese are using the relative anonymity of cyberspace to vent their political spleens online. Enter “Net uyoku,” the people who freely post their ultranationalistic, xenophobic bluster online. Here is ...

Hashimoto needs a much thicker skin

| Oct 28, 2012

Hashimoto needs a much thicker skin

by Philip Brasor

There is a breed of political reporter that thrives on misanthropy. These journalists have no use for empathy when trying to understand issues or individuals. They are only stimulated by acrimony, by the need to reveal the darkest impulses of human endeavor. H.L. Mencken, ...

| Jun 27, 2004

Korean wave may help erode discrimination

by Philip Brasor

Though a lot of people are tired of the guy by now, there’s something encouraging about the inexhaustible, Beatlemaniacal attention being paid to Korean star Bae Yong Joon. Bae’s popularity is merely the most prominent feature of the current kanryu (Korean wave) boom, but ...