Tag - media-mix

 
 

MEDIA MIX

JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 25, 2020
Okinawa base debate ignores the bigger picture
Like many construction projects supported by the public sector, the new U.S. Marine Corps air base being built in the Henoko district of Nago, Okinawa Prefecture, has seen its budget skyrocket since it was first proposed and its completion date postponed. When the project was first announced jointly...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 18, 2020
Fleeing in Japan may be more common than many think
Having fled Japan while awaiting trial for alleged financial wrongdoing, former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn has probably become the most famous foreign national ever arrested in the country. For a while after his initial detention in November 2018, the media discussed Japan's so-called hostage justice system,...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 11, 2020
Japan Post Holdings drags its heels on insurance sales scandal
On Dec. 27, the top three executives of Japan Post Holdings Co. announced they would be resigning on Jan. 5 over the insurance sales scandal that first came to light more than a year and a half ago. The announcement comes on the heels of an order from the Financial Services Agency for subsidiaries of...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jan 4, 2020
Japan's bureaucrats take top news honors in 2019
A year ago, the big news story in Japan was former Nissan CEO Carlos Ghosn languishing in a jail cell while the media discussed whether he should be there, thus sparking an overdue discussion about the country's so-called hostage justice system. It was a nice discussion while it lasted. 
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 28, 2019
Tetsu Nakamura's death in Afghanistan exposes a gap of perception in Japan
Following the assassination of Dr. Tetsu Nakamura in Afghanistan earlier this month, the government of Afghanistan held a memorial ceremony for him as his body was delivered to the airplane that would take it out of the country. President Ashraf Ghani was one of the pallbearers. When Nakamura's coffin...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 21, 2019
Japan's treatment of freelancers comes under the microscope
Veteran British filmmaker Ken Loach's latest work, "Sorry We Missed You," which opened in Japan recently, is about the gig economy, the new employment environment surrounding companies like the ride-sharing service Uber that don't so much hire people as give them access to users.
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 14, 2019
News outlets miss pivotal factor in decision to shift 2020 Olympic events
When the International Olympic Committee announced that the marathon and race walk competitions for next year's Olympics would be moved to Hokkaido due to fears that the summer heat in Tokyo might be too intense, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike had no choice but to accept the directive, although she made a point...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Dec 7, 2019
News outlets take time to connect the dots in Kepco gift scandal
In September, media reported that 20 executives of Kansai Electric Power Co. (Kepco) had, for a decade or so, received almost ¥320 million worth of cash and gifts from Eiji Moriyama, the former deputy mayor of Takahama, Fukui Prefecture, who died in March at the age of 90. The compensation was presumably...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 30, 2019
Taro Yamamoto blurs the popular line on climate change
Climate change is not much of a social issue in Japan. Even in the wake of three recent weather-related disasters, there has been little discussion across the political spectrum that climate change contributed to them. In Europe and the United States, left-leaning groups demand action to mitigate the...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 23, 2019
Overuse of Japan's medical system may be complicating treatment
One of the criticisms of the “Medicare for All” government-run health care scheme proposed by U.S. Democratic presidential candidates Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren is that eliminating all limits to treatment would lead to "overuse" of the medical care system, meaning people would be seeing...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 16, 2019
Public divided over treatment of the homeless during Typhoon Hagibis
When Typhoon Hagibis struck Tokyo on Oct. 12, news emerged that three homeless people had been turned away from an emergency evacuation facility in Taito Ward. As the story spread, it varied in tone and content on social media. Some thought the persons refused entry were not actually homeless, while...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 9, 2019
Exploring the artistic subtleties at play behind the controversial Aichi Triennale exhibition
The Aichi Triennale arts festival closed on Oct. 14, and, along with it, a controversial exhibition titled "After 'Freedom of Expression?'", which had been temporarily shut down following threats of violence and complaints. The main point of contention was a statue of a Korean "comfort woman," the inclusion...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Nov 2, 2019
Questions raised over disaster preparedness in wake of Typhoon Hagibis
A remark commonly heard in Japan in the wake of a natural disaster is, “We couldn’t predict such a thing.” In the case of Typhoon Hagibis, which ravaged the eastern and northern parts of the archipelago in mid-October, the unpredictable thing was the amount of rainfall, which caused massive flooding...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 26, 2019
Staff shortages are imperiling Japan's teaching industry
Earlier this month, four teachers at an elementary school in Kobe were accused of repeatedly bullying four other teachers, as well as mistreating students. The alleged bullies have been suspended and at least one of the victims has taken sick leave because of the persecution. As a result, the school...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 19, 2019
Creating a barrier-free transportation environment in Japan
Not too long ago, domestic media organizations would rarely have anything negative to say about the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but as the actual games draw nearer, there's been a greater willingness to find fault with preparations and even raise a bit of alarm. Everything from Tokyo's deadly summertime heat...
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Oct 12, 2019
No clear picture on 4K and 8K display differences
One of the consumer items that enjoyed a bump in sales prior to this month's sales tax hike was TV sets, specifically those that feature 4K and 8K displays. In many cases, it simply appears the timing was right. Many households hadn't bought new televisions since the introduction of digital terrestrial...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 28, 2019
Cabinet reshuffle raises a slew of new questions
Since the new Cabinet was announced on Sept. 11, the focus has been on Shinjiro Koizumi as environment minister. Described by some as earnest but lacking in substantive ideas, the 38-year-old lawmaker has tried to make the most of the spotlight, commenting on Japan's role in addressing climate change...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 21, 2019
Confusion reigns over scope of the forthcoming tax hike
When the government raised the consumption tax from 5 percent to 8 percent in April 2014, Japan suffered a recession. One possible indicator if such a downturn will happen prior to next month's long-delayed hike to 10 percent is how much people are spending now in anticipation of the increase. On Sept....
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 14, 2019
Of cats and rabbits: UNESCO World Heritage candidate caught in a bind over tourism drive
UNESCO designates World Heritage sites in order to preserve cultural or natural assets deemed significant to humanity. The idea is to maintain these assets for future generations, but UNESCO itself doesn't pay for maintenance. It is up to the countries where the sites are located and UNESCO will remove...
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Sep 7, 2019
Uncovering Japan's involvement in the Korean War
Every August, NHK airs a lot of new documentaries to commemorate the end of World War II. The range of topics is not typically limited to events that happened in August 1945. This year's crop covered newspaper propaganda leading up to the war; the infamous attempted coup by idealistic young officers...

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Visitors walk past Sou Fujimoto's Grand Ring, which has been recognized as the largest wooden structure in the world.
Can a World Expo still matter? Japan is about to find out.