NEWSWORTHY
Hoop pioneer Wat Misaka reflects on breaking barriers in an incredible life
Wataru "Wat" Misaka never demanded the spotlight nor shouted from the roof tops seeking attention. But the reserved, humble man gained a measure of fame late in life when a documentary, "Transcending: The Wat Misaka Story," was released in 2008. As a result, younger generations ...
Russia said Monday it had built new barracks for troops on a disputed chain of islands near Japan and would build more facilities for armored vehicles, a move likely to anger Tokyo after it urged Moscow to reduce its military activity there. The announcement, from ...
'Tinian and the Bomb': Historical details shed light on one island's overlooked role in World War II
Along with unfamiliar historical details from the U.S. side, made possible through recent declassification of archival documents, Don A. Farrell's "Tinian and the Bomb" provides an account of how the use of atomic bombs influenced the Japanese government's decision to end the war.
Poland again demands reparations for World War II damage from Germany
Days before ministers from Berlin and Warsaw will sit down for bilateral talks, Polish President Andrzej Duda on Sunday repeated his country's demand for Germany to pay reparations over World War II. "In my view, reparations payments are not a topic that's been dealt with," ...
Around 70 Japanese lawmakers visit war-linked Yasukuni Shrine for autumn festival
Around 70 Japanese lawmakers from both ruling and opposition parties visited the war-linked Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo during its annual autumn festival Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Shinzo Abe sent a ritual offering to the shrine. Yasukuni Shrine, viewed by many as a symbol ...
John Okada's 'No-No Boy': Once overlooked, now a classic tale of identity
"No-No Boy," a 1957 novel by Japanese-American writer John Okada, unravels the complicated, varied perspectives of Japanese-Americans in the aftermath of World War II under the shadow of the internment camps of the American northwest.
Pacific War damages appeal by Okinawa residents rejected by Supreme Court
The Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by families of local residents affected by the Battle of Okinawa against lower court rulings that did not hold the state responsible for war damages. The decision was made Tuesday. It was the first lawsuit filed by local citizens ...
Finding beauty amid defeat: Jan Morris' 'Battleship Yamato: Of War, Beauty and Irony'
In this slim, beautifully illustrated book, historian Jan Morris details an account of the battleship Yamato's final, suicidal run near Okinawa at the end of World War II.
'Isako Isako': No punches pulled when confronting internment
Mia Ayumi Malhotra's collection of poetry, "Isako Isako," is a carefully controlled whirlwind of ideas and impressions that reminds us that the scars laid down today will still be visible generations from now
Chichijima family keeps Japan's earliest coffee cultivation tradition alive
On Chichijima, one of the Ogasawara Islands and known as the first place in Japan to grow coffee, a father and daughter have maintained a practice of coffee cultivation that ceased during World War II when all the islanders were forced to evacuate. Motomi Nose, ...
Utterance of 'remorse' suggests war still haunts Emperor Akihito
Emperor Akihito, 84, was a 47-year-old crown prince on Aug. 7, 1981, when he faced reporters during a news conference in Tokyo. He was asked to comment on the upcoming Aug. 15 anniversary of Japan's surrender, which ended World War II in 1945. "I strongly feel ...
