Archive for September, 2010

U.S. Global Hawk Drones in East Asia

The United States military has begun to deploy RQ-4B Global Hawk unmanned surveillance drones to Guam, and some in Japan see it as an important strengthening of American military power in the region:

Global Hawks have a range of 10,000 miles and will give the Air Force a reconnaissance range from Guam that stretches from Afghanistan and China to the western coast of South America.

The drones are slated to eventually replace the Cold War-era U-2 spy plane, which the U.S. military still uses in Asia.

The Air Force 12th Reconnaissance Squadron said the drones will be used to gather strategic military intelligence and lend humanitarian support, such as observing hurricanes or monitoring volcanic eruptions.

Last night, N-H-K’s evening news had a feature segment about the Global Hawk. They discussed it in the context of China’s naval expansion and its increasingly aggressive behavior in the region. Check it out (listen to the right side of your headphones for English language audio):

The report says that the primary mission of the drones will be to “keep a watch over China’s growing presence in the region.” It provides a “new level of deterrence” against China.

To help viewers understand China’s actions, they prepared a mock-up of the region with little ships representing China’s navy, which may soon include an aircraft carrier:

There are two lines that China considers important for its defense strategy. In the past, the Chinese navy mostly stuck to the area within the pink line, but more recently they have become active within the orange line areas. The news caster reminds viewers that China’s naval expansion has included actions such as the buzzing of Japanese ships by Chinese helicopters.

It is said that China is expanding its naval power because of its desire to obtain natural resources. It just isn’t a Sino-Japanese issue either: China has been quite aggressive in pursuing its maritime territorial claims against Vietnam. in the last two years, at least 10 Vietnamese fishing vessels were seized by China. The ships are confiscated by the Chinese and the Vietnamese are forced to pay heavy fines. A couple Vietnamese fishermen are shown talking about how the Chinese beat them and threatened them with guns. In contrast, Japan has been quite lenient towards Chinese fishermen and fishing boats that intrude into Japanese waters.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Schwarzenegger Rides Japanese Bullet Train

California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was in Japan last week to research the possibility of using Japanese technology for high speed rail lines in his state. Here’s a clip of him riding one of the newest Shinkansen trains:

He made a short trip in a shinkansen bullet train on Tuesday as a part of Japan’s campaign to promote its high-speed train technology.
The governor arrived at Tokyo Station on Tuesday and boarded a new E5 series train.

East Japan Railway plans to introduce the train on the Tohoku Shinkansen Line, which runs from Tokyo to the north of the main island of Honshu, in March of next year. It can travel at up to 320 kilometers per hour.

While making a round trip to Omiya Station, north of Tokyo, the California governor heard details on the train from transport ministry officials and East Japan Railway executives, observed the driver’s area and tried out the seats in first class.

Schwarzenegger, whose state is considering building a high-speed train network, said the shinkansen was quiet and futuristic and that he was impressed by the technology and infrastructure.

As you can see from the NTV news clip, Arnold’s last name it way too friggin’ long to write out in katakana, so it’s just put up on the screen as “Shuwa” [シュワ].

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Shugendō Now

While reading JapanFocus.org today, I stumbled across an advertisement for Shugendō Now, a documentary about the modern Japanese who follow the ancient religious practice of seeking spiritual oneness with the mountains:

This feature documentary is an experiential journey into the mystical practices of Japanese mountain asceticism. In Shugendô (The Way of Acquiring Power), practitioners perform ritual actions from shamanism, “Shintô,” Daoism, and Tantric Buddhism. They seek experiential truth of the teachings during arduous climbs in sacred mountains. Through the peace and beauty of the natural world, practitioners purify the six roots of perception, revitalize their energy and reconnect with their truest nature – all while grasping the fundamental interconnectedness with nature and all sentient beings.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Crying Baby Sumo in Tochigi

A few videos of a crying baby sumo event held the other day at the Ikiko Jinja Shrine in Kanuma city, Tochigi prefecture:

The traditional event is held every year to pray for the health and good luck of babies. Babies that cry when they are held in the air are said to be especially lucky. Over 1,000 babies participated.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Sending a Care Package to Japan

A Japanese TV show visits the apartment of a Lithuanian student to have a look at the contents of a care package from her mother:

The package mostly contains food, but there are also some news magazines, toothbrush/toothpaste, jewelry made by her sister, a photo of her family, and a letter from mom.

She offers part of a chocolate & cow blood bar to her Japanese guest, who says it tastes kind of like caramel. They also eat some buckwheat porridge.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)

Dog Castle: The Most Awesome Dog House in Japan

“Nanikore” travels to Hamamatsu in Shizuoka prefecture to show us a truly awesome dog house:

The dog lives in a mini castle! It’s a 2.5-meter-high replica of Matsumoto Castle. The dog’s owner spent 6 months and 50,000 yen to build it. It contains one main room, plus a rear room in which the dog can hide during thunder storms. There is also a separate room with a sand floor, which is meant to offer a surface on which the dog can feel cool during the summer months.

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• Akihabara News – Gadgetry from Japan (Subscribe)
• Dannychoo.com – Your portal to Japan (Subscribe)