Archive for November, 2010

Nazi Cross-dressers Use Pond’s Cream

A Japanese ad for Pond’s Cream features members of the Takarazuka Revue, including Rurika Miya dressed in an SS uniform [via JapanSoc]:

Brian Ashcraft has noted that the image comes from the Takarazuka production of “The Prisoners of Lilac Walls,” in which Rurika Miya plays the roll of Gestapo colonel Günter Hyman.

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Justice Minister Doesn’t Care About Public Accountability

Justice Minister Minoru Yanagida is under fire after making some honest statements about how he doesn’t give a crap about answering questions from the public:

Talking about how he handles questions in the Diet at a gathering in Hiroshima, Yanagida said he only needs two answers: “I will refrain from commenting on specific issues” and “We are handling the matter properly according to the law and evidence.”

The justice minister’s banter raises questions about his accountability to the public.

Just now, debate is raging on the way the administration of Prime Minister Naoto Kan handled the collisions between a Chinese trawler and Japan Coast Guard vessels off the disputed Senkaku Islands. There is widespread suspicion that the administration is trying to dodge responsibility by claiming prosecutors made what was actually a political decision by the government to release the detained captain of the Chinese trawler.

Coming from the mouth of the minister in charge of this issue, Yanagida’s remarks will convince many people that the administration is obscuring the truth on the pretext that it is a “specific issue” not appropriate for public discussion.

Another question concerns Yanagida’s qualifications for his job. He has no legal experience. His controversial quip was tantamount to a confession that he had sought refuge in these convenient phrases because he, unexpectedly appointed to the Cabinet post, does not have the ability to offer sensible answers to questions.

Regular readers of this blog will recall how Yanagida could not even provide his stance on the death penalty when interviewed on the day he was appointed Justice Minister.

Update: He has resigned.

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The Human Face of the Kuril Islands Dispute

“Mezamashi TV” visits Hokkaido and talks to Hiroshi Tokuno, a 76-year-old man who was born on Shikotan island in 1934 and forced to leave his home when the Soviet military cleansed the island of its Japanese population in 1947:

When Tokuno was born on the island, there were about 1,000 people living there. Russia had recognized the island as a part of Japan since 1855, so it was no territorial dispute.

All of that changed on September 1, 1945. Following Japan’s surrender, the Soviet Union carried out invasions of the Kuriles. The Soviets regained some territory Russia had ceded to Japan after the Russo-Japanese War, but they also went for a further land grab. The southernmost islands in the chain, including Shikotan island, were added to the new Russian empire. The Soviets seized all the land and property that belonged to the Japanese residents of the island. Tokuno’s grandfather, who had settled on the island and spent his life building a living for his family, died of grief soon after the Soviet invasion. In 1947, all of the Japanese people on the island were forced to “return” to Japan.

When the Soviets cleansed the island of its Japanese population, they did not allow residents to exhume and relocate the graves of their ancestors. For some people this may not seem important, but for Tokuno, it is painful to think of not being able to maintain and honor his grandfather’s grave.

Since the introduction of visa-free travel to the islands in 1992, Tokuno has visited Shikotan at least once a year. The town on the island no longer looks like it did in 1945. The site of the Tokuno family home is now a Russian base.

The average age of living former residents residents of the Kuriles is now 76.9. It is doubtful that any of them will ever live to see a day when Russia and Japan resolve the territorial dispute. Tokuno knows that he doesn’t have many years left, so he is now writing down all of his memories of life on the islands so that future generations can learn about the Northern Territories issue.

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Scandal! Sumo Wrestler Driving Video

A minor scandal has hit the Japan Sumo Association after somebody filmed sumo wrestlers driving and uploaded the video to YouTube:

Wrestlers are barred from driving due to past incidents, including an accidental death in 2000 caused by then makuuchi Toki.

Association Chairman Hanaregoma confirmed the wrestler belongs to the Mihogaseki stable and has given the stablemaster a strict reprimand.

“I’ve told him strictly never to let a wrestler drive again,” Hanaregoma said.

In the video, which appears to have been filmed during the ongoing Kyushu meet, several wrestlers are riding together in a vehicle.

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Chalmers Johnson: August 6, 1931 – November 20, 2010

Chalmers Johnson, President of the Japan Policy Research Institute and author of famous books such as MITI and the Japanese Miracle: The Growth of Industrial Policy and Blowback: The Costs and Consequences of American Empire, has died. He was 79-years-old.

I’m not quite sure what the cause of death was, but Wikipedia, Kenneth B. Pyle, and WarisaCrime.org have all posted notices announcing that he passed away on November 20th.

If you’re unfamiliar with Johnson, here are a few videos of him speaking about American military bases in Japan and American imperialism in general:

Update: James Fallows has written about Johnson’s death.

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Shin-Okubo – Where Tokyo’s K-Pop Fans Gather

Apparently the popularity of K-pop has turned Shin-Okubo, Tokyo’s Korea Town, into a Harujuku-like area filled with crowds of young Japanese shoppers:

Whereas the old “Korean Wave” of TV dramas and movies was mainly popular among older housewives, the new K-Pop “boom” seems to be strong with junior high and high school girls. They are fans of pop groups like Girls Generation and Big Bang, and they come to Shin-Okubo’s Korean shops to buy fan merchandise.

The news report also features some of the good Korean food one can buy in Shin-Okubo. One yakiniku place has served K-pop groups, and it advertises the fact that customers can sit in the same place and order the same meals as their idols.

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