BBC Apologizes for A-Bomb Jokes
The BBC recently aired a program that contained some jokes about Tsutomu Yamaguchi, a victim of the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. The Japanese embassy was not pleased, and filed a formal protest:
On the episode of QI, which was first broadcast shortly before Christmas, comedians such as Alan Davies and Rob Brydon were seen joking about his story. Davies, when asked to work out what the man’s link to the nuclear attack was, suggested the ‘bomb landed on him and bounced off’.
When Fry asked whether the man had been lucky or unlucky, Brydon said: ‘Is the glass half-empty, is it half-full? Either way it’s radioactive. So don’t drink it.’
Davies chipped in: ‘He never got the train again, I tell you.’
But the jokes were too much for some Japanese viewers. One contacted diplomatic staff in London while others are understood to have emailed the show. Embassy officials reviewed the footage and sent a protest letter to both the BBC and producers Talkback Thames.
The BBC responded by issuing a sorry-we-offended-you statement:
“We are sorry for any offense caused,” the statement by the BBC and production company Talkback Thames said.
The latest apology came after media reports about the program generated strong reactions in Japan.
Earlier the program’s producer sent a message to the Japanese Embassy and some viewers who protested about the show, called “QI,” saying they “greatly regret it when we cause offence.”
The BBC and Talkback Thames said in the statement, “QI never sets out to cause offence with any of the people or subjects it covers, however on this occasion, given the sensitivity of the subject matter for Japanese viewers, we understand why they did not feel it appropriate for inclusion” in the program.
Did the BBC need to apologize?
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Categories: General Japan
A Motor Bike Powered by Salt Water?
ATV news interviews Masahide Ichikawa, an inventor who claims to have created a motor bike that only needs salt water as fuel:
Using some sort of solar-powered heater, Ichikawa evaporates salt water and creates sodium metal. Inside the bike, the sodium metal and water are mixed, creating a chemical reaction that apparently powers the bike’s engine.
Ichikawa proclaims that his invention will stop global warming. He thinks his discovery is on par with Nobel’s invention of dynamite. What a modest guy.
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Categories: Technology
Cat With a Weird Meow
“Nanikore” finds a cat in Shizuoka prefecture that has a weird-sounding meow:
About one year ago, the Romi the cat started making these kinds of sounds. He only makes them at night, and only around dinner time. It seems that it’s his special way of saying, “hurry up and bring me food, you jerks!”
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Categories: Animal Videos, Odd / Strange
Build Your Own Samurai Armor
DeAgostini Japan is running commercials for a build-your-own samurai armor kit:
The ultimate goal is to create a scale replica of the armor worn by samurai warlord Date Masamune.
Like other such hobby products from DeAgostini, this comes in weekly installments. The first week’s kit costs 790 yen, and every kit after that costs 1,990 yen each. There are 55 kits, making it a very expensive project.
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Categories: General Japan
Creative Industries Promotion Office (Cool Japan Office)
NTV’s “Bankisha” recently visited the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) to observe the activities of the Creative Industries Promotion Office (known as the “Cool Japan Office” in Japanese):
The goal of the Office is to help find international customers for Japanese companies that make “cool” products. A lot of their work deals with promoting anime, manga, and hip youth fashion, but they also devote considerable effort towards the promotion of other industries. In this report, NTV visits two businesses in Yamagata Prefecture that the Cool Japan Office would like people to know more about.
The first business is Sato Seni Company, which has been manufacturing textiles since 1932. Its president, Masaki Sato, is the great-grandson of the company’s found. Under his leadership, the company began to specialize in creating blends of yarn, building up a reputation for quality that has attracted business from high-end fashion designers.
In the report we are shown that American First Lady Michelle Obama attended an inaugural celebration wearing a cardigan that was produced using Sato Seni yarn.
You can read an article in English about Sato Seni in this Japanese government PR newsletter (PDF).
The other company featured is Oriental Carpet Mills, which specializes in the creation of high quality oriental rugs. The report focuses on one of the company’s greatest achievements: creating a rug for the Papal Audience Chamber at the Vatican Palace in 1964. They interview one of the women who worked on that rug, and she is quite proud of her work.
You can read an article in English about Oriental Carpet Mills on this Japanese government PR page.
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Categories: General Japan
JAL Faces Lawsuit Over Firings
Japan Airlines is facing a lawsuit in Japan from former employees, many of whom feel they were unfairly fired because of their age:
The case, filed with the Tokyo District Court, claims JAL management did not do enough to avoid the layoffs. The company’s court-approved rehabilitation plan calls for cutting about 16,000 jobs.
The plaintiffs and their supporters marched to the court carrying a banner saying: “Japan Airlines must withdraw dismissals for the purposes of reorganization.”
“The company has discarded people, especially those who have long ensured the safety of its flight operations,” plaintiffs told local media, according to Kyodo News.
“Through court hearings, we want to question the company, which belittles operational safety and lacks concerns for the good of society.”
Related story: Back in December, JAL was fined by a Taiwanese court for violating age discrimination laws in that country.
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Categories: Discrimination, General Japan