Archive for February, 2011

How Babies Learn Languages

Patricia K. Kuhl, a Professor of Speech and Hearing Sciences, gives a TED Talk on how babies learn languages (includes a discussion of how Japanese and American babies learn to distinguish between “r” and “l” sounds):

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Japan’s Shark Fin Trade

FTV news reports on a recent article the Guardian that attacks Japan for allowing the hunting of sharks. The author of the piece, Justin McCurry, refers to the shark fin trade as a “messy, blood-spattered business” that apparently threatens to wipe out certain species of sharks (“the genocide of a species”).

The reporters visit Kesennuma, a city in Miyagi prefecture that is the center of Japan’s shark meat industry:

They express amazement about the fact that a British newspaper would choose to focus on Japan when criticizing the consumption of shark meat. After all, statistics show that Japan is hardly the leading

A scholar interviewed by FTV says that Japan’s international image has been damaged by its official position regarding bluefin tuna, making it an easy target for such campaigns.

The report contains various scenes of delicious-looking shark fin dishes. At one point, a reporter visits a restaurant in Yokohama’s Chinatown and eats some shark fin. The restaurant uses shark fin from Kesennuma. It is noted that China’s growing economic prosperity has lead to a huge increase in international orders for Kesennuma shark fin, which has a reputation for high quality.

An employee of a fishing company in Kesennuma says that it is important to carry out shark catches in a sustainable manner, and his statements imply that measures are being taken to do just that. A fisherman interviewed point out that the non-fin parts of the sharks are not wasted. Meat is used in kamaboko and skin is used for bags and other products.

A spokesman for another fishing company says that to discuss this issue in a rational manner, one must lay aside emotional arguments about how sad or pathetic it is to see so many dead sharks. He seems very confident that things are being done in a sustainable manner.

Note: McCurry states in his article that 80% of the sharks targeted by Kesennuma fishermen are blue sharks. According to the IUCN, blue sharks are not an endangered species. However, some professional environmentalists quoted in his piece speculate that the blue shark might possibly maybe be facing a serious threat of extinction.

Update: Justin McCurry saw this post and tweeted a short response.

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Tour Guide Asks Japanese Tourists to Visit Egypt

Now that the situation in Egypt is becoming more stable, tour guides are seeking the return of international tourists. Here’s a clip from ATV that includes a Japanese-speaking tour guide who is ready to welcome Japanese tourists:

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Leftist Protest in Tokyo

PressTV reports from the scene of a small anti-emperor demonstration that took place in Tokyo on Friday (National Foundation Day):

National Foundation Day has thus become a political battlefield for left and right in Japan. Both sides say they want to establish lasting peace in East Asia, but they have very different ideas about how to achieve it.

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James Franco to Play Lead in American “Akira” Film?

Actor James Franco is being considered for the role of Kaneda in the American live-action adaptation of the classic Japanese anime film “Akira”:

Filmmakers Albert and Allen Hughes (The Book of Eli) are collaborating with Iron Man/Cowboys & Aliens co-screenwriters Mark Fergus and Hawk Ostby on the live-action version of Akira, which shifts the setting from futuristic Tokyo to Manhattan. According to Just Jared, Franco would star as the leader of a biker gang (a character named Shotaro Kaneda in the original manga/anime), whose comrade is kidnapped by the government and subjugated to scientific experiments that cause him to develop dangerous psychic powers.

While Franco is arguably a more convincing choice to play the head of an anarchistic gang than Zac Efron, the 32-year-old actor seems a bit much on the mature side to star as an adolescent rebel. The Hughes Brothers movie might feature a significantly re-worked version of the Kaneda character, so that he’s more of a fully grown, Mad Max breed of ruffian than a futuristic James Dean type – if so, Franco being cast makes more sense.

Unofficial fan trailer for this movie:

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China Refuses to Pay Boat Collision Bill

Remember back in September, when a Chinese trawler rammed two Japanese patrol boats near the Senkaku Islands? Well, Japan finally got around to calculating the cost of the damage to its ships, and sent the repair bill to China:

The Japanese Kyodo news agency reported on Thursday that the Japanese coastguard had sent a bill of US$170,000 (S$218,000) the Chinese trawler captain for damage caused by the collision.

‘Japan should reflect on its attitude concerning the incident and has no right to require so-called compensation,’ said Ma Zhaoxu, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry.

Mr Ma reiterated that the island chain had been part of Chinese territory ‘since time immemorial‘.

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