Shohei Kato from The Mainichi:
A Tokyo gubernatorial candidate has been warned by police over his election posters displaying an almost naked woman, the Mainichi Shimbun has learned from sources close to the investigation.
Stay classy.
From The Mainichi:
It is the first time since June last year for Japan to be on the "monitoring" list. In its biannual report to Congress, the department also placed six other economies on the list -- China, Germany, Malaysia, Singapore, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Back on the naughty step.
Shaun McKenna & Alex K.T. Martin from The Japan Times:
On this week’s Deep Dive, we speak to Alex K.T. Martin who has done a series of pieces exploring what lies beneath the surface of Tokyo. Hidden rivers, ancient artifacts and crumbling infrastructure are just a few of the discoveries he made during his reporting. And while it’s important to know how we’re going to manage these things as climate change — or more importantly, the possible flooding that comes with it — worsens, sometimes it’s just fascinating to learn about the world under our feet.
Very interesting episode on one of my favorite subjects: urban infrastructure. To keep a city the size of Tokyo running (mostly) smooth, a lot of systems are needed to manage the services we all take for granted.
Shigeharu Asami from The Mainichi:
A group of four high school students recently received letters of thanks from police here after helping a woman who was being harassed by a stranger.
According to the students, they spotted what appeared to be a couple arguing on the street at the JR Kisarazu Station east exit on the evening of May 26. Because the 20-year-old woman appeared bothered, they asked her what was going on, to which she replied that she didn't know the man. They intervened between her and the man to stop her from being harassed. The group also surrounded the 38-year-old man so that he would not run off and asked a passerby to call the police. The man was subsequently arrested on suspicion of engaging in indecent acts without consent.
This is just one of those stories that you need to see more of in a country (or world, for that matter) that seems to encourage people to ignore those around us. Good that they stepped up and hope their actions spur others to help those in need.
Brad Glosserman from The Japan Times:
In simplest terms, Japan’s problem is sclerosis. The country’s economic policymakers have opted for stability, halting the “creative destruction” that promotes innovation and delivers prosperity. “Among all rich countries, it is Japan where new companies find it hardest to get the external funding that is needed for growth. Consequently, the birth and death rate of companies has plunged and is now one of the lowest among 27 rich countries.”
A book review of The Contest for Japan’s Economic Future by Richard Katz. In my own personal experience in the country, this tendency towards risk-aversion and stability is very real.
From The Mainichi:
The leaders of Japan and New Zealand effectively agreed Wednesday on a pact to enhance their classified information sharing, as the regional security environment becomes more severe amid China's growing military assertiveness.
Japan is very much becoming the sixth eye in the Anglosphere alliance.
Shinichiro Kawase from The Mainichi:
Regarding the expulsion, the university stated that the students had "disturbed university order and acted against the duties of a student." The administration explained that "participating in the anti-war protest with a banner without submitting the required event notification and off-campus name usage permission created the appearance of an official university activity." Concerning the tuition fee protest, the university stated that "despite clarifying there would be no fee hike, the protest caused unnecessary anxiety and confusion among students and their guardians."
Typical Japan, death by bureaucracy. The student's argument is much more tangible.
One of the former students remarked angrily, "Is it the role of an academic institution to use authoritarian power to suppress inconvenient truths? This is an unacceptable act of censorship." Nishizawa explained, "For university administrators to tamper with mail addressed to individuals undermines the reliability of the postal system. It constitutes censorship and infringes on the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression." The ex-students are considering filing criminal charges, including violation of Article 263 of the Penal Code for concealment of letters.
Yuhi Sugiyama from The Mainichi:
This is the first bank note update since 2004. Now adorning the 10,000-yen (about $63) notes is Shibusawa Eiichi, an industrialist considered to be the father of capitalism in Japan. On the new 5,000-yen (some $32) notes is Tsuda Umeko, founder of Tsuda University in the Japanese capital. Lastly, honoring the 1,000-yen (roughly $6.30) notes is Kitazato Shibasaburo, a microbiologist who established a treatment for tetanus.
This is very much an "evolution, not revolution" design change for the yen banknotes as they still maintain the general look of the previous set while incorporating new imagery and security features.
Gabriele Ninivaggi from The Japan Times:
The Lower House voted down a no-confidence motion against the Cabinet of Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday amid widespread disaffection with the Liberal Democratic Party-led government and dismal approval ratings.
The motion — submitted earlier in the day by the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan — was voted down by the LDP and its junior coalition partner Komeito, which, combined, hold a supermajority in the chamber.
There was no chance this would pass but it is still one step closer to the cliff for Kishida.