Samantha Low from The Japan Times:
“Japanese users have long preferred platforms like Twitter that allow you to be anonymous over something like Facebook that makes it mandatory to use your real name,” Moreno says. “Virtual reality experiences like VRChat are an extension of anonymity. Some users even use voice changers. They are able to create a representation of themselves that they want to show to the world.”
From The Mainichi:
A source close to the matter said the cyberattacks are believed to have been perpetrated by Chinese-affiliated hackers, adding a huge number of files may have been viewed, including information on external companies and organizations under nondisclosure agreements with the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency.
Friendly reminder to change your passwords regularly.
Hajime Tsukada from Nikkei:
Moves are underway to introduce a lodging tax on hotel and inn guests in Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost main island and home to many spots popular with international tourists, including renowned ski resorts and hot springs.
Unlike the temple tax that I wrote about the other day in Himeji, I think this is a more appropriate way to profit off of tourism, especially for the smaller towns like Kutchan and Niseko.
From Kyodo:
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday that the government will compile fresh inflation relief steps around this fall, providing cash handouts to low-income households struggling to weather the cost-of-living crisis.
I know Japan isn’t known for being speedy when its bureaucracy is involved, but saying we will get around to helping you out in 3 to 4 months is just another nail in the coffin of the Kishida administration.
From Kyodo:
Japan's top court on Friday recognized a transgender woman as the "father" of her 3-year-old daughter conceived using her frozen sperm and born to her female partner after legally transitioning, in the first such ruling.
One step closer.
Ryoko Shimonoya from Nikkei:
The Nippon Foundation and the University of Tokyo together found deposits of some 230 million tonnes of manganese nodules on the seabed around Minami-Torishima, located roughly 1,900 km southeast of Tokyo, in a survey conducted between April and June.
Shimpei Kawakami from Nikkei:
European countries are sending more air and sea forces to Asia for defense exercises with Japan, bringing them closer to what remains a distant security challenge: China.
A destroyer from Japan's Maritime Self-Defense Force held an exercise with a Turkish navy corvette on Sunday. Earlier this month, a Dutch frigate participated in the Netherlands' first joint exercise with an MSDF destroyer before heading to the upcoming U.S.-led international Rim of the Pacific exercise off Hawaii.
Regardless if anyone will say it out loud, but Japan is clearly a hub for a greater Pacific alliance of western nations against China, Russia, and North Korea. The real question is if Abe's dream of expanding the SDF into a military will become reality within this framework.
From Kyodo:
Argentina has decided to withdraw its participation in the 2025 World Exposition in Osaka, the third country to do so among those who were set to build their own pavilions, Japan's minister in charge of the global event said Friday.
This is following Estonia and Mexico’s withdrawal to build pavilions previously. As a fan of World Expos, it is disappointing to see countries pull out, but things like this are huge investments with no guarantee of return. Still though, the soft power gains could have been worth it. Osaka EPCOT will still live on.