Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
A cool story that isn’t reported much in the news is that Japan plans on going zero nuclear reactors. Is it really possible? It’s going to take time, but by 2050, there should be none in operation. The lifespan of a reactor is now set to be at 40 years although there will be some exceptions. That means there are many set to be shut down in the next couple of decades and so forth. It’s a phase out process that’ll take time, and alternative energy means will need to be found. It’s a crazy concept, but it’s a step in the right direction if it all sticks. (Asahi – Nuclear Reactor Phase Out)
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Touching isn’t the right word for this story. Danny Chen joined the military, only to find that it’s like hell. He killed himself after what seemed like a ton of hazing. The pain he endured was tremendous but even then, he seemed to just suck it up. Yes, military hazing is part of the routine, and if you stand out like he did as a 6’4″ Asian American, you’re bound to get broken down extra, especially by a platoon of non Asian Americans who must have been shorter than he. Chen was definitely not the alpha dog. 8 are now charged for his death and we’ll have to see what happens. (NYmag – Danny Chen)
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The crackdown on Yakuza gangs in Japan is slowly underway. Of course as soon as something like this gets publicized, the gangs will just change their ways and adapt to whatever is made. They’ll adapt faster than the changes by society so will the gangs really slow down? It’s the public ridicule that’s hampering companies such as Olympus and the many government agencies who are Yakuza fronts helping out the earthquake / tsunami clean up. Kenichi Shinoda, head of the Yamaguchi Gumi, the largest gang in Japan, said, “The result, he warned, would be the creation of a population of dispossessed mobsters who could turn to violent crime to make a living. “Yakuza gangs are amazingly gentlemanlike,” he said, citing the traditional respect for seniority that binds gangs together. “[We] adhere to those values more than ordinary people do.” (Guardian UK – Yakuza)
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Drawing a line in the sand, Takashi Murakami said on Twitter, “”Cool Japan” is a program supported by the Japanese government and various companies that promotes modern Japanese culture such as anime and manga abroad. Murakami stated that he has “absolutely no connection to ‘Cool Japan.’” He goes further, “”I can’t understand why artists get involved with the gimmicks of ad agencies who are simply trying to turn a profit with ‘Cool Japan.’” Murakami called for advertising agencies and administrators to stop inviting him to events and interviews related to the initiative.” (Animenewsnetwork – Takashi Murakami) Cool Japan is a government initiative. A little more is explained here. (Brand Channel – Cool Japan)
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The posters appear to similar as the one that got put in as a full page Wall Street Journal advertisement by singer and professor in Korea. This article by Japan Probe goes on to talk about both sides. A) the event that happened during war time B) the Japanese responses including what reparations were paid. From Japan Probe, “When the comfort women issue gained international attention in the 1990′s, the Japanese government decided that it was a special case. Despite the fact that the previous treaty had legally settled the reparations issue and despite the fact that South Korea had paid compensation to the women, measures were taken to provide additional aid to former comfort women. Directly paying reparations would violate the 1965 agreement, so the Japanese government instead established the Asian Women’s Fund to raise funds and deliver compensation payments.” There’s plenty more and it’s also nice of them to mention that their article isn’t meant to belittle the suffering of the “comfort women”.
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