This month Japan introduces a new judicial system which will actively engage citizens in the process of making decisions of guilt or innocence. Under the new system, six randomly chosen people will work with three professional judges to hear a case and reach a verdict, including murder trials and the death sentence. The change is […]

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The current economic crisis is creating new problems with Japan since their aging population has required allowing thousands of immigrants to enter and take jobs not sought by native Japanese. However, massive layoffs are mainly impacting these foreign workers and already thousands are heading back home. Their children have limited opportunity to secure a university […]

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Japan is a modern democratic society whose population opposes aggressive wars anywhere in the world and seeks to promote peaceful resolution of disputes. However, the Japan of World War II was quite different. It invaded nations, it killed and raped thousands of people in China and during the war most probably slaughtered at least three […]

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During the booming 1980s, the Japanese government sent out a call to people of Japanese descent who had migrated to South America over a hundred years ago to please return to their ancestral home where good jobs were available. The Japanese economy was in desperate need of individuals willing to do the dirty jobs that […]

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Over a hundred years ago, about a million people from Japan headed east to the shores of South America where they settled and became active citizens. About ten years ago, the Japanese government was concerned about falling birth rates so it sent out a welcome to the descendants of those who had migrated. Thousands of […]

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The ever mysterious machinations of North Korean leaders at times come across as simply a desire to keep the world confused concerning exactly what is going on up north. The Japanese newspaper, Sankei Shimbun reveals North Korea will launch a satellite into orbit with the assistance of a team of experts from Iran. American and […]

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At a recent symposium in Tokyo women from around the world discussed what is happening in the drive to ensure women have an equal role in government decisions. Some nations such as Rwanda and Norway mandate a certain percentage of seats in Parliament must be held by women which results in figures in […]

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Prime Minister Taro Aso indicated he seeks to establish solid working relationships with the new Obama adminsitration, but he will have problems in achieving that goal. The Japanese prime minister had close working connections with Bush and is unclear as to whether Obama’s policies in Asia will be in line with his goals. Obama needs […]

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The Japanese people want to consume whale meat and in pursuit of that goal are compelled to engage in research on the nature of whales. Of course, as part of the “scientific research,” whales somehow get killed and since there is no need to throw away the dead whales, it is only natural to bring […]

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The TV Tokyo Corporation felt the need to apologize for a comment made by a female who on her program described Adolf Hitler, dictator of Nazi Germany, as a “great figure in the world” and someone who young people should learn about. The program, Yorosen, in which young “idol” group members act as school teachers […]

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