Making of "Rape of Nanking" :Tadashi Yoshida

Japanese scholar, Tadashi Yoshida, who is now working at US Institute of Peace in Washington DC, gives a talk about his book, The Making of the "Rape of Nanking": History and Memory in Japan, China, and the United States (Oxford University Press, 2006), today at George Washington University.

I didn't make it to the talk, so I have to check out his book reviews on his book website at Oxford's, here is one except:

"In The Making of the "Rape of Nanking" Takashi Yoshida examines how views of the Nanjing Massacre have evolved in history writing and public memory in Japan, China, and the United States. For these nations, the question of how to treat the legacy of Nanjing--whether to deplore it, sanitize it, rationalize it, or even ignore it--has aroused passions revolving around ethics, nationality, and historical identity.

Drawing on a rich analysis of Chinese, Japanese, and American history textbooks and newspapers, Yoshida traces the evolving--and often conflicting--understandings of the Nanjing Massacre, revealing how changing social and political environments have influenced the debate. Yoshida suggests that, from the 1970s on, the dispute over Nanjing has become more lively, more globalized, and immeasurably more intense, due in part to Japanese revisionist history and a renewed emphasis on patriotic education in China."

Nakagawa controversial, Chinese to buy Chrysler

Japan's ruling party LDP's high ranking official, Shoichi Nakagawa, who is known for speaking publicly against China's military buildup, stirred up a wave again. He said recently that, if Taiwan has a problem with China within 15 years, Japan will be falling into one province of China within 20 years. China protested it right away, at a press briefing, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said, military expense per capita in China is only 7% of Japan's, "what's reason behind Japan's concern over China's military expenses?" (Asahi)

China's No. 1 Auto Works indicates interest in buying American auto maker Chrysler, the details of the deal are not known. (Yomiuri)

Chunzhu(Pig）can be trained, too

Happy belated Chinese New Year of the Pig to everyone!

From where I am from, a pig is viewed as stupid, dirty and only knows eating and does nothing. However, if you take a look at the pig featured in the video, I believe you will have a total opposite view about the year animal.

Tall, no child birth=High Breast Cancer risks?

According to a research conducted by Japanese Ministry of Labor, Health and Health service, a tall women who has never give birth to a child and has a early first period will have a higher risk of getting breast cancer.

The research concludes that a woman with a height over 1.6 meter(about 5'4) will be 2.2 times more likely to get breast cancer than a 1.48(4'8), tall women. Similarly, a woman who never gives birth is 2.2 times higher than the ones who do.

Read a Japanese report on this report here.(Yomiuri Shimbun)

The Oscar goes to...Japanese, Chinese?

Compared to last year, This year's Oscar will see less Chinese but more Japanese, Letters from Iwajima that I profile here will be competing Best film of the year, (secretly I think it will win), the main acting star Ken Watanabe will be there. Japanese actress, Rinko Kikuchi, star of the Babel and I profile before, is nominated for best supporting actress. However I like Kikuchi, I have to say her chance to win is low.

Only Chinese that is being nominated is customs design for the movie-Course of the Golden Flowers. It seems to me that the winning chance is slim.

To see a complete nomination list, click here.

China Japan News Roundup

America's vice President Cheney visiting Japan, and he will meet Shinzo Abe tomorrow. To show Japanese that Americans still care about them, Cheney meets the parent of Meigumi, a Japanese girl who was abducted by North Koreans decades ago. Last April, Meigumi's mother visited Washington and got a face to face meeting with Bush. (Asahi)

20 some Japan's Diet (Congress) members, including most pro-China politicians such as Yohei Kono, Koichi Kato, Makoto Koga set up a support group for 2008 Beijing Olympics. (Nikkei Net)

Japan's No.2 carrier-ANA is celebrating its 20th anniversary of flying to China. To mark the event, ANA is currently asking Japanese elementary students to submit names for its Panda image covered Boeing 767 aircraft. The winner will be awarded to a 3 night, 4 day tour to China along with a parent. (Yomiuri)

Namie Amuro-Baby Don't cry

Happy V-day to all of you!

Namie Amuro is one of my favorite Japanese singers, here is her 2007 hit song-Baby Don't Cry, Enjoy!

China Japan News Roundup

China's Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxin is due to Tokyo to make preparations for Chinese PM Wen Jiabao's visit in April. (Xinhua)

If you visit China, and want to bring back gifts to your coworkers, relatives in Japan, what should you buy and what tastes of foods you should pay attention? Nikket Net has an answer-Tea, however, watch out for different tastes. (Nikket Net)

Blond, Blue Eyes, ONLY

Every Feburary is Black Heritage Month in the U.S., civil rights movements where African Americans fight to get equal treatment in America is worldwide known.

Just when Americans are curious about racism in Asia, Today's news came into my spotlight.

Japan's Yamanashi International Exchange center, written in a wanted ad looking for a English teachers, "Only these who have blond hair, blue or green eyes need to apply". The ad was posted for over 6 months, until a protest from a human rights scholar. I have seen many such Ads in Japan, and I felt a strong discrimination in it. Does that mean just because you are dark haired with gray eyes, you are automatically not qualified to teach English?

Do you agree that Japanese are just racialism as people everywhere else?

"このポスターは、山梨県甲府市の県国際交流センターに去年５月から１１月まで貼り出されていたもので、外国人教師の募集条件として、「ブロンドヘア、ブルー・オア・グリーン・アイズ」などと書かれていました。

　外国人の人権問題に取り組む大学の助教授から、外見や人種による差別につながるという抗議を受けて取り外されましたが、県国際交流センターでは、これまで、求人などのポスターは自由に貼られていて、ほとんどチェックしていなかったということです。

　センターでは、「今後は差別につながるような表現については十分配慮して対応する」とコメントしています。（12日11:43） "(TBS News)

Beyond Yasukuni, One Year Old!

One year ago, I started this blog aiming to start a conversation to engage both Chinese and Japanese, and Americans on improving frozen Sino-Japan relationship. It was Feb. 10, 2006, a cold winterly day, I thought, it might be the time to start sowing some seeds and see what's going to happen.

One Year later, it is still a cold day, however, it is sunny, and warmer than just two days ago (17 to 31F compared to below 20C). Looking back, it has been a eventful year.

Followed my posts on Koizumi visiting Yasukuni, which proved to be a last song sung by the popular Japanese Prime Minister for his politics career. New PM Abe stops visiting Yasukuni, for now, he has every possibility to go back again, just as he did sneakily in April, 2006. China's Wen is due to visit Tokyo in this April, however, Hu Jintao's visit this year will only be a hope.

America's politicians has been ignoring Yasukuni for its own benefits, however, just when Congressman Hyde rejected Koizumi from speaking at U.S. Congress, it showed some one does care.

Out of more than 300 posts, the motto of this blog is reflected at the very first post and my favorite..... Koto Princess performing in Washington DC, which I covered in the 2nd post.

Beyond Yasukuni, Blog on!

A Creative solution for Japan's lost generation

If you read my profile on Japan's lost generation several months ago, you may be able to recall Hikikomori, a name for tens of thousands of young Japanese adults who shut themselves out of the society, staying in their own rooms for years, or even a decade. They don't go to school, don't work, don't even come out of room for meals, mothers delivery them to their doors.

Neet (Not in Education, Employment and Training) is another name for the young people, who for most reasons of having been bullied at schools or at job, is a huge loss to the family and the society

Now there is a solution for the lost generation, or to be precise, a theme park where young Japanese kids can try out working at different jobs. From a pilot to a policeman, a kid can experience different roles. "It is dedicated to offering children a fun taste of what working life is like, owes its popularity in Japan to the country's nagging concern that its youth lack the diligent work ethic that the nation has long been proud of."(Wall Street Journal)

Ready to explore a little bit, check it out here.

Letters from Iwajima to be returned, 60 yrs later

The past weekend I went to see the Letters from Iwajima, a movie by Clint Eastwood and I profiled here. I had to say that it worths every minute I spent at the theater.

Just when I was convinced that the letters are things of past, I came across a news today and it seems the war of 60 years ago still haunted people.

A U.S. marine solider who fought in the Iwajiam during the War, came forward from his home in New York State, and said he wanted to return about 100 letters from the island that he picked up during the fight. At age of 80, then 18 year old ヴィック・ヴォーゲ リン joined the fight in Iwajima. As every one here, he picked up the letters written by a Japanese soldier named Tadashi Matsumoto as souvenir.

After he saw the movie, Mr. ヴォーゲリンdecided to look for and meet Mr. Matsumoto's relatives and return these letters to them.

After hearing the news, Matsumoto's brother, living in Kobe, Japan and also at his age of 80, expressed his thanks to the American marines, and he wanted to meet the American, too.

Check out these News Clips from here(American returning the letterers) and here (Japanese look forward to receiving letters from Iwajima). (TBS)

What's a War drama, spanning 60 years!

QQ vs. Yahoo

Yesterday I reported that Chinese internet search engine Baidu is stirring up a war with Google, today, there seems to be a real thinking of difference on the U.S. and Chinese Internet uses.

In America, 20-40 year old group are mainly Internet users, while in China, it is 14-25; in the U.S. people go online to get information, news, weather, yellow pages, however, in China, people are looking for entertainment, games or instant messages, because young Chinese cares less about news and have no credit cards or little trust on the Internet shopping.

A example is QQ, the biggest online instant messaging provider in China, which has a combination of My Space, Google and gaming sites. It has 100 million users. Take a look at the NYT article-Internet Boom in China is built on Virtual Fun to get more.

Year of Pig, However...

Another 10 more days, Year of Pig will be officially kicks in to China, However, I can't believe what I heard this morning's Morning Edition from NPR, Ban thwarts Year of Pig, that China banned use of Pigs in commercials. What's the fuck.

The reason for Beijing to ban mention of pigs is out of fear to offend Chinese Muslims, however, the ban is more political than for religious reasons. To keep a harmonious society, Chinese government fears anything that potentially provokes clashes between races or religions. Sure enough, pigs are taboos among Muslims, however, there are many more in the U.S and does Washington have to ban mention of pigs, too?

On the one hand, China seems to pose to take the World, even a domestic search engine dares to challenge Google, mocking the foreigners don't know what they don't know about China, on the other hand, China is even afraid of mention the year animal, Pig, even it only comes once every 12 years, in fear of provoking a domestic instability, Please tell me, Who's stronger, a paper tiger or a mention of pigs?

Baidu vs. Google, Chinese vs. Laowai

Baidu is Chinese research engine, however, since it releases a commercial to mock foreign search engine's lack of knowledge of China, it has stirred up a big fight, the question is not about Baidu vs. Google, it is about rising Chinese against foreigners.

Please take a minute and look at the Baidu commercial, and check out a related Washington Post article-China gets cold feet for Foreign Investment, and tell me, What do you think?

China Japan News Roudup

1.Facing increasing corruption scandals, Chinese Communist Party(CCP) puts out an order to regulate its members. CCP leaders of various levers will be required to report about their private lives, such as divorce/separation. (Asahi Shimbun)

2.Japan protests over China's "Dishonest" attitude towards recent explorations at Economic Exclusive Zone claimed by Japan, and space test of a missile shooting down a satellite. (Yomiuri Shimbun)

3.New World's Seven Wonders selection that is been conducted by a Swiss organization will be announced this year, up to date online votes count shows that China's Great Wall is currently on the top of the list. (Xinhua)

Green Emerging Markets

Just when the worldwide media focus on a UN report stating that human behaviors causing the global temperature rise up to 5.8C degree, I attended a talk about emerging markets at Johns Hopkins University' SAIS school.

The speaker of the event, Antoine van Agtmael, founder, chairman and chief investment officer of Emerging Markets Management, L.L.C., who is known for coining the term "emerging markets," At the event, he mentioned "Green Emerging Market", which I found to be very insightful. Check out a audio recording of the event here.

His main points are:

The world is titled towards emerging markets such as India, China. Shift to China is anchor of the 21^st century economy. It will affect young people’s career, politics,etc

Factors for the emerging markets to take off:

1. out of box thinking
2. the guts to test the world’s best: Honghai in TW, with a global mindset
3. obsession on quality
4. creative solutions

China hasn’t seen a crisis quiet like the 1999 Asian Financial crisis, most countries have learned lessons from the crisis.

Does that mean China will be seeing a crisis in the near future?

The Biggest Risks facing emerging markets,

1. Environment

2. Easy Money for the local officers and business

When innovations and obsessions with quality from bottom up not top down, it has a profound effects on an enterprise.

“Green Emerging Markets”

Water treatment, etc

Emerging markets have to realize that it pays to be Environmentally responsible.

Bush,Pace,Coffee......

It may not be directly related to Beyond Yasukuni, China, Japan or anything about them, However, I simply can't resist sharing the video clip with you, as a special to our Funny Friday installment.

China Japan News Roundup

Are China and Japan heading towards a new round of fight over Chunxiao gas filed in East China Sea? Asahi Shimbun reports that China starts exploring the disputed oil field again. The Chinese side exploration has been halted following a wave of strong protests and counteractions from Tokyo, however, no agreement has been reached at several rounds of meetings between both sides. (Asahi)

Will Japan's Emperor attend Beijing Olympics's opening ceremony next year? the question is currently being discussed between Chinese ambassador Wang Yi and Japanese parties in Tokyo, If both sides agree, it will be the first Japanese Royal family visit China in 16 years, since last visit by the current Heisei emperor in 1992. (Yomiuri)

Just when movie that I covered here, Nanking, based on Iris Chang's book-Rape of Nanking is showing around Sundance festival, Japanese director is pushing for a movie, "Truth of Nanking", in a count effort to "Nanking". As a backstage supporter of Nanjing, China critisize the Japanese version of Nanking massacre. (Xinhua)