a mixed plate of Japanese American news and culture
On March 11, 2011, the world witnessed one of the most horrific and devastating natural disasters in Japan’s history. The country’s pain, sorrow and loss were felt worldwide. Within hours of the disaster, the Japanese Cultural and Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) established the Northern Japan Earthquake Relief Fund (NJERF) to provide support for [...]
TOKYO (Kyodo) — Two-time Olympic judo champion Masato Uchishiba was arrested Dec. 6 on suspicion of raping a female member of the judo team of the university where he had served as a coach. Uchishiba, 33, allegedly raped the teenage woman at a Tokyo hotel in late September while she was falling asleep after drinking [...]
WASHINGTON — The 2011 U.S.-Japan Council’s (USJC) annual conference, entitled “Innovate, Educate, Collaborate: Moving Forward the U.S.-Japan Partnership,” addressed the evolving relationship between the United States and Japan as leaders from both sides of the Pacific came to discuss the next step toward recovery. The U.S. delegation pledged continued commitment to Japan. The conference opened [...]
SENDAI (Kyodo) — Residents in a wide area of northeastern Japan ravaged by the March 11 quake and tsunami held ceremonies on Sept. 11, the six-month anniversary, in memory of the victims of the massive calamities, offering silent prayers at 2:46 p.m., the time when the magnitude 9.0 temblor occurred. Others took part in a [...]
OSAKA (Kyodo) — Rescue workers continued their struggle Sept. 7 to reach about 480 people who remain cut off five days after a powerful typhoon wreaked havoc on the Kii Peninsula in western Japan, with the death toll rising to 49 and restoration of water and power supplies still a priority. The death toll from [...]
TOKYO (Kyodo) — Yoshihiko Noda was named Aug. 30 as Japan’s next prime minister, the sixth in five years, and he immediately set to work selecting key ruling party executives who he believes are best equipped to achieve his goals of reconstructing quake-ravaged areas and restoring the nation’s precarious fiscal health. Finance Minister Noda, 54, [...]
South Korean netizens are in an uproar over a popular Japanese variety show that featured three well-known comedians beating up a female Korean martial artist, reports South Korea’s Chosun Daily. According to the report, Soo-young Lim, 27, was seriously injured during what was supposed to be a mock match with the three Japanese comedians on [...]
When Ju Hong stepped before his class at UC Berkeley to discuss his status as an undocumented immigrant, the response was telling. “A lot of the students were surprised at seeing a yellow face,” says the soft-spoken 22-year-old, who notes there is a trend among many of his peers to equate undocumented with Hispanic. A [...]
In the aftermath of the March 11 earthquake, tsunami and ongoing nuclear crisis, social media played a key role in raising funds for victims in the earthquake and tsunami-hit region. Through social media and e-book publications, several fundraising efforts have come to fruition in the form of books. Here are two books that support relief [...]
Journey to Tohoku
In early November 2011, my wife and I traveled to the Tohoku area on the northeast coast of Japan to witness the aftermath of the enormous earthquake and tsunami that devastated that area on March 11, 2011. Watching the tsunami destroy everything in its path on our televisions and the Internet was frightening enough, but [...]