The first unforgettable thing about Aokigahara is the silence. The quiet is that of the desert. In some places, hidden within 3,000 hectares of conifers, not even a wisp of wind can get into them. Every breath, even the faintest,...
African leaders must decline attending “begging meetings” in Japan, China and the rest of the world, a Kenyan professor has said. Professor Makau Mutua, the board chair of the Kenyan Human Rights Commission, labelled the 7th Tokyo International Conference on...
A mutual enemy ought to bring old adversaries together. When the joint foe is a nuclear-armed autocrat, that’s especially true. But Kim Jong-un’s atomic appetite has done little to unite the two regional powers most immediately threatened – South Korea...
Since formally establishing a diplomatic and economic relationship in the 1960s, Japan and South Korea, respectively the third and eleventh biggest economies of the world, have always had a tumultuous love-hate relationship. Both enjoyed cooperation in many areas such as...
Last week, South Korea ran military exercises on Ulleung, part of a group of islets known as Dokdo in Seoul. Japan has another name for them – Takeshima – because Tokyo too claims the islets. The military drills have been...
The debt to GDP ratio of Japan is the largest in the world. It has been increasing over years, and the level has remained above 200%. Can a developed country ever safely carry this rate of debt to GDP, or...
“I am not sure if I ever really loved him,” Yui murmured in an even tone. “But Japanese culture is a bit different. I was afraid of becoming a nokorimono. That’s what they call women here who get to a...
Akihabara in Japan is a bustling hub crammed with stores that sell anything from electronics to manga to souvenirs. Yet, there is a darker side that attracts a very specific but sizeable audience. There is one street known as “JK...
Recent statistics are showing that the Japanese population is declining, due to the fact a large portion of the population is ageing. It need not be said that alongside an older population means a higher death rate, and, coupled with...
Harpoons concealed beneath tarpaulins, five boats pulled away from the northern Japanese harbour town of Kushiro last week. A thousand miles south in Shimonoseki, three other ships did likewise. Upon their return, the catch of the day – eight metres...
Perché abbonarsi
Questo giornale rimarrò libero e accessibile a tutti. Abbonandoti lo sostieni.