In the circumstances in which bullets are flying like rain and wind, the soldiers are running around at the risk of losing their lives. If you want them to have a rest in such a situation, a comfort women system is necessary. Anyone can understand that.Toru Hashimoto, Mayor of Osaka, Japan • Claiming the necessity of Japan’s World War II-era so-called “comfort women,” a collection of 200,000 or so females (many Chinese, South Korean and Indonesian), forced into sex slavery for soldiers. Hashimoto’s statement of apparent sympathy with forced prostitution has been decried internationally, with Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei speaking in condemnation: “The conscription of sex slaves was a grave crime committed by the Japanese military. We are shocked and indignant at the Japanese politician’s remarks, as they flagrantly challenge historical justice.” Hashimoto, age 43, is leader and co-founder of the nationalist Japan Restoration Party. source
This is what Namie-machi, a deserted town next to the Fukushima nuclear plant, looks like these days. Google’s Street View cars were able to get a first-hand look. (via TechCrunch)
Two years after the earthquake that defined Japan’s recent history, the cleanup is well underway. And The Atlantic’s In Focus has the before-and-after shots, down to the exact angle. (side-by-side photos by Reuters/Kyodo)
Heaven forbid if you are forced to live on when you want to die. I would wake up feeling increasingly bad knowing that [treatment] was all being paid for by the government. The problem won’t be solved unless you let them hurry up and die.Japanese Finance Minister Taro Aso • Offering very kind, loving advice for the elderly, who he considers a drain on resources. What an Aso!
China and Japan aren’t on good terms right now: Last week, Japan purchased a set of islands from a private owner. But they weren’t any islands — the Senkaku Islands (known as the Diaoyu Islands in China) have long been a target of an ownership battle for decades. Now, the Chinese are really, really mad, with protesters using the anniversary of the events that led to Japan’s occupation of Manchuria as a pretext for more anger over the islands. Japan says it bought the islands in an effort to prevent them from being developed more fully by the mayor of Tokyo. More trouble than they’re worth? (photo by Eugene Hoshiko/AP)
For fans of scrolling: Hop on this page. Hit your down arrow button (or if you roll that way, your trackpad) and watch the most elaborate car commercial you’ve ever seen.
Japan’s Fukushima nuclear crisis was a preventable disaster resulting from “collusion” among the government, regulators and the plant operator, an expert panel said on Thursday, wrapping up an inquiry into the worst nuclear accident in 25 years.
The report notes that while the tsunami (and, with emphasis, the earthquake) had an effect, what worsened the situation was TEPCO giving “lip service” to safety, but putting a heavier emphasis on profits instead. The report also notes that there may be an active fault under the Ohi plant, which controversially had a reactor restart there just a few days ago.
» But that’s not happening — at least not yet. A couple weeks back, the Japanese government agreed to let the Kansai Electric Power Co. restart two reactors at the country’s Ohi plant. On Sunday, one of those reactors started up again — and there were protests. One was 100 strong near the Ohi plant; another saw 7,000 people fill the streets of Tokyo. Most want to see the country end its dependence on nuclear power. Will public pressure make a difference here?
Follow ShortFormBlog • Find us on Twitter & Facebook
I’m moving back to New York in a few days. Unlike past...
OMG. I got so...
In this week’s Newsweek, a little...
Tumblr this morning. [h/t anne]
#@#$%!.tumblr.com
Here’s a hidden feature that shipped in...
Watch: PCB gets a visual shout out on GMA’s Yahoo/Tumblr...
![theatlantic:
Japan: The Country Where 59% of Households Still Have a Fax
For most industrialized nations, the arrival of e-mail quickly heralded the beginning of a very slow decline for fax technology. But for a mix of reasons, Japan hung on. First, there’s language: Early word-processing software couldn’t work with kanji, Japanese characters, so handwriting (and therefore fax) was the best way to transcribe and send messages electronically. Additionally, Japanese document seals — used much like a signature — are often required for paperwork. Finally, high-speed Internet has remained costly in Japan, pushing much of the communication we do online to either mobile or … fax.
Read more. [Image: &_yo/Flickr]
Who in the U.S. owned a fax machine at home even when they were popular? Not talking the all-in-one printer deals, either.](http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m5b5i3xWCU1qcokc4o1_500.jpg)
Japan: The Country Where 59% of Households Still Have a Fax
For most industrialized nations, the arrival of e-mail quickly heralded the beginning of a very slow decline for fax technology. But for a mix of reasons, Japan hung on. First, there’s language: Early word-processing software couldn’t work with kanji, Japanese characters, so handwriting (and therefore fax) was the best way to transcribe and send messages electronically. Additionally, Japanese document seals — used much like a signature — are often required for paperwork. Finally, high-speed Internet has remained costly in Japan, pushing much of the communication we do online to either mobile or … fax.
Read more. [Image: &_yo/Flickr]
Who in the U.S. owned a fax machine at home even when they were popular? Not talking the all-in-one printer deals, either.
» The layoffs follow a recent settlement between Olympus and former-CEO Michael Woodford, who sued the company for unfair-dismissal following his firing in October 2011. Woodford is responsible for unearthing massive investor losses by the company, $1.5 billion to be exact, and is expected to receive just over $15 million after settling the matter out of court. According to local media, Olympus plans to cut most of the 2,500 jobs from its camera-making division.
Follow ShortFormBlog • Find us on Twitter & Facebook
» The park should be finished in late 2014. Even J.K. Rowling is on board for the project; she said she’s “delighted to experience and enjoy the attention to detail, creativity and superb craft that went into the first Wizarding World in Orlando.” In related Hogwarts news, Kindle owners have something to look forward to — Amazon is expanding its lending library program to include the Harry Potter books.
Follow ShortFormBlog • Find us on Twitter & Facebook
Japanese tsunami debris washes up in U.S.: A number of items washed away by last year’s deadly Japanese earthquake and tsunami were recovered in Washington state’s Olympic National Forest during an annual beach clean-up. “A majority of the pile is water, pop, juice bottles with Japanese stamps, marks and labels,” said volunteer Martha Anderson, who took the above photo. Click for more.
Copyright 2009-2013 Ernie Smith • Ask us stuff! • E-mail us • Follow us on Twitter • Follow us on Facebook
