With the eyes of the world on Japan during the Tokyo Olympics, Gon Matsunaka, head of the country’s first permanent LGBTQ community center, hopes the games will prove a catalyst in fostering a society in which discrimination is no longer accepted and diversity is embraced. Matsunaka, who has dedicated himself to improving the rights of…
One of the more unusual industries to appear in Japan in recent years is the rent-a-person business. There were the rent-a-middle-aged-dude and rent-a-sister services we tried out, for example, and now comes a new innovation: a company that will let you rent a “fat” person. We should point out that the “fat” designation comes from the company itself, which is called Debucari,…
When the English archeologist William Gowland saw the major mountain chain in the middle of Honshu he thought they resembled the European Alps so he named them accordingly. Later, English missionary Reverend Walter Weston agreed with Gowland and popularized the name the Japanese Alps. Today, Japan’s most majestic mountain range is divided into the Northern…
The Chinese foreign ministry has defended the value of cultural exchanges with Japan after Chinese intellectuals came under heavy attack from nationalists online for attending events sponsored by the Japanese government over many years. The ministry’s mild tone contrasted with the hardline “wolf warrior diplomacy” it has often favored on international issues, especially those concerning…
The study warns, however, if the flow of people within Japan rises by 2% because people are watching at sports bars, for example, the new infections could be 1,046. Title: Tokyo Olympics: Why people are afraid to show support for the Games BBC News Sourced From: www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-57395010 Published Date: 06/12/21
Japanese sexual minority groups and their supporters staged a rally outside Tokyo’s iconic Shibuya Station on Sunday calling for equal rights and public support for enacting a long-sought equality law before the Olympics, despite fading hopes due to the governing party’s resistance. Around 100 people wearing rainbow facemasks danced and held banners with slogans in…
Born to a Japanese mother and a French father, Ukico (stylized as UKICO) spent much of her childhood in the suburbs of Paris. After graduating from Sorbonne University, she moved to Japan where she worked as a model. Wanting to do something more creative, she eventually turned to music and five years ago started working…
The number of babies born in Japan hit a new record low last year, official data showed, highlighting concern over the pandemic’s impact on one of the world’s lowest fertility rates. In 2020, the graying country saw 840,832 births, according to data released by the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare. Politicians have expressed concern…
Twitter on Thursday introduced its first-ever subscription service, which has been dubbed “Blue” and offers added features for prolific tweeters, as it seeks to diversity its revenue streams beyond advertising. The feature — initially only available in Australia and Canada — could enable the social network to rely less on ads or promoted posts that…
One might say that tennis champion Naomi Osaka withdrew from the French Open under duress. It started last Wednesday when Osaka notified her fans — in a now-deleted Instagram post — that she would not be attending post-game press conferences during the tournament. She cited concerns for her own mental health — specifically the stress…
