Ahoy, Tasties!

Melville should be required reading in Japan. I spied this on the newsfeed, but has anybody seen coverage of the renewed whale hunt in the Japanese press? Would be good for comparison.

Statecraft 101: Sanctions

A Waseda University professor makes an interesting but light call for Japan to wake up to the reality of its current relation with Burma and stop sending mixed signals. I'm curious where you guys fall on the utility of sanctions question. Many nowadays are siding with the soft power argument for continued engagement—the slow play that hopefully leads to openness and reform in repressive regimes. Still others are throwing the divestment and shareholder activism card pretty confidently.

Letter to Bush on Israel-Palestine

It's non sequitur, but I thought westbank et al might be interested in this letter and its signatories.

Robotics

What do you make of the conclusion to this article?

Mr. 10 Percent

on the political dynasties in south asia from japan's point of view


As Jemima Khan commented in Britain's Sunday Telegraph: "It's all totally bogus. Benazir may speak the language of liberalism and look good on Larry King's sofa, but both her terms in office were marked by incompetence, extrajudicial killings and brazen looting of the treasury." She ended by warning, "Make no mistake, Benazir may look the part, but she's as ruthless and conniving as they come--a kleptocrat in a Hermes headscarf."

kleptocrat - i think ms word is going to draw a red squiggly line about 10-15 times throughout my thesis - i fuckin love it.

Tips on English

From the Asahi Times.

Yes, Chairman... MEOW!!!

My, the times they are a-changin' in China. Little Red Book meet little black book. Further reading: Chinese Sexual Culture. Somebody please keep me away from the Mainichi Daily News from now on.

Say THAT five times fast

Bonus if swallow okara same time.

"Chicks dig guys with skills."

I can't tell whether this is beautiful or baffling. The Asahi newspaper is encouraging young people to kick butt in the World Skills Competition and consider careers in manufacturing because it's "what the nation's economy stands on." When will robots demand entry to this contest I wonder.

Edible Tofu Byproduct is "Industrial Waste"

A fertilizer producer got nabbed for dumping 18,000 cubic meters of okara, an edible tofu byproduct, on his company's property. Tofu producers were paying him on the cheap to cart it away. 1. Why is the guy arrested instead of a fine simply levied against the company? 2. The fact that something edible is labeled industrial waste when people are starving seems criminal in and of itself. Thank you Supreme Court of Japan. 3. 18,000 cubic meters of okara would make A LOT of sweet and sour meatballs. [Chef's recommendation: Add black cumin to taste. It cures everything except death.]

The Theme May Be a Challenging One

Good ol' teeth.

US-Japan Relations

This article by a colleague in Tokyo asserts that Japan's importance for the U.S. is waning.