Japan

Japan

Manga: a medium for historical debate?

Scholars of Japanese manga are now beginning to look at its political messaging, how it can subvert dominant historical discourses and push for politically conservative or progressive agendas, writes Rebecca Suter Comics in Japan were seen as a superficial form of popular entertainment aimed mostly at children, throughout the twentieth century. It was no different […]

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Nobel Laureate’s transnational literature: 100 per cent hybrid

Conflicting claims on the literary heritage of Kazuo Ishiguro cannot be resolved when his books are the expression of a transnational literature that does not fully ‘belong’ anywhere, writes Rebecca Suter On October 5, 2017, the Swedish Academy announced that Kazuo Ishiguro was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. In reporting the news, The Japan

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Shinzo Abe’s fall from grace: of his own making

Crucial to Shinzo Abe’s control over his ruling party has been a string of electoral victories under his leadership and his cabinet’s consistently high poll ratings. Both now look increasingly in doubt After a dream run as Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe’s current political predicament must come as quite a shock. Plummeting poll ratings

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Shouting at Japan won’t stop Antarctic whaling

Protests against Japanese whaling in the Antarctic Ocean are counterproductive and strengthen Japan’s resolve to continue its operations, argues Ishii Atsushi On 31 March 2017 Japanese whaling ships returned home after a four-and-a-half month whaling operation in the Antarctic during the Austral summer, catching 333 minke whales based on Japan’s newly implemented scientific whale research

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Women storm bastions of male political power in Japan

Japan’s mainstream voters show they are not averse to voting women into power On 15 September, the political glass ceiling in Japan received another dent when the main political opposition party, the Democratic Party (DP), elected Renho as its leader. This comes very soon after another significant milestone for women in politics was passed when

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