Reflection Requires Reading: A New Japanese Middle School History Textbook
Memo #379 By:Hyung Gu Lynn – hlynn [at] mail.ubc.ca Despite the regular protests by South Korean and Chinese governments there remains confusion about Japanese history textbooks in terms of their production, approval, adoption, reception, and contents. Separate teams work to produce texts for private publishers, and these are approved or declined by the Ministry of Education, […]
The Heroism in Edge of Tomorrow
Memo #378 By: Cyrus Huiyong Qiu – cyrusqiu [at] mail.ubc.ca Doug Liman’s epic action sci-fi movie Edge of Tomorrow (starring Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt) in 2014 was the very first adaptation of Japanese “light novel,” in this case one titled All You Need is Kill, by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. The story is about humanity’s fight to […]
Taiwanese Public Support For the Trans-Pacific Partnership: A Deal Breaker?
Memo #377 By: Timothy S. Rich – timothy.rich[at]wku.edu and Lucas Knight – lucas.knight078[at]topper.wku.edu Twelve countries comprising nearly 40 percent of the global economy signed onto the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) in February. Taiwan’s president-elect Tsai Ing-wen of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) has indicated her support for joining, yet persuading the Taiwanese public may take additional work. […]
New Veto Player in Town: The 20th South Korean National Assembly Elections
Memo #376 By: Hyung Gu Lynn – hlynn [at] mail.ubc.ca Perhaps the most unexpected result of the South Korean National Assembly Elections of April 13 was the emergence of Ahn Cheol-Soo’s People’s Party (PP) as not just a viable but significant third party (38 out of 300 seats; 26.7% of the popular vote). How did the […]
What Appears After the End of the World? Post-Humanity in Japanese Anime, Manga, and Novel of the 1980s
Memo #375 By: Shota Iwasaki – shota.iwasaki [at] alumni.ubc.ca Depictions of cyborgs, extraterrestrials, and dystopias in fiction are not about the future, but are about contemporary society and their current transformations. Given this, what fears, hopes, and desires did Japanese science fiction at the height of affluence in the 1980s reflect? After radical student movements and rapid economic […]
“Bullet Comments”: the Construction of Online Carnival in China
Memo #374 By: Ying Guo – gynut2010 [at] 163.com Is the film so boring that you can’t help ranting? Find something interesting about that TV show? Why not share your comments and thoughts on the screen? The practice of displaying comments directly on the video screen has attracted tens of thousands who have registered on […]
“The Japan Choice:” Will Australia choose Japanese submarines for its future defence force?
Memo #373 By: Thomas Wilkins – thomas.wilkins [at] sydney.edu.au Nothing is exciting strategic commenters in Australia more than the long drawn out process of competitive evaluation of rival boats for its Collins-class submarine replacement programme. The choice of sub represents a roughly A$50bn investment and the future of Australian naval deterrent capacity into the 2050s. […]
Religious Nationalism in the New Myanmar
Memo #372 By: Ian Mcdonald – ian.mcdonald [at] alumni.ubc.ca Although media depicted the November 2015 elections in Myanmar as a chance for reform in the country, the actual changes have been questionable, especially for the Muslim Rohingya in the westernmost state, Rakhine. So what have the election results meant for Muslims in Myanmar? The answer is […]
Moomins Multiplied: How Finnish art became popular in Japan
Memo #371 By:Hyung Gu Lynn – hlynn [at] mail.ubc.ca The Moomin stories by Tove Jansson are landmark works of Finnish children’s literature/art. But Japan is the largest market for Moomin goods in the world and has served as a second home since the late-1960s. The Moomins’ popularity in Japan can be explained through several multiplicities, rather […]
Moomins Ascendant in Asia: Interview with Moomin Characters Ltd. Managing Director Roleff Kråkström
Memo #370 Featuring Roleff Kråkström – Roleff.Krakstrom [at] moomin.fi The Moomins, a family of trolls living in a valley with other colourful characters, have been beloved in their home country of Finland since the famed artist Tove Jansson published her first book featuring these characters in 1945. The stories have been translated into 50 different languages, […]