Japan – Final Information Network

Name: The Japan Times

Author: Multiple

Update rate: Daily

Source Type: Traditional

Description: The Japan Times is the largest English newspaper in Japan. It hosts a variety of content for users to explore from News and opinions to culture and city guides. The information available is updated daily as they edit and add new content. This source is as a means to develop a conservative view of the many events that unfold in and relating to Japan.

The site can be access at https://www.japantimes.co.jp/

 

Name: The Asahi Shimbun

Author: Multiple

Update rate: Daily

Source Type: Traditional

Description: The Asahi Shimbun has offices located in multiple different cities around Japan. Each office provides a different perspective on national news and also a variety of local news sources that might not be available elsewhere. The Asahi Shimbun covers topics related to politics, business, travel, sports, and information on a few other Asian countries.

The site can be access at http://www.asahi.com/ajw/

 

Name: The Akahata Shimbun

Author: Multiple

Update rate: Daily

Source Type:Traditional

Description: The Akahata Shimbun is owned by the Japanese Communist Party. The website is entirely in Japanese which makes it hard to read. However,  by searching keywords (in Japanese) related to the communist parties intentions stating by opposing media outlets or political opposition names I can find articles relating to the subject.http://www.jcp.or.jp/akahata/

 

Name: The Mainichi Shimbun

Author: Multiple

Update rate: Daily

Source Type: Traditional

Description: Like the Asahi Shimbun has offices located in multiple different cities around Japan.However, The Mainichi Shimbun also covers topics related to politics, business, travel, sports, and information on a few other Asian countries from a more liberal point of view.

The site can be access at http://www.asahi.com/ajw/

 

Name: Loco in Yokohama

Author: Multiple

Update rate: Periodically

Source Type:New Media

Description:This blog is written by an American named Baye McNeil is currently living in Japan. His blogs have covered topics from language translations to controversial topics about race. Baye McNeil’s blogs to show how some foreigners within Japan view events in Japan as the unfold whether it be News related or anything else. Loco in Yokohama helped me shape a more complete thought by combining information gathered from Japanese media, Japanese social media, and foreigner input.

Baye McNeil’s site can be access at http://www.locoinyokohama.com/

 

Name: Twitter Advanced Search Engine

Author: Multiple

Update rate:

Source Type:Social Media

Description: Twitter is an amazing social media platform because of how instantaneous information can be uploaded and shared via tweeting. By setting keywords and certain locations in the advanced search option I will be able to view tweets from Japanese nationals within the designated areas. This was a useful tool as I pieced together news articles and events with the information posted on twitter from Japanese twitter users that I followed. I’ve chose to follow were current Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of the LDP and also SNA (Shingetsu News Agency) which is an independent agency operated by former a university lecturer and journalist specializing in West Asian and Japanese History and Politics

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe: https://twitter.com/abeshinzo?lang=en

SNA:https://twitter.com/ShingetsuNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

 

Name: Japan Today Facebook

Author: Multiple

Update rate: Daily

Source Type: Social Media

Description: The Japan Today Facebook page regularly post news articles from their website. Articles provide insight from Japanese nationals in both english and Japanese on current events.

The data can be accessed at https://www.facebook.com/pg/JapanToday/posts/?ref=page_internal

 

Name: NHK World

Author: Multiple

Update rate: Daily

Source Type:Audio / Visual

Description: NKH is a television broadcast provider in Japan that covers a wide variety of content. They provide broadcast from all over the country and I believe I can use this source to link together what Japanese media, social media, and a few other sources together in order to get a more complete picture. The site can access https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

 

Name: ANN News

Author: Multiple

Update rate: Daily

Source Type:Audio / Visual

Description: ANN News is a television broadcast shown live on youtube that covers a wide variety of content. The ANN however is They provide broadcast from all over the country and I believe I can use this source to link together what Japanese media, social media, and a few other sources together in order to get a more complete picture. The site can access https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

https://www.youtube.com/user/ANNnewsCH/featured

 

Name: News Bank Inc

Author: Multiple

Update rate: Daily

Source Type: Data Source

Description: NewsBankInc has a continuously updated news archive that retrieves daily entries from news sources around the world. News Bank Inc has four different Japanese news sources that they acquire their information from. The Japan Times, Japan News, and Kyodo News International which are mostly national news reporting agencies. http://infoweb.newsbank.com.proxy.lib.ohio-state.edu/apps/news/?p=WORLDNEWS

 

Name: Wikipedia

Author: Multiple

Update rate: Daily

Source Type: Data Source

Description: While this may not be a source in the traditional sense, wikipedia has a large database of local, regional, and national newspapers. Many of the websites are in Japanese without any english translations however, with a dictionary they become easier to navigate and provides local focused information in different regions.

This data can be accessed at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_newspapers_in_Japan

Overworked to Death

karōshi” or death by overworking has been a controversial matter in Japan stemming back to the beginning of the twentieth century. In this article by Global voices, activist at JR Rokkomichi Railway Station spread their message of how a previous suicide that occurred at the railway station was related to the overworking of an employee by a company. Specifically at JR Rokkomichi, in 2016 Maeda Hayato threw himself on the tracks after reportedly working more than 100 hours of overtime at his company. Japan’s work culture has shown to value hard working employees that are devoted to their work however, “Pawa hara” or power harassment of that work ethic by companies has lead to suicides rates of a reported two hundred people a year. It is considered Power harassment when employers use forceful or persuasive tactics to get employees to work over the limit they are legally mandated  to work thus leading to karōshi.

 

Source – Global Voices: https://globalvoices.org/2018/04/07/how-power-harassment-and-karoshi-continue-to-cause-serious-problems-for-japanese-workers/

Talks of Denuclearization

 

Photo/Illutration

 

Pictured above is Former President Barack Obama and the current Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe taken earlier today. During Mr. Obama’s trip to Japan, he spoke at an event about important matters happening within the international community. One of the topics Mr. Obama spoke about was the upcoming negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea. He talked about how it will be difficult to reach an nuclear agreement due to the isolated nature of North Korea. Since the nation has very few allies, typical economic restrictions such as travel bans and sanctions do not effectively deter North Korea from pursuing nuclear armament. North Korean nuclear armament has also caused worry in Japan because of its close proximity to North Korea and also after test missiles landed off the coast of Japan in the Sea of Japan. The outcome of forthcoming meeting between President Trump and Kim Jong-Un will show if North Korea is willing to accept a US nuclear stockpile proposal or if it will continue strides towards a nuclear arsenal.  Mr. Obama concluded that “the cost in terms of human life would be significant” if the regime were able to weaponize its nuclear program.

Source – The Asahi Shimbun: http://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/AJ201803250039.html

The Next Big Thing?

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/02/24/national/media-national/whats-become-humanity-ai-replaces-us/ by Michael Hoffman

 (Image Credit: Japan Times)

This article discusses the technological shift that is currently taking place and focuses on how Japan is adapting to change. Last month, at the large electronics convention CES , one of Japan’s major electronics and entertainment companies unveiled a new product called “Aibo”. Aibo’s close translation in English is “partner” or “pal” and that is exactly what this artificial companion is programmed to be . In the article the author writes ” Sony, its maker, gave it cameras and sensors to tell it who’s who and what’s what. It can find a bone, go after a ball, recognize you and yours, negotiate your living room full of furniture. Had enough of it? Turn it off. Try doing that to a real dog.” This is an important point to make as the article segues into how technology might further affect Japan’s economy specifically the working class. Aibo was presented as something that is just as lovable and likable as a dog but you do not have any of the potential negatives of actually owning a dog such as buying food, cleaning up after it, or trips to the veterinary. This form of automation can be observed throughout Japan and also the rest of the world in many areas such as banking, online consumption, and customer service. The article also cites a 2015 study by Nomura Research stating it “foresees 49 percent of current jobs being taken over by AI.” meaning companies are pushing towards more and more automation.

I found this article interesting because Japan is seen as a technologically savvy country but this particular issue can be presented to every country because of technology’s uses in many different fields. However, specifically in how Japanese companies incorporate more automation and how the Japanese working class will respond is where my interest lay.

Citation:

Michael Hoffman. “What’s to become of humanity when AI replaces us all?” The Japan Times, The Japan Times LTD. 24 Feb 2018. https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2018/02/24/national/media-national/whats-become-humanity-ai-replaces-us/.

Japan: Information Network

The Japan Times: The Japan Times is the largest English newspaper in Japan. It host a variety of content for users to explore from News and opinions to culture and city guides. The information available is updated daily as they edit and add new content. I plan to use this source as a means to develop a detailed view of the many events that unfold in and relating to Japan. The site can be access at https://www.japantimes.co.jp/

The Asahi Shimbun: The Asahi Shimbun has 5 offices located in 5 difference cities around Japan. Each office may provide a different prospective on national news and also a variety of local news sources that might not be available elsewhere. I plan to use this source to better formulate my response to events pertaining to Japan. The Asahi Shimbun covers topics related to politics, business, travel, sports, and information on a few other Asian counties. The site can be access at http://www.asahi.com/ajw/

Loco in Yokohama: This blog is written by an American named Baye McNeil is currently living in Japan. His blogs have covered topics from language translations to controversial topics about race. I believe that I can utilize Baye McNeil’s blogs to see how foreigners within Japan view events in Japan as the unfold whether it be News related or anything else. This will help me shape a more complete thought when combining information gathered from Japanese media, Japanese social media, and foreigners. Baye McNeil’s site can be access at http://www.locoinyokohama.com/

Twitter: Twitter is an amazing social media platform because of how instantaneous information can be uploaded and shared via tweeting. By setting keywords and certain locations in the advanced search option I will be able to view tweets from Japanese nationals within the designated areas. This will be useful as I piece together news articles and events with the information posted on twitter from Japanese twitter users. The site can be accessed at https://twitter.com/search?q=%7BsearchTerms%7D

NKH World: NKH is a television broadcast provider in Japan that covers a wide variety of content. They provide broadcast from all over the country and I believe I can use this source to link together what Japanese media, social media, and a few other sources together in order to get a more complete picture. The site can access https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/

 

In my search for international information, I found that using major Japanese media outlets will give a broad view of events while using other sources like twitter and NKH will focus more on the details of the desired information. I plan to use these to formulated a more detailed view of topics related to Japan that those outside the country may not see. In doing so, I hope to learn more about the culture within Japan and also how to effectively research and analyze digital information.

Lost in Translation?

https://globalvoices.org/2018/01/13/japanese-media-struggles-to-translate-trumps-shithole/ by Nevil Thompson

This article depicts how language barriers still remain a problem because the desired meaning behind something said in one language may be tough to convey in another. On January 11th 2018, President Donald Trump, during about protecting immigrants, referenced to countries such as Haiti, El Salvador and other African countries as “Shithole” countries. The trouble in translation is conveying just what this word’s meaning in English is in each news reporting outlet’s individual language. Within that language will mostly likely contain colloquial dialects that must also be taken into account. The article focuses on how new’s agencies within Japan decided to report their translation.

While the translation of the word itself is interested to me, mostly because I study Japanese here at university, the way it is used and who it’s referring to was disrespectful, unethical, and could very likely hinder relations between the United States and the countries president Trump was referring to.

 (Image credit: Global Voices)

Romaji (English spelling)  for those who cannot read Kanji & Hiragana is provided below.

Reuters : “Fuketsu na Shokyokoku”  Huffington Post : “Kitanai Benjo” Sankei : “Benjo no youni kitanai kuni” Nikkei : “Koedame no youna kuni” AFP : “Koedame Kuni” BBC : “Koedame mitai na kuni”