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AP Photo/Junji Kurokawa

Beauty products offer Japan women rare promotions

It shouldn't be surprising that Panasonic's star manager for developing appliances for women is a woman herself - except that this is Japan, a nation notorious for holding back females in the workplace. The beauty products Shiori Yamada has developed and runs marketing campaigns for have turned out to be hits. And that was the easiest way to silence all the male skeptics at Panasonic Corp. One of Yamada's popular products, the ball-shaped Nano Care humidifier billed as moisturizing your skin, sold 350,000 in a year. She came up with an improved version that works while you sleep, a feature designed to appeal to busy working women.

Greek crisis to hit Japan indirectly

The Greek financial crisis is unlikely to wreak havoc on the Japanese economy, although a strengthening of the yen as a result of the euro's depreciation will inevitably affect exports bound for Europe, according to some economists. But they caution that Japan shouldn't regard the crisis as just something happening on the other side of the planet and the nation must work hard to rebuild its finances, which are actually worse than Greece's.

Japan, China in spat over nuclear arsenal  

Japan has urged China to cut its nuclear arsenal or at least to stop stockpiling more atomic weapons, prompting a strong reaction from Beijing at their foreign ministers' talks, officials said Sunday. The rare demand came when Japanese Foreign Minister Katsuya Okada met his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi at regional talks in South Korea Saturday, said Kazuo Kodama, the press secretary of Japan's foreign ministry.

Japan to make high-tech bid for 2022 Cup 

Japan plans to use its technological expertise to win the right to host the 2022 World Cup. Members of Japan's 2022 World Cup Bid Committee gave a preview on Monday of some of the advanced technology they plan to use for hosting football's quadrennial showpiece. Japan officially submitted its bid to host the 2022 World Cup on Friday when organisers took their bid book to FIFA in Zurich.

Prized Japanese social values that withstand 'Westernization' 

Japan is a fascinating and beautiful country, but its culture can be baffling to Westerners. This seems especially true for Americans, with our long history of geographic and cultural isolation from Europe and Asia. In their quick visits to Kyoto's majestic Buddhist temples and Tokyo's ultramodern glitz, our tourists catch a glimpse of the old versus the new. But they get almost no real contact with Japanese people. As for those motivated by commerce, most Americans realize soon enough that guidebooks on "how to do business with the Japanese" are cliched, oversimplified and even misleading.

Japan and Friends: Foreign Relations

"East Asia is dominated by the security triangle between the US, Japan and China," writes John Hemmings for East Asia Forum. He goes on to explore three interpretations of this triangle: realist, liberalist, and constructivist.

This was an insightful article and highly relevant to topics being discussed at Japan Society, in recent events and upcoming ones, such as the Corporate Conference on May 19th: Celebrating 150 Years of U.S.-Japan Trade Relations: Promoting the Next 150 Years of U.S.-Japan Business Collaboration.

Panelists Edward Lincoln, Shinichi Nishimiya, Tadayuki Hara, Hajime Ito

In 1860, as the Tokugawa era drew to a close, the Kanrin Maru, captained by Kaishu Katsu, set sail for San Francisco, marking the first time a Japanese-piloted ship crossed the Pacific. 2010 is the 150th anniversary of this extraordinary but little known historical event -- the first official Japanese mission to the West following over 200 years of self-imposed isolation.

In combination with the 50th anniversary of the U.S. Japan Security Alliance, this 150-year milestone is a testament to the importance of this essential bilateral relationship. However, Hemmings' conclusion sums up the future of the situation well:

"The US-Chinese-Japanese security triangle is a complex situation. Discussing it through the prism of three international relations theories helps to clarify possible developments. But this discussion has shown that, even if one of these theories is adopted at the expense of others, future movement remain hard to predict."

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Photo courtesy of Popsci

Japanese group aims to put humanoid robot on moon by 2015

Looking largely to inspire dreams of space among the Japanese, a manufacturing cooperative named Astro-Technology SOHLA announced on April 27th that they are planning to create and send a two-legged humanoid robot to the moon, have it draw the Japanese flag on the surface, and then hopefully get it back to the Earth, all by the year 2015. Making inspirational ideas about space technology a reality is not new to the Osaka-based cooperative of six small and medium sized enterprises. SOHLA had previously built a small-scale satellite, named Maido-1, as a demonstration of the ability of SMEs to research and create short-term, low-cost space technology which could help improve local economic activity.

Number of children in Japan falls to record low for 29th year in row

The number of children in Japan under the age of 15 is estimated to have dropped 190,000 in the last year to 16.94 million, marking a record low for the 29th consecutive year, the government said Tuesday. In a report issued on the eve of Children's Day, a national holiday, the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry said kids comprised 13.3 percent of the population as of April 1. It was the 36th straight year the percentage has fallen and remained the lowest worldwide.

LDP to submit draft constitutional revisions

The leading opposition Liberal Democratic Party has decided to submit a draft proposal of constitutional revisions to the current Diet session, after the National Referendum Law is enforced May 18, sources said. The LDP is primarily considering easing the requirements for amending the Constitution, which are stipulated in Article 96 of the nation's top law. As the Deliberative Council on the Constitution in each chamber of the Diet has been dormant, there is no prospect the draft will actually be examined. Nevertheless, the LDP is aiming to demonstrate its resolve for constitutional revision ahead of the House of Councillors election in summer.

Portable beauty appliances powering lunch-time pampering

Younger women wanting to pamper themselves in the office are providing a ready market for a new breed of portable electric devices. While older generations of women may have tended to confine their crimping and preening to their own boudoirs, twenty- and thirtysomethings are increasingly demanding electric beauty equipment they can take on the go. "Men cannot even imagine the 'heat' in ladies' rooms at work places during the lunch break or after work," one female employee of an electric goods manufacturer said.

Japan's Green zones itchy to be global geoparks

Local residents and groups across the nation are stepping up efforts to have their areas certified as global geoparks, where rare landscapes useful for learning how the Earth was formed will be preserved and utilized as natural parks. Preparations are under way in eight areas, such as Muroto in Kochi Prefecture, to follow in the footsteps of Itoigawa river in Niigata Prefecture, which became the nation's first global geopark last year. Associations to promote areas as global geoparks have been established in 20 regions, including the Chichibu area in Saitama Prefecture. Geoparks are areas that are internationally certified as geological inheritance parks, where precious geographical landscape or geological layers remain.

Japan and Friends: Foreign Relations

The Editor-in-Chief of the Asahi Shinbun in Tokyo,Yoichi Funabashi, published an article for East Asia Forum called Japan-Korea FTA cornerstone of the East Asian Community, which makes several valid points. One example:

"A Japan-South Korea FTA would be instrumental in pushing for a further opening of the global trade system. It would also help Asian regional integration. Integrating the markets of the closest neighbors in Asia will become the cornerstone of the East Asia community."

Japan Society held a panel discussion on April 20th entitled The Japan – China – US Triangle: Competing Partners, which discussed the obstacles in navigating mergers and other alliances among China, Japan and the U.S. due to the nations' completely divergent cultures, histories, and legal systems. Japan and South Korea likely face many of the same issues thanks to their difficult history with one another. To quote from Funabashi's piece:

"During a visit to South Korea in March, farm minister Hirotaka Akamatsu was told by Yu Myung-hwan, the minister of foreign affairs and trade, that since this is the 100th anniversary of Japan’s annexation of Korea, many South Koreans consider it to be a ‘year of humiliation.’ Yu urged caution, noting that emotions were again running high over the territorial issue."

The relationship betweem these two nations is one that will spell out the future of East Asia's relations not only in trade but in cultural respect. It's a relationship that will be worth watching in the coming years, especially as China's economy pulls ahead of Japan's.

Japan Watching

For anyone interested in any part of Japanese life, there are thousands of Japan watching blogs and websites all over the internet. Some focus on current news, some focus on contemporary culture, some focus on in-depth articles, and some focus on food. I like to spend hours perusing the internet for interesting nuggets about Japanese society (heck, I even wrote my thesis on Japanese visual culture), and it's easy to forget how symbiotic culture and economics are.

That's one reason I appreciate Japan Society so much. Being able to learn about Japan-U.S. trade relations and about the global spread of anime all in one place really allows a visitor to get a full picture of contemporary and historical Japan.

FPA Event of the Week Video

Good news! 

Our event on March 19th, Obama's Internet Initiative & Social Reform in the U.S. & Japan was declared as The Foreign Policy Association's Event of the Week Video, a video series that highlights the most critical and influential lectures, discussions and gatherings in New York City related to U.S. foreign policy and global affairs.

Be sure to check out this enlightening lecture!

Japan and Friends: Foreign Relations

"Last Wednesday at the Grand Prince Hotel, the Japan Institute for International Affairs convened a symposium on the East Asian Community. With the opening speech delivered by Hatoyama himself, and a promise to broadcast the entire proceedings both domestically within Japan and overseas, the event was quite high profile," writes Joel Rathus in his recent article Japan’s early moves on the East Asian Community. "The presenters themselves represented the cream of Asia’s Track II diplomacy. This was underlined by the fact that, in addition to handshakes with Prime Minister Hatoyama, Foreign Minister Okada met with the international guests over dinner at the Foreign Ministry’s official guest house that evening. The conclusions of the symposium will surely find a place (at least informally) in the policy-making process of Japan, and perhaps more broadly."

In his weekly editorial on East Asia Forum, Peter Drysdale adds, "A crucial question is whether the United States should be invited to join the enterprise. No step forward in consolidating East Asian regionalism can be taken without consideration of trans-Pacific economic and political security interests and the US interest is welcome. But the US is not a natural fit in the economic integration agenda that East Asia needs to work up in detail within EAS and US participation within EAS itself would be awkward logistically. Which is where Australian Prime Minister Rudd’s Asia Pacific Community idea comes into play. If, and as, EAC moves forward it makes good sense to tie its development in tandem with entrenching a comprehensive (Asia Pacific Community) dialogue between Asia and the United States (and probably Russia). And that is where there would seem to be a great deal of complementarity between Mr Hatoyama’s and Mr Rudd’s thinking about the evolution of regional architecture. In the coming weeks we shall post contributions from top analysts from across the region on these and related issues."

The Internet & Social Reform in the U.S. & Japan

Joshua Fouts, Kevin Werbach, Toshihiro Yoshihara, Devin Stewart

Above are some of the participants of March 19's luncheon lecture, Obama's Internet Initiative & Social Reform in the U.S. & Japan which was packed.

Kevin Werbach was quoted in a March 10th LA Times Online article about the ongoing tensions between Google and China. He said that though Google's unofficial motto is "Don't be evil," standing for ideals can be difficult when operating a huge multinational business.

"One reason so few companies make statements like 'Don't be evil' is that in reality the world is not black and white. You're going to come into situations where the right ethical answer isn't entirely clear, and the right economic answer isn't tremendously clear either."

Still, Werbach gave Google credit for making a principled stand, whether or not the company had fully anticipated the implications for its business. The article is definitely worth reading. And if the chemistry between the internet and politics and ethics and economics interests you, Joshua Fouts's Dancing Ink Productions hosts a selection of articles on creativity and the virtual world.

Devin Stewart has also written a very long list of insightful pieces about a plethora of topics, from Toyota to human trafficking to climate change to the freedom of the press in the Arab world. But one article that caught my interest was called, Is Japan Giving Up? Stewart explores the national attitude in Japan and the impact of recent trends in behavior, economics, and foreign relations.

"It would be absurd to give up on a country purely on the basis of its national mood. In fact, Japanese manufacturing output has risen, GDP is picking up, exports have grown their fastest in 30 years, and the trends I have described will all be familiar to any Japan watcher. Moreover, Toyota's sales surged 48 percent last month in Japan. But I have never seen the mood bleaker. Let's hope that this new low provides a rock bottom from which Japanese optimism can rebound."

Leur Existence - Tree Project

THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK GALLERY

December 9, 2009 - February 12, 2010
Hiroshi Sunari
Leur Existence - Tree Project

Opening Reception
Wednesday, December 9th
6pm to 8:30pm

Over 60 years ago, the city of Hiroshima was decimated by one nuclear bomb. Hibaku trees, those that still live from the time of the atomic bombing, have shown an inspiring ability to persevere. Since 2005, Sunari has been collecting seeds from hibaku trees in Hiroshima and has distributed them to nearly 400 Tree Project participants in 23 countries. Leur Existence – Tree Project will feature a selection of these plants, which have been donated by the participants, as well as photographic and written documentation of the process. Plants will be presented in ceramic elephant-foot pots, designed and created by the artist.

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This is really exciting. We featured the artist’s powerful White Elephant—a reaction to his experience being downtown on the morning of September 11, 2001—in our 2007 exhibition, Making a Home: Japanese Contemporary Artists in New York.

Japanese Hot Pots to Warm Your Soul

Hot pots are the quintessential Japanese comfort food: simple, fast, and easy to prepare. Many Americans, though, have almost no point of reference for Japanese food beyond the local sushi bar, so cooking this cuisine can sometimes seem exotic and intimidating. On December 8th, Japan Society is hosting chef Tadashi Ono of Matsuri restaurant and food journalist Harris Salat, the authors of Japanese Hot Pots: Comforting One-Pot Meals, to introduce and demystify this communal eating tradition for American home cooks with belly-warming dishes from all corners of Japan.

Hot pots are a well-balanced and naturally nutritious bounty of roots, greens, mushrooms, onion, tofu, noodles, and chicken, seafood, or meat, all infused with lip-smacking Japanese flavors (tastes we already love in sushi). Heartier than soup but not as dense as stew, these dishes are perfect for a crisp autumn day or an icy winter night.

Tadashi Ono has a blog where you can check out videos on preparing a range of exquisite dishes. Harris Salat also has a blog entitled The Japanese Food Report that is not only extremely mouth-watering, it's full of helpful tips for the kitchen.

Learn How To Create Japanimation

With the explosion of Japanese manga and anime taking America by storm in recent years, we can expect that a lot of kids today are dreaming of becoming future animators and manga-ka. But how do you become one exactly? Well, one way to get started is by getting the appropriate training, which was hard to come by in the US until now…

[ Chopsticks New York ]

Another option could be to check out A*NI*ME, Japan Society’s summer program for students.