Japan’s 2012 Olympic Flips, Dips and Kicks

Japan's "samurai gymnast"Uchimura in flight. Via.

Gymnastics played an important role in the evolution of postwar Japan, notes a recent New York Times magazine article profiling Kohei “Superman” Uchimura. Between 1960 and 1978, Japan’s men’s team won five consecutive gold medals in the Olympics and five consecutive world championships at a time when it was “a really important way for japan to establish itself in the world as a country that stood for global peace,” according to article author Lisa Katayama in an accompanying video. Somehow the state of Japanese gymnastics withered and is only now starting to re-assert itself on the national stage, with wunderkind Uchimura at the helm.

Many experts believe Uchimura may be the best gymnast that has ever lived, with NBC commentator Tim Daggett telling The Times, “A lot of gymnasts are colorful, aggressive, dynamic—but they don’t have the look that he has… His legs are always pencil straight, his toes are always perfectly pointed when he’s doing these crazy, crazy things.”

But Uchimura’s performance during the London 2012 qualifications round got off to a shaky start when he seemed to fall from the pommel horse during a dismount to fourth place. An appeal by his coaches was accepted and bumped him up to the silver, pushing Great Britain to the bronze.

Uchimura eventually proved his reputation in the men’s all-around competition and won the gold with a 92.690 score. In addition, he won a silver medal in the floor routine, and Japan won a collective silver medal in the Men’s Team category.

In Judo, the only Olympic event that originated in Japan, the men won two silver and two bronze while the women won one of each medal. Gold went to Kaori Matsumoto in the -57 kg weight class after Romanian challenger Corina Caprioriu was disqualified for attacking through the back of the legs. The comparatively low overall performance from previous years prompted some Japanese journalists to proclaim “Japanese Judo is dead.”

Of the games to date, Japan has won the most medals in swimming, which does not figure as prominently in Japan’s international esteem as judo or gymnastics. The men have won silver  in the 200m backstroke, the 4x100m medley relay, and bronze  in the 200m butterfly, 200m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, and the 400m individual medley. The women have won a silver in the 200m backstroke and four bronze medals in the 200m butterfly, 100m breaststroke, 100m backstroke, and the 4x100m medley relay.

Rounding out Japan’s achievements thus far are medals in archery (men’s individual silver, women’s team bronze), hammer throw (men’s bronze), badminton (women’s doubles silver), fencing (men’s team foil silver), weightlifting (women’s 48kg silver), wrestling (men’s 60kg Greco-Roman bronze) and table tennis (women’s silver).

But all eyes are on the women’s soccer team, the Nadeshiko, looking to repeat their success at the Women’s World Cup last year. At the time of this writing, they are preparing to face the United States in the final, having defeated France 2-1 in the semi-finals.

Unfortunately, the men’s team lost to Mexico 3-1 on Wednesday, ending dreams of a “Double Japan” soccer final.

--Lyle Sylvander

News Blast: Death Chamber Opens, US-Japan War Games, Cat Island, Museum Manga And More

 Japan's Cat Island. Via.

►The New York Times reports Prime Minister Naoto Kan will face challenge in September from Ichiro Ozawa, "scandal-tainted power broker within his own party". The announcement comes shortly after the outspoken Ozawa told Japanese press that he found British People unlikeable and Americans 'monocellular', according to reports from Japan Today and Mainichi  (confirmed by Great Britain's Telegraph and followed up humorously by The Wall Street Journal.)

►Where most Japanese political parties limit membership to nationals, regulations of the ruling DPJ allow membership to anyone over 18, including Japanese nationals living abroad and foreigners living in Japan.

►As Japan reviews defense policies, and a panel wary of China urged change, AFP reported the U.S. and Japan plan to practice 'war games' in December that simulate recapturing a remote southwestern island from an enemy. Notes the AFP: "Such an exercise could bring a stern response ... Japan has territorial disputes with both China—its key Asian economic rival—and Taiwan."

►A second wave of bilateral talks between PM Kan and President Barack Obama are likely to take place at the UN in late September. The discussion may encompass the planned relocation of the Marine Corps’ Futenma Air base in Okinawa, North Korea’s nuclear program, economic stimulus, and global warming. Related, Japan is working to disclose an expert report on the Futenma relocation by the end of August.

►This week Japan's Justice Minister allowed media rare entry into an execution chamber. Mainichi carries images and officials' description of the facilities and Reuters published facts about death penalties around the world, such as Japan and the U.S. are the only countries in the Group of Eight rich nations that conduct executions.

►In a long-awaited reconciliation move, Japan hosts World War II POWs. Five American POWs and the families of deceased POWs will visit Kyoto and Tokyo among other destinations in a government supported tour. Kinue Tokudome, founder and director of the U.S.-Japan Dialogue on POWs, explained to Stars and Stripes: "the idea that Japan should apologize for anything after what happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki—the first and only nuclear attacks in history and carried out by the United States—is a sometimes difficult proposition in Japan."

►Meanwhile, California approved a bill requiring bidders for a prestigious high-speed railway project to release details on transportation of WWII POWs.

►Artists and writers reflect on Japan's tumultuous postwar history after the signing of the 1960s security treaty in the new documentary Anpo, due out in Japan next month. The film is directed by Linda Hoaglund, a frequent collaborator with Japan Society's film and education programs, who produced the fascinating kamikaze expose Wings of Defeat, and who has for years handled English subtitles for about 200 films, including those directed by Akira Kurosawa and Hayao Miyazaki.

►International Herald Tribune Op-ed: "Japan and its youths, old beyond their years, may well reveal what it is like to outgrow growth."

Kimono from Cameroon. Via.

►Africa unveils gorgeous kimonos for the 21st Century .

►Asahi launches "Fun! Fun! Fashion!" column. This week: socks!

►Japan invents the smallest, safest oil-to-plastic conversion machine.

►A new Japanese toilet measures blood pressure, body temperature, weight and sugar levels in urine.

►Sports Roundup: the New York Mets hold their first annual "Japanese Heritage Night", the trend is shifting for American managers of Japanese teams, Japan wins women's world baseball championship, Okinawa’s Konan High School took the Koshien national championship, and Sumo elite get iPads to enter 21st century and accommodate their meaty fingers.

►Japanese filmmaker and comic-book artist Shatoshi Kon (Paprika) "whose dazzling visual compositions and humane, emotionally resonant stories won him a devoted following in animation circles and beyond", according to The Times obituary, died in Tokyo at age 46. Read Japan Society's tribute in memoriam.

►David Mitchell talks to NPR about the inspiration for his acclaimed novel A Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet.

►Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami: writing a novel is "just like having a dream."

►Though conductor Seiji Ozawa says he has successfully completed treatment for esophageal cancer, he will still curtail appearances at the Saito Kinen Festival Matsumoto in Japan next month. We're hoping for his speedy recovery and look forward to him kicking off Carnegie Hall's JapanNYC fest in December.

►A Japanese manga exploits British Museum treasures (which sounds vaguely familiar!) Notes The Economist: "In Japan manga is a mainstream medium, with sales of magazines and books amounting to around $5 billion a year. Though many are juvenile, violent or pornographic, others are intricate narratives skilfully illustrated and meant to educate as much as to entertain."

►The Times says the Museum of the City of New York's Samurai in New York exhibition "delivers more than you’d expect ... In this case it offers a lot to think about in terms of photography and its role in early publicity and celebrity culture as well as a fascinating look at how different societies responded to 19th-century stirrings of globalization."

►Japan Times profiles Junko Fisher, a New York-based performer who teaches traditional Okinawan dance at Queens Library in New York.

►10-year-old Japanese guitar prodigy Yuto Miyazawa shreds onstage with Ozzy Osbourne.

►(To the Jurassic Park theme): Welcome... to Japan's Cat Island!

S.J.

Hideki Matsui & Bobby Valentine: Uniting the World Series and the Japan Series

According to a recent article in The Japan Times, World Series MVP Hideki Matsui "likes the idea of games between the World Series and Japan Series champions even though he may be retired by the time such a match up takes place. Baseball commissioner Bud Selig told his Japanese counterpart earlier this month that he is open to games between the champions of both countries but no steps have been taken to set up such a series."

On a similar note, last Thursday (January 21st), we were lucky enough to have Bobby Valentine come and discuss his experiences as one of the most successful baseball managers in the world. For those of you who don't know, Bobby Valentine is the only manager in baseball history to lead a team to both the Japan Series and the World Series. You can learn more about Valentine and the event on our website.