Japan/日本

 From Japan Focus  Abstract: Over the past decade, the concept of the “uncanny valley” (bukimi no tani) coined by roboticist Mori Masahiro (b. 1927), has appeared in over ten thousand (English-language) articles and chapters, Briefly, the concept presumes that the scary surprise of realizing that, say, a flesh-and-blood human was actually a zombie will send one … [Read more...] about No Place for Robots: Reassessing the Bukimi no Tani (“Uncanny Valley”)

 From Japan FocusNovember 23, 2020 launch of China’s Chang'e-5 from Wenchang Satellite Launch Center in Hainan Abstract: With China’s Chang’e 5 rocket launch, which landed on the moon on December 1, the long US-Russian domination of space has a major challenger. The issues extend beyond national pride to a global leadership initiative in rocketry whose … [Read more...] about China Shoots the Moon

 From Japan Focus  Abstract: This article assesses the planning, management and repatriation of Japanese civilians in Shanghai between 1945 and 1948. It examines four interwoven dimensions of this history. The first is the removal of Japanese expatriates as the centerpiece of the Kuomintang and Allied Powers’ project to end Japanese colonialism once and for all. … [Read more...] about Homeward Bound: The Postwar Repatriation of Japanese Civilians in Shanghai, 1945-1948