Screening of Toshikuni Doi's documentary "Fallujah: April 2004" (English version) to mark the fifth anniversary of the US attack on Fallujah in Iraq In April and November 2004, the US military laid siege to the city of Fallujah in northern Iraq, killing hundreds of civilians and reducing much of the town to rubble. Western mass media largely ignored the reality of what … [Read more...] about Remembering Fallujah （東京大）
Japan and Asia/日本とアジア
Which Side Are You On?: Hakenmura and the Working Poor as a Tipping Point in Japanese Labor Politics
From Japan Focus Toru Shinoda This article analyzes one of Japan’s most widely reported labor stories in recent years. The unusual degree of national attention given to this incident is evidence that the labor question has become a central issue in Japanese politics.1 It also offers insight into critical shifts in the landscape of both labor politics and … [Read more...] about Which Side Are You On?: Hakenmura and the Working Poor as a Tipping Point in Japanese Labor Politics
Kenzaburo Oe: Misreading, Espionage and “Beautiful Martyrdom”: On Hearing the Okinawa ‘Mass Suicides’ Suit Court Verdict
Immediately following the ruling by the Osaka District Court on the Okinawa Mass Suicides Suit (March 28, 2008), I was being interviewed by a correspondent from a foreign newspaper, while the plaintiffs were already engaged in the appeals process. Almost by way of greeting, I was asked by the correspondent, “What has this trial meant to your life?” I replied by saying, … [Read more...] about Kenzaburo Oe: Misreading, Espionage and “Beautiful Martyrdom”: On Hearing the Okinawa ‘Mass Suicides’ Suit Court Verdict
The US-Japan Status of Forces Agreement and Okinawan Anger
FROM JAPAN FOCUSThis article, and the subsequent exchange with Major Nathan C. Hurst, originated in a symposium on the US global military posture that appeared at Mother Jones. As the article was being posted, we learned that on the night of October 24 another US plane, this time a small Cessna 172 had crashed in Okinawa after clipping high-voltage wires, and burst into flames. … [Read more...] about The US-Japan Status of Forces Agreement and Okinawan Anger
Asia and the War With Iraq
By Andre VltchekIn February, the people of Asia stood shoulder to shoulder, protesting in front of their US embassies against the forthcoming war against Iraq. They marched through rain, snow and tropical heat, their numbers varying from several hundreds to hundreds of thousands. But their message was unanimous: "We are not irrelevant. We, the people of the largest and the … [Read more...] about Asia and the War With Iraq