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Twitter Anxiety has spread to Japan, where Twitter is widely used, and some users are suggesting everyone return to Mixi, a MySpace-esque 2000s throwback. The site is still running, albeit with a UI that feels like it hasn’t been updated in 20 years.
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The LDP’s Aso Taro, who’s previously scolded women for not having enough babies, is now saying he doesn’t see the value in compulsory education beyond elementary school: “Adults don’t need to know differential & integral calculus or factorization.”
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What do people call their husbands in Japanese? A 2020 survey found the simple 夫 (otto) was preferred over more controversial terms like 主人 (shujin). But a survey of "ideal" terms showed growing support for more neutral terms like 連れ合い (tsureai) and パートナー (partner).
154
Horiai Arisa (19) talks with Nikkei about her struggles as a transgender woman embarking on a career in Japan. It started with her college which wanted two forms diagnosing her w/ gender dysphoria before she could use her chosen name - & finding a doc to sign off was a struggle.
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"Just got to my hotel in Kobe and I don't think it's gonna work out..." twitter.com/ibukiinterpres…
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Records have emerged of the founder of the Unification Church, Sun Myung Moon, telling followers they needed to build a power base in Japan’s Diet - and that they should focus on increasing support in the faction controlled by former PM Abe Shinzo. twitter.com/MMT20191/statu…
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"Cowboy Bebop depicts how capitalism has ruined Earth and other planets in the solar system via excessive consumption and exploitation, creating a futuristic ‘wild west' - while also positively depicting different cultures coexisting in a heterogeneous society." - @ericdmargolis
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New Post: Japanese 6th grader Ui authored a 53-page book featuring whimsical art and interviews with LGBTQ+ people. Along with everyday people, Ui also sat down with high-profile celebs like fencer and transgender activist Sugiyama Fumino & literature professor Robert Campbell.
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Trending on JP Twitter: #月食写真下手くそ選手権 (Crappy Lunar Eclipse Pic Champion), in which users duke it out to see whose photo of the eclipse is the greatest failure. User below someone got theirs to look like a mochi donut. twitter.com/mariko78_k_b/s…
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It’s one of those “what was he thinking” sort of crimes: a man in Tokyo got drunk with a friend, beat him up for 9 HOURS for “lying”, then loaded him into his car and drove 12 hours to Kitakyushu, where he left him while attending a BBQ and singing karaoke with a friend.
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Reminds me of the time I sent an email and my Japanese colleague complimented me on my keigo. I confessed I had modeled it after an online template from a site full of business email templates. She replied, "Can you send me the link?!?!" twitter.com/once_socialism…
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In contrast to Western cyberpunk's fetishization of Japanese culture, Japanese cyberpunk covers topics such as the increasing influence of the military, income inequality and poverty, and government corruption - all without the fetishization of foreign cultures.
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Kanagawa Prefecture’s Labor Standards Board has agreed with a transgender woman that a boss who (among other things) told her to “change your sex in your family registry” if she wanted to be addressed as a woman committed gender identity harassment - a rare ruling in Japan.
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(CW: Rape)
Right-wing mangaka Hasumi Toshiko, who made illustrated posts repeatedly on Twitter denying Ito Shiori's rape and saying she was just trying to "sleep her way to success", has lost her appeal to pay 880K yen in damages to Ito for slander.
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In the early 20th century, Japan had urged the poorer segments of its rural population to leave their homes for Brazil. But in the 1980s, faced with labor shortages at home, it remembered its millions of prodigal sons and daughters living there and worked to woo them back.
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On a concerning note, 40% of teachers surveyed in Japan subscribe to the outdated belief that sexual orientation was a choice. Clearly, it's not just kids, but teachers and school staff who need support and education as well.
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Footage from Tokyo Trans March 2022, held today.
"We were blessed with great weather - what a perfect day👍"
twitter.com/cjackano/statu…
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Twitter right-winger was told that trans rights was all about pronouns. Sees trans rights parade happening in Japan and trans people existing in Japan. Tries to square this with their JLPT L7 knowledge of Japanese. A mighty confusion ensues.
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Love (and by love I mean AAAAARGH) how right-wing weebs see a trans parade in Japan and posit it's a left-wing woke Communist Critical Race Theory Gaijin Imperialist conspiracy to topple Nippon...instead of the simpler theory that trans people exist in Japan and would like rights
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Yoda Karen was unsuccessful in her bid to become head of Shinjuku Ward and Japan’s first local transgender political leader, losing to LDP-backed incumbent Yoshizumi Kenichi. She campaigned under the slogan “Diversity is Power”. Yoda vowed to supporters that she would push on.
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For fans (推し) who don’t know what to bring to an idol signing event, OP recommends…the cover from your air conditioner? “I haven’t replaced it in over 10 years, it’s where I can always see it, & best of all I can lie convincingly that my idol came to visit (don’t do this)” twitter.com/hangyodonmax/s…
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Japanese new religious movement Sukyo Mahikari purports to seek true happiness through the practice of universal principles. But there's a dark side to the movement, which harbors anti-Semitic and doomsday beliefs similar to those of the infamous Aum Shinrikyo cult.
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"Doraemon failing to read the room"
A parody poster for Shinkai Makoto's "Suzume no Tojimari," currently in theaters in Japan.
twitter.com/Mini_VqVq/stat…
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Pic is a child’s drawing of someone washing their hands. OP: “Seeing this confirmed that I am no longer pure of heart.” twitter.com/tdnomdk/status…
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After being a bit underwhelmed by Shinkai Makoto's last movie, our reviewer went into the brand new Suzume no Tojimari ready for more of the same from – a beautiful but passable film. What he got instead was one of the most exciting anime films he'd seen in years.
The Japan you don’t learn about in anime. Staff account.