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Takashima Ryosuke, the 26 year-old newly-elected mayor of Ashiya, has an impressive CV. He left Tokyo University after one year to go to Harvard. While still a student he founded a non-profit that would help 300+ Japanese students go to university abroad. https://t.co/cI4FF8l8wz
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Endō Tatsuya, creator of the popular Spy × Family manga series, now has a gold checkmark on Twitter, which is supposed to cost $1,000 a month and be reserved for organizations. According to this tweet, it seems he didn't apply or pay for it. twitter.com/i/web/status/1…
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The 2019 footage in this Asahi TV report about a Kurdish man being brutalized while in an immigration detention center is truly horrifying: today a Japanese court ordered the government to pay ¥220,000 ($1,640) in damages to the man.
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From the alleged Twitter account of the man arrested for Saturday's pipe bomb attack on Prime Minister Kishida: Japan's election laws prevent ordinary citizens from running for office. Only hereditary politicians and "dogs" who obey political parties can be candidates.
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EDM musician/burlesque dancer DJ Tiara is running as a candidate in Tokyo's Minato ward assembly election. This is how she was campaigning today. twitter.com/nm__Masato/sta…
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We now have a clear video of moment the explosive device was thrown at Kishida. It looks like security failed quite badly here. The suspect could throw it right next to Kishida, and if it had a shorter fuse it may have exploded right then and there. https://t.co/s0R7HHlU86
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Japan has had almost a year to improve security since the Abe assassination and will host world leaders at a G7 summit next month. Questions will be asked about whether enough was done to prevent this man from throwing an explosive device at the PM. twitter.com/mrjeffu/status…
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This man who helped tackle the Kishida bomb attack suspect today has become a subject of discussion on Japanese Twitter: was he just a normal "old dude at the fishing port" (漁港のおじさん) or was he a plainclothes cop that was of the Prime Minister's security detail? twitter.com/mrjeffu/status…
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Here is a slightly higher quality clip from NHK, which includes the police tackling the suspect.
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Breakig: Someone apparently set off an explosive device (possibly a pipe bomb) at a place in Wakayama where Prime Minister Kishida was about to give a campaign speech. No injuries were reported.
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New Pokémon card were released today in Japan. Here is a video of people who lined up overnight in Akihabara to be the first to buy them...
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Watanabe Tadahiro (Ishin Party), a longtime campaigner for a barrier-free society, was elected to the Chiba city assembly on Sunday. He is the founder of Universal Access Designing, a non-profit that works to improve the accessibility of local tourist facilities. twitter.com/tadahiro_wt/st…
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NHK visited the offices of Marutake Sangyo, the company in Kagoshima that created the Los Angeles Angels' samurai helmet home run hat. The employees are thrilled to see Ohtani and other MLB stars wearing their creation. https://t.co/wGbmS5Qit7
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Kamakura Tsuyoshi is campaigning for the Okayama city assembly as a representative of the Hemp Party (麻党). As you may have already guessed from this photo and his party name, he is an advocate for the legalization of marijuana in Japan. twitter.com/SWAGLABCBD1/st…
40
Actor Orlando Bloom recently traveled to Ukraine as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. When he met with President Zelensky he produced a piece of paper and read the words of Ikeda Daisaku, the Japanese founder of the Soka Gakkai religious movement.
41
The Nara city government considered building a monument at the spot where former Prime Minister Abe was assassinated, but some residents didn't want one. In the end, Abe got this unmarked flowerbed. twitter.com/themainichi/st…
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A lot of Japanese apartment buildings have emergency evacuation ladders on their balconies, but very people have ever seen one used. Here is an NHK news video demonstrating the proper technique:
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This announcement was only made in English to what Musk has called a "Japan-centric" site. When Japanese language media picks up this story, expect some very negative reactions from Japanese users who don't want to pay for basic features. #投票有料化
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"Young people, don't vote." - This short commercial features older Japanese people telling young voters that everything is fine and they don't need to show up to this year's election. The older people will vote and decide everything instead.
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Some additional information: This was not simply a comedic cosplay. The graduate dressed as Zelensky was holding a sign expressing support for the Ukrainian cause. It included this quote from the president's speech to the US Congress.
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Kyoto University is well-known for allowing students to dress however they want at its graduation ceremony, giving rise to a tradition of elaborate and silly costume-wearing. Here is a compilation of some of this year's best costumes: togetter.com/li/2108574
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He says wanted to dress up as Zelensky because of the president's reputation as the manliest of men. His friends humorously interrupt to reveal that he struggled for 4 years before finally passing Kyoto University's notoriously difficult entry exam.
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At this year's Kyoto University graduation ceremony one graduating student dressed up as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. It took him three months to grow the beard, but he pulled it off very well: youtube.com/watch?v=QcH2zZ…
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Japan's national baseball team has just arrived home after winning the World Baseball Classic in Miami. This Japanese TV footage shows firetrucks at Narita Airport spraying an arch of water to honor the champions.
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Japan has defeated the USA and won the #WorldBaseballClassic2023 . Here are the fans at my local pub reacting to the final pitch that decided the game! Well done, Samurai Japan!
PhD. Special Lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies. Japan's Politics/Nationalist Activism/History Disputes/Pop Culture. RT/Likes ≠ endorsements