When we started Trans-Pacific Radio and Seijigiri, our podcast on Japanese news and politics, we decided to save as many stories as possible to our seijigiri account at del.icio.us - and now that it’s the end of 2006, it’s time to share the results in cloud form. Obviously, we’ve only been saving them since September, so there will be a slant to the keyword frequency. Nonetheless, here it is: the news about Japan in the last third of 2006 as viewed by word clouds:

Which Japan-related news events stood out the most to you?

Politics

Despite talk that Japan may ramp up its sanctions against North Korea, while making an appearance on a TV talk show Monday night, Foreign Minister Taro Aso said, “We are not studying imposing additional sanctions (against North Korea) at this stage because our current sanctions are working.” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki said that although Japan will continue its “basic policy” of holding dialogue and applying pressure, seemingly through the Six Party Talks, additional sanctions are not being proposed at this time.

Also on Monday, Japan’s Sankei Shimbun reported that the government had recently investigated the possibility of developing a nuclear warhead program. The Sankei reported it source to be “an internal government document,” although Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuhisa Shiozaki claimed that he had not heard of any such document. The Sankei’s published claim states that developing such a program would take three to five years and cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $2 billion.

In order to stregthen the observation of North Korea’s missile launch site at Musudanri, the Pentagon has asked Japan to permit the installation of another X-band radar system to supplement the one already installed at Shariki Air Station in Aomori.

(Read on …)

Listen Now:

 TPR News: 12/27/06: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Happy holidays from Trans-Pacific Radio.

Actually, we’re making this post to let our readers know that we’ve taken care of the problem with irrelevant comments on our threads. Unfortunately we have some individuals who felt the need to clutter our threads with comments that were not related or made little sense in the context of the thread. For the time being, all comments on TPR will have to be approved by an administrator. That should make little difference, though, since we’re sure to approve all comments very quickly.

As always, thank you for your interest in TPR, and for those who have written to us about the ‘thread hijacking’, thanks for your concern. The issue is solved.

From Trans-Pacific Radio in Setagaya, Tokyo, Japan, This is Alex Pappas with Shasetsu, an editorial.

Let me first briefly say a big thank you to the folks at Trans-Pacific Radio for their warm welcome as a member of the team here at Trans-Pacific Radio dot com.

Getting right to it, a headline that’s coming out right now in Japan, and something that I think is certainly important to talk about is that under Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, the government of Japan has recently decided to, quote, soften up end quote some controversial references found in the Yasukuni War Shrine in Tokyo.

For those of you not familiar, Yasukuni jinja, a term literally meaning (peaceful nation shrine) is a Shinto shrine that is dedicated to the spirits of soldiers and others who died fighting on behalf of the Japanese emperor in times of conflict and war.

The shrine has been a site of great controversy of the last few decades as several nations particularly China and Korea have taken very vocal stances against its existence. Their opposition comes because enshrined at Yasukuni in what I guess I’ll call a Book of Souls are the names of over a thousand convicted War criminals including 12 Class A War Criminals found guilty by the Allied Tribunal after the second World War.

(Read on …)

Business

Business and local government leaders from Tohoku and Northeastern China are seeking to increase bilateral ties. Both areas have tended to lag behind the rest of their respective countries in terms of economic activity, but, with the Chinese Government’s targeting of the Northeast as an economic growth area, Tohoku sees a chance for growth as an export hub for the seafood and agricultural produce of the Northeast, especially the area around Dalian, and by outsourcing software development.

Tohoku’s efforts are spearheaded by the Tohoku Economic Federation, which has explored options for export to Northeast China, such a new variety of strawberries, soon to be test-marketed in Hong Kong. The group seeks to use its proximity to Northeast China to compete with Fukuoka, which currently promotes itself as the gateway to Asia.

The Seibu Group, including Kokudo and Seibu Railways, has been ordered to pay 200 million yen in back taxes as a result of failing to report 700 million yen spent on items such as the residences of former chairman Tsutsumi Yoshiaki and an acquaintance of his and the maintenance of the tomb of Tsutsumi’s father, Tsutsumi Yasujiro, as salaries and benefits. The company plans to challenge the decision.

Brunei joined Chile, Indonesia, Mexico, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand in reaching a Free-Trade Agreement with Japan, a step which is expected to accelerate Japan’s FTA talks with ASEAN.

(Read on …)

Listen Now:

 TPR News: 12/22/06: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

December 22, 2006

On this day in 1885, Ito Hirobumi, a central figure in Japan’s Meiji era modernization and a noted womanizer, began the first of his four terms as Prime Minister after reorganizing the government along European lines to establish a cabinet.

Ito was the adopted son of Hayashi Juzo, a minor samurai in the perpetually rebellious Choshu domain, whose leaders had an annual tradition of meeting to decide the Shogunate was still too strong to be overthrown. Not being born into a position the would normally bring political power wound up serving Ito quite well as the eventual success of Choshu’s side, despite a disastrous attempt at uprising, put him at the forefront of loyalists to the Meiji emperor.

(Read on …)

Dear Listeners,

This podcast has seen a phenomenal number of listens since April.� In fact, it has been listened to more lately than it was back around Christmastime, when it was originally released.� We are, of course, happy to see this and hope you enjoy it.

If you’re reading this, we’d like to request a small favor - no it’s not money.� Just leave a comment below, tell� us how you found this and what made you look for it - it would greatly satiate� our curiosity.

Thanks.

- 太平洋横断放送　(June 13, 2007)�

�

By O. Henry

Read by Garrett DeOrio

The iconic Christmas story, the one that invented what we all now think of as the greatest sort of gift just as it credited the Magi with inventing the giving of Christmas presents, is read here by Garrett DeOrio.

It is said that O. Henry, the master of the surprise ending, the “O. Henry twist,” who, in his real life as William Sydney Porter, was an alcoholic imprisoned for three years for embezzlement, wrote his best-known story at Pete’s Tavern on Irving Place in New York City. The story quickly became a classic and has since been reinterpreted or referenced in other stories, on film, and in whatever venue Christmas stories are told. Its influence stretches from the late 19th century, when it was written, to Disney to Sesame Street to Futurama to Mystery Science Theater 3000 and countless other stories. O. Henry’s idea of what makes the greatest gifts great has even influenced some stories about the Magi themselves. In short, “The Gift of the Magi” is the Christmas Story, even if neither Santa nor Christ ever makes an appearance.

It’s a safe bet that O. Henry has as much to do with your idea of the true meaning of Christmas as any other individual, including Christ himself.

Merry Christmas and thank you for listening.

(Read on …)

Listen Now:

 The Gift of the Magi: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Politics

Although Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has been quoted as saying, “We can leave an appraisal of the work of politicians to later generations of historians,” it is the current opinion of him that may bring his premiership some trouble. After admitting that many “Town Hall” style meetings were staged, Abe’s cabinet has seen its approval rating drop quickly. In an attempt to save face over the fiasco, the Prime Minister has offered to return three months of his salary.

On the eve of the resumption of the Six Party Talks, North Korea has accused Japan of kidnapping one of its own citizens. The accusation, issued on Saturday by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), claims that Kim Thae Yong, a North Korean linguist working at a college on Russia’s Sakhalin Island, went missing in 1991 and has subsequently written letters from the Japanese island of Hokkaido. Japan’s Foreign Ministry refused to give any comment on the issue.

In a special to the Daily Yomiuri, former US Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage has published a piece entitled, “Stay focused on achieving nonnuclear North Korea.” Armitage discusses the “scenario that no one ever discusses,” or the idea that North Korea might make gradual economic reform and emerge a stronger state.

(Read on …)

Listen Now:

 TPR News: 12/19/2006: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

One thing’s for sure: when you invite North Korea to the party, it’s never going to be boring.

On the eve of the resumption of the Six Party Talks, North Korea has accused Japan of kidnapping one of its nationals from Russia in 1991. The man in question is Kim Thae Yong, who reportedly went missing while working as a linguist at a college on Russia’s Sakhalin Island, which lies just north of Japan’s northernmost territory.

In a report issued on Saturday afternoon, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), had this to say:

The insincere approach taken by Japan toward the issue of probing the case is intolerable, both from the elementary humanitarian point of view and the standpoint on improving the DPRK (North Korea)-Japan relations. We vehemently condemn this case as a serious infringement upon the sovereignty of the DPRK as Kim, able linguist of the DPRK, is presumed to be lured and abducted by Japan.

Japan, of course, is expected to raise the issue of its own citizens who were abducted to North Korea at the Six Party Talks, as it has been doing since their inception. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said that there will be no talks unless the abductee issue is on the agenda.

North Korea’s move, which looks like an attempt to force a stalemate over the issue as well as distract the agenda from its true focus (we’re supposed to be talking about nuclear weapons and technology, right?) puts Japan in an odd position: the very nature of its insistence upon discussing the abduction issue has been called into question.

Why is Japan so fixated on using the Six Party Talks as a vehicle for discussing the abduction issue? That’s where the ‘right wing’ comes into play:

(Read on …)

I was asked to write a small piece about what I, as an American living in Japan, thought about the anniversary of the Japanese Navy’s attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor. After blurting out a few frenetic comments along the lines of sure, I can do that, I actually thought about what the event did mean and I didn’t feel so sure anymore. To many Americans of my grandfather’s generation the attack was akin to this generation’s September 11^th attack on New York. To me, it often was something more like “Tora, Tora, Tora” or a version of “Baa Baa Black Sheep” with Robert Conrad. To many young Japanese, it seems that Pearl Harbor is a cloying Hollywood movie starring the very wooden Ben Affleck. In fact, here in Japan it seems that the anniversary really does not get any mention at all, other than to note stories about Japanese aviators and American sailors getting together and marking the ceremony in Hawaii. The bitterest Americans are undoubtably those sailors who lost close friends that morning and still refuse to shake hands with the Japanese pilots.

(Read on …)