The United States and Israel There is no one who looks at the current Palestinian situation and is not heartbroken by the reports coming out of Gaza. Regardless of how one interprets the origins and responsibility for the current clashes, Israel’s overwhelming use of military force is inhumane. However, Western nations remain beholden to Israel, and there has been little change in their official position. At this year’s Nagasaki Peace Memorial Ceremony in August 2024, representatives of Western nations refrained from attending in solidarity with Israel’s Ambassador to Japan, who was not invited.     The US government has not been swayed by student protests or the outcome of the presidential election, and both the Democratic and Republican parties have been consistent in their official support for Israel. Why is this the case? It is well known that the proportion of Jewish influence ... ... [Read more]

The special exhibition Haniwa to Dogu no Kindai (Modern Images of Ancient Clay Figures) is currently on view at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo (MOMAT) until December 22, 2024. What stories have people seen in ancient figures since the modern era? Tracing this “gaze” reveals changes in society and the mind in Japan. The monthly magazine Tokyojin held a roundtable discussion entitled “A Gaze upon Haniwa and Dogu” at MOMAT. The discussion was moderated by Matsui Mio and featured novelist Machida Ko, whose Koyaku Kojiki (colloquial translation of the Kojiki) has received much attention, and exhibition curators Hanai Hisaho and Nariai Hajime. Tradition, avant-garde and yuru-chara[1]. ……? A look at the haniwa / dogu boom ——In 2023, Mr. Machida published Koyaku Kojiki (Kodansha, 2023), a modern translation of the Kojiki.[2] A kofun[3] (an ancient burial mound) also appears in important scenes in ... ... [Read more]

  In 2008, while still a professor at the University of Tokyo, Kabashima Ikuo ran for and was elected Governor of Kumamoto Prefecture. He served as governor for four terms until his retirement in April 2024. The Chuokoron editorial team spoke with him about his eventful 16 years in office, including the huge success of the prefecture’s PR mascot character “Kumamon,” the recovery from the devastating 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake, and the current prosperity following the establishment of a factory by Taiwanese semiconductor giant TSMC. From agricultural cooperative worker to political scientist through hard work ――After graduating from high school, you worked for a local agricultural cooperative (employee, Inada Village [now Yamaga City] Agricultural Cooperative, Kumamoto Prefecture) and went to the United States as an agricultural trainee. From there, you studied hard and enrolled in the Agricultural College of the University of Nebraska. You then ... ... [Read more]

[Physical Education/Sociology] There are swimming styles that have been passed down through the generations in Japan. Nihon eiho (Japanese swimming techniques) developed in a way suited to the waters of each region, such as rivers, lakes, and oceans. Currently there are 13 schools. We [the editorial staff of Mizu no Bunka] covered the historical background of one of them, Suifu-ryu suijutsu (Suifu school of the Japanese martial art of combat swimming), which is being kept alive in in Mito City, Ibaraki Prefecture, and were shown some of the swimming techniques. Can be continued for life, regardless of age Sideways in the water, with the face turned upwards above the surface, the swimmer performs scissor kicks called aoriashi while the lower hand extends forward and pulls down through the water. This is hitoe-noshi (single sideways kick), one of the representative swimming strokes of Suifu- ryu ... ... [Read more]

The editorial staff of Chuokoron interviewed Koyasu Miwa, who travels around Japan to help eliminate the gender gap in rural workplaces and is familiar with the realities of local governments and businesses, about the reasons women leave rural areas and the conditions needed to create communities where women want to stay. Women in rural areas who want to work but cannot The so-called list of “municipalities at risk of disappearing” released by the Population Strategy Council (Chairman Mimura Akio, Vice-Chairman Masuda Hiroya) in April 2024 is commendable because it focuses on the emigration of young women as a cause of population decline, and I often quote it when I give lectures in rural areas. However, let me start by saying that the company I represent, Will Lab Inc., does not conduct business with the goal of preventing population decline. Will Lab’s goal is to ... ... [Read more]