Asia

The National Police Agency (NPA) of Japan published statistics on Thursday showing that the country experienced an increase in criminal activity in 2022 for the first time in 20 years. The report tracked the number of police reports on documented crimes in addition to arrests. Among the crimes identified as seeing a significant rise in frequency were rape, child abuse, and street crimes, such as muggings and bicycle thefts. The rates of domestic violence and child abuse hit “all-time highs,” according to a report by the Indian news site First Post. Police also referred a record number of children to consultation centers after finding evidence of abuse. The increase follows a dramatic drop in crime following the eruption of the coronavirus pandemic originating in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. Japan shut its schools in February 2020 and sternly encouraged mask usage and “social distancing.” Relatively lax, compared to other parts of the world, government coronavirus restrictions … [Read more...] about Post-Pandemic Japan Sees First-in-a-Generation Crime Spike

Japan’s Nikkei Asian Reviews highlighted the emergency of “virus vigilantes” in the country on Tuesday: enforcers that use peer pressure to keep people from violating lockdown restrictions without actually having any legitimate authority. Observers view the behavior as a symptom of Japanese society’s emphasis on conformity, which some argue has increased feelings of social suffocation during the pandemic, possibly contributing to recent spikes in Japan’s suicide rates. Hiroaki Murata, the owner of a bar and music club in Tokyo, told Nikkei on Tuesday that he received a warning from a virus vigilante in April at the height of Japan’s coronavirus outbreak that left him and his wife feeling “frightened.” “For safety, refrain from opening live music clubs until the state of emergency ends,” read a typed note taped to Murata’s store sign. “If I find you opening again, I’ll call the police.” The note was signed simply, “a neighbor.” On the day that Murata received the typed … [Read more...] about Japan: ‘Virus Vigilantes’ Threaten People for Coronavirus Violations

After initially denying any knowledge of the huge spy balloon floating over Montana, the Chinese government on Friday claimed it was a “civilian” aircraft intended for “meteorological research” that was blown off course into American airspace. China has a long history of claiming its provocative military moves are merely research projects, particularly for meteorology. China’s favorite tactic for pressing its illegal claims across the South China Sea is to drive away ships from competing powers like the Philippines, often using huge swarms of paramilitary “fishing boats” that carry as many rifles as they do fishing poles, and then artificially enhance the size of tiny islets until they are large enough to support military bases. When the Chinese are called out for militarizing islands in disputed waters, they usually respond by claiming they are innocently conducting “marine meteorological monitoring, warning, forecasting, prediction, and … [Read more...] about China Claims Spy Balloon over Montana Is for ‘Meteorology’

A number of Irish senators have called for stricter censorship to be implemented online after a sudden surge in public backlash against the ongoing migrant crisis plaguing the country. Multiple senators in Ireland have made public calls for online censorship in Ireland to be tightened in the wake of growing disquiet over the country’s pro-open borders approach to its ongoing migrant crisis, which has seen tens of thousands of people arrive in a country of just five million over the last twelve months. With the country having a population much smaller than that of many individual U.S. states, the impact of the thousands of arrivals has been devastating for many local communities, with many ordinary Irish people now struggling to find affordable accommodation in the country as the government focuses on housing both Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian migrants from abroad. Such a political decision, which has also largely been backed by the country’s main opposition party, Sinn Féin, … [Read more...] about Senators Demand Censorship After Public Backlash Against Migrant Crisis

MANILA, Philippines — The United States and the Philippines announced plans on Thursday to expand America’s military presence in the Southeast Asian nation, with access to four more bases as they seek to deter China ’s increasingly aggressive actions toward Taiwan and in the disputed South China Sea . The agreement was reached as U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was in the country for talks about deploying U.S. forces and weapons in more Philippine military camps. In a joint announcement by the Philippines and the U.S., the two said they had decided to accelerate the full implementation of their so-called Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which aims to support combined training, exercises and interoperability. As part of the agreement, the U.S. has allocated $82 million toward infrastructure improvements at five current EDCA sites, and expand its military presence to four new sites in “strategic areas of the country,” according to the statement. Austin … [Read more...] about U.S. expands military presence in the Philippines as China looms in region

On a cold Tuesday afternoon in January, four women made their way down Guernsey Street in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. They had just finished lunch at Acre , a Japanese cafe and shop, where they had been served bento boxes and green tea, and were headed to 50 Norman , a new warehouse space nearby that housed three other Japanese businesses. The women, all Japanese immigrants, had driven in from New Jersey, at the advice of their friend, Chieko Koie, who had already dined at Acre and was interested in visiting the warehouse after seeing it on Instagram. The group’s first stop at 50 Norman was Dashi Okume , which sells dashi, a soup base typically made from ingredients like dried fish, seaweed and mushrooms. The business, which opened in Tokyo in 1871, offers various ready-made dashi powder blends, as well as bins of dried ingredients for customers to make their own. “For Japanese people, dashi is really important for making food,” Ms. Koie said. “It’s like a piece of home here in … [Read more...] about Sake. Dashi. Soba Shops: Japanese Chic Takes Root in Brooklyn