I remember when a platform called Twitter was helpful during disasters and it was easier to differentiate fake accounts from legit ones. Legacy verification was a thing linked to credibility. Now “verified” accounts spring up like mushrooms free to post whatever crap they want.
NHK report on social media misinformation following yesterday's earthquake. Fake addresses being posted, old disaster footage mislabled as new stuff, fraudulent requests for donations.
Almost like any yokel being able to buy a blue check wasn't a good idea.
Indonesian man dies while in police custody north of Tokyo.
Since his arrest in October for driving without a license, the man had complained about health issues. But the police thought his condition did not require hospitalization.
What does it mean to speak a language perfectly?
Many people have commented on the recent infamous presser with some who were suggesting that a foreigner who doesn’t speak smoothly shouldn’t even be there
Food for thought for Japanese
people using/learning a foreign language
Weather agency issues torrential rain warning, urges early evacuations for western Japan - it’s already raining heavily in Kagoshima and other areas in the
#Kyushu
region. Please stay safe, evacuate to a safer place if needed.
Many Japanese people, including people I know, aren’t happy with the choice of Miss Japan. If people keep assessing Japaneseness based on roots and see only those with pure Japanese blood as their own, instead of embracing multiculturalism, Japan will run out of Japanese people.
A woman in her 30s aboard a Delta flight from Atlanta to Tokyo's Narita was apparently carrying a gun and ammunition. This happened on January 3 and the woman returned home without entering Japan.
Uniqlo Founder Wants to Stir Japan's Economy.
“Japan is not an advanced nation at all, because we have been in a dormant state for 30 years. In Beijing and Shanghai, people are getting two and three times the compensation of equivalent positions in Japan.”
Social distancing is almost nonexistent in Japan. The number of infections is relatively small in Japan, true. But it doesn’t mean there’s no risk of getting infected. Opinions may vary but I don’t think this is the best way to protect yourself/others from the virus.
A man and a woman in their 80s who were on board Diamond Princess cruise ship quarantined in Yokohama Port have died of coronavirus complications.
The death toll in Japan rises to 3.
#COVID19
I know many people have been waiting for this news: Japan to allow in non-tourist new visa applicants from October. Japan is finally reopening borders for all countries.
Just an observation, but look how quickly decisions concerning closing borders have been made compared with deliberations on anti-coronavirus measures within Japan.
I’m watching Japanese TV and once again I wonder why models and celebrities comment on political and social issues they have no knowledge about… (it’s not a real question)
⚠️ Japan to loosen quarantine rules for fully vaccinated arrivals from October: quarantine period shortened to 10 days, self-isolation at home.
We’ll keep you posted when we learn more details on further changes to border control and quarantine measures.
Japan will now allow restaurants to use public sidewalks for outdoor seating. Finally! This is something I’ve been waiting for for ages and couldn’t understand why you just can’t enjoy your coffee or lunch outside in Japan.
#Tokyo2020
volunteers are losing enthusiasm for the Olympics after Mori’s sexist remarks, more and more people who have applied to volunteer are saying they’re going to quit, Mainichi reports.
Over the past few months I‘ve been covering Japan's entry policies targeting foreigners & their effects in particular on residents who made sacrifices to build their lives here. What impact such policies may have on the society? Read my observations here:
'Dangerous' to crop out African voices on climate “because many people are ignorant about the climate crisis in Africa and most of the activists feel unheard,” Uganda activist
@vanessa_vash
Nakate says.
Things we should talk about: キャッチ(kyacchi)
When I saw this guy last time, he was wearing a black Canada Goose jacket. He wanders around Yokohama St. every day, picks up women. Not for romance… those women risk being forced into prostitution. So I warned a police officer.
Traveling to Japan for tourism? That sounds too optimistic. We need to remember that thousands of international students, families of foreign residents (who aren’t permanent or long-term residents) and many people who landed jobs in Japan last year are still waiting to come.
Just flabbergasted that in the past week I’ve had multiple friends in the US talk about planning a trip to Japan later this year/early next (like, for tourism). Seems like their vaccinations came w a dose of optimism too. Feels like a different world!
🪩 Some personal news:
I’ve decided to get a break from writing to observe Japan from a different perspective. Starting tomorrow I will be working as a media monitoring and research specialist for a global communications agency and will be analyzing Japan-related news coverage.
In Japan, the government’s 100,000 yen per person handout should be ready by May. It’s confirmed: The handout is expected to be provided to foreign residents as well as Japanese citizens.
Some of you may have missed it — Japan’s Immigration Services Agency wants to get feedback from all residents regarding the government’s policies aimed at realizing “a society of harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals.”
You can share your opinions:
A Japanese woman recently told me that “Japan’s travel restrictions are so lax & most people don’t self-isolate after coming to Japan.”
No, entry restrictions+quarantine measures aren’t lax. I’m afraid people who don’t travel and don’t follow news updates spread incorrect info.
First positive COVID-19 case among Olympic team members, a coach, found on arrival. No one from the coach’s team quarantined.
飛び込み五輪予選で来日 海外チームのコーチ1人がコロナ陽性
Only 8,000 foreign tourists visited Japan in June, July. WOW, How come?Why aren’t foreigners coming to Japan? Has someone been denying them entry permission?
😨
(For people not familiar with my stories — this isn’t a real question. Believe me, I know why)
🎄 Christmas in Japan: lovely illuminations and Xmas markets. Let’s focus on the latter. So many of them have become a fixture in Japan. Also in Yokohama, which is where I decided to drop by. And it left me a bit heartbroken.
Here is why:
Many international students have been waiting to enter Japan for months or over a year. Many of them have been vaccinated. But still they need to wait as Japan has not yet announced when it will begin letting students in. Very few foreign nationals have been allowed in this year.
LaShawn Toyoda
@theyokohamalife
learned how to code during the pandemic. The international community is glad she did.
She’s the one who created a database of clinics offering waiting lists for appointments to get a COVID-19 jab across the country.
Foreign "visitors" to Japan drop 99.9% in June for 3rd straight month. Woooow, what a surprise. Most foreigners are not allowed to enter Japan now. Even if they live here...
By this logic, any Japanese person who is learning a foreign language shouldn’t even try. Shouldn’t use it for work or better, shouldn’t go abroad or work in a non-Japanese environment. And if they do, it’s okay to belittle, bully them or refuse to get into a conversation.
Japan to reimpose an entry ban on overseas students & business travelers due to concerns over the Omicron variant just after the government started relaxing the restrictions. The ban will apply to all countries.
水際対策ビジネス目的や留学生も入国停止へ
COVID-19 has sparked governments worldwide to strengthen border control measures to curb the spread. Japan's entry ban has affected foreigners legally residing in Japan who are now unable to return home or worry that leaving will jeopardize their future.
More firms in Japan are introducing surveillance schemes enabling employers to monitor telecommuting workers, check if they’re in front of their computers & what they’re looking at through screen sharing. This is micromanagement. How about motivating them so they perform well?
Well, these signs are the signs of depression so instead of using this trivializing name, shouldn’t NHK and others take a serious approach to mental health and people suffering from issues based on these signs, look into the causes and notice these signs don’t only show in May?
Signs you might be suffering from "May Sickness" (from NHK):
1)Difficulty waking up in the morning
2)Difficulty concentrating
3)Feeling it's tiresome to deal with people or go out
4)Nausea before going to work
5)No motivation to do fun things
Shiori Ito's win matters. 14 years ago my then coworkers told me how their male colleagues would in the past come to massage their shoulders (at work) and would slide their hands down to their chest and breasts without their consent. It took them years to realize that was wrong.
Japan journalist Shiori Ito awarded ¥3.3 million in damages in high-profile rape case. This has been one of the most high-profile cases of the
#MeToo
movement in Japan.
Social media can be really useful but sometimes interactions look like this:
"You may be a journalist, but I am a man."
"You may have lived in Japan for years or decades, but I spent there one month (and I know better)."
"You're wrong because I disagree with you."
When Japan’s Olympic minister tells people that a single vaccine dose against COVID-19 will ensure temporary immunity and experts need to correct the misinformed minister’s misleading remarks. Makes you wonder how other decisions related to the
#Tokyo2020
Olympics have been made.
⚠️ just to clarify:
— the (temporary) entry ban doesn’t affect foreign residents reentering Japan & Japanese nationals
— residents/citizens reentering Japan from 14 countries where omicron cases have been confirmed will be required to quarantine in government-picked facilities
Many foreigners in Japan have been faced with this challenge but have also been viewed as not capable of fully understanding Japanese because it is likely too difficult for them to learn.
Who is creating this language barrier?
What about people with articulation disorders? Shouldn’t they be given an equal opportunity to express themselves and be understood? What about people who stutter?
Who can speak their own language perfectly? Do we need to?
Japan’s opposition party leader on IOC:
"They indicate that holding the Olympics has priority over Japanese people's lives. ... What gives them the authority to say such things? Those comments could lead to an infringement on Japan's sovereignty."
Good news. Apparently Japan is set to allow re-entry for more foreign residents amid coronavirus measures, sources say. I’ll keep watching for the details and will let you know who and on what conditions will be able to re-enter.
⚠️ It’s official: Japan's second state of emergency has just been extended until March 21
Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has also announced that the government is set to tighten border control measures with more rigorous checks on people quarantining after travel.
You know what? I never got the Abenomasks, which were supposed to be distributed to all households in Japan. I wanted to frame them.
26 billion yen
(18.4 billion yen spent on procurement and 7.6 billion yen on delivery)
What a waste of money it was...
Does anybody wear them?
Officials in France have issued an international arrest warrant for a Japanese woman accused of keeping her two children from their French father who lives in Japan.
Former Olympic
#Tokyo2020
Games Boss Yoshiro Mori reportedly didn’t want Naomi Osaka to light the Olympic flame as she did. According to sources cited in this report, Mori preferred another athlete because he deemed him 'pure Japanese'.
French father goes on hunger strike for kids 'abducted' by Japanese wife.
“I’ve tried everything, I’ve tried to convince my wife by saying to her that it was not good for the kids. Right now, I don’t even know if they are alive.”
Hashtags trending on 🇯🇵 Twitter following Tokyo Olympics chief’s sexist remarks:
#森喜朗氏は引退してください
(Yoshiro Mori, please resign)
#森喜朗氏の退任を求めます
(Calling for Yoshiro Mori’s resignation)
#日本の恥
(the shame of Japan)
#五輪中止
(cancel the Olympics)
According to NHK, 70 new
#coronavirus
cases on Diamond Princess cruise ship. The total number of people who have been infected on board the ship rises to 355. This brings the total number of cases in Japan to 408.
Mom’s waiting for 2nd AstraZeneca dose
Dad already got his 2nd Pfizer shot
My sister got Johnson&Jonson
In Poland, where pandemic response has been poor but the No. of infections has been decreasing — some 15.77 million vaccine doses administered so far
Japan, when‘s my turn?
As some 11,000 international athletes from more than 200 countries head to Japan for
#Tokyo2020
Olympics – with several testing positive for Covid-19 in recent days – the plight of foreign residents barred from entry to Japan, comes under the spotlight.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe says that temporary employee with mental disability is to blame for shredding the guest list for this year's state cherry blossom viewing party. Wow.