Tag: japan

Japan Wants to Bring Artificial Gravity to the Moon

Interest in the Moon has been reignited recently, and Japan is looking to get in on the fun. Researchers and engineers from Kyoto University and the Kajima Corporation have released their joint proposal for a three-pronged approach to sustainable human life on the Moon and beyond.

The future of space exploration will likely include longer stays in low gravity environments, whether in orbit or on the surface of another planet. Problem is, long stays in space can wreak havoc on our physiology; recent research shows that astronauts can suffer a decade of bone loss during months in space, and that their bones never return to normal. Thankfully, researchers from Kyoto University and the Kajima Corporation are seeking to engineer a potential solution.

The proposal, announced in a press release last week, looks like something ripped straight from the pages of a sci-fi novel. The plan consists of three distinct elements, the first of which, called “The Glass,” aims to bring simulated gravity to the Moon and Mars through centrifugal force.

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AP Fact Checks Meme Joking About Shinzo Abe Having Information That Could Lead to the Arrest of Hillary Clinton

The Associated Press ran a “fact check” on a meme joking about Shinzo Abe having information that could lead to the arrest of Hillary Clinton.

The meme has been around for ages due to the amount of mysterious and arguably convenient deaths surrounding the Clintons.

Following the tragic assassination of Shinzo Abe, comedian and podcast host Michael Malice tweeted a fake screenshot of the former Japanese prime minister saying “I have information that will lead to the arrest of Hillary Clinton.”

The tweet was “liked” by over 12,000 people who understand jokes.

The Associated Press was apparently very concerned that some people might not understand that it was a meme.

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New Japanese Law Makes ‘Online Insults’ a Jailable Offense

This week, a Japanese law went into effect making it a jailable offense to be a jerk on the Internet.

As reported by The Japan Times, the legislation, passed in June, strengthens the country’s punishment for “online insults.” According to CNN, “Under Japan’s penal code, insults are defined as publicly demeaning someone’s social standing without referring to specific facts about them or a specific action…The crime is different to defamation, defined as publicly demeaning someone while pointing to specific facts.”

Previously, the penalty for online offensiveness was either a fine of less than ¥10,000 (about $73 USD) or fewer than 30 days in prison. Under the new law, which went into effect Thursday, the penalties increased to as much as a year in prison and a fine of up to ¥300,000 (about $2,200 USD). It also extended the statute of limitations from one year to three.

A push for the law came in 2020, when Japanese wrestler and reality TV star Hana Kimura committed suicide after allegedly receiving abusive messages on social media. The bill briefly stalled over concerns that it would stifle legitimate criticism of politicians. Finally, the legislature reached a compromise, inserting a provision requiring that “a review will be conducted within three years…to determine if it unfairly restricts free speech,” per The Japan Times.

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Shinzo Abe’s Murder Suspect Claims Motive Of His Attack

Tetsuya Yamagami, 41, was unemployed and had served in the Maritime Self-Defense Force (MSDF) for three years until 2005, according to police.

He was arrested in the Japanese city of Nara where he allegedly shot Abe, who was delivering a campaign speech ahead of the July 10 upper house election.

Yamagami, when apprehended, admitted his intention to kill Abe whom he believed was connected to a religious organization that had bankrupted his family, The Asahi Shimbun reported, citing investigative sources.

“My family joined that religion and our life became harder after donating money to the organization,” Yamagami was quoted as saying by the sources.

The suspect told investigators that he initially targeted the organization’s leader, “but it was difficult,” so he decided to change target.

“I took aim at Abe since I believed that he was tied [to the organization]. I wanted to kill him,” he said. Yamagami also admitted that he attempted to make explosives.

An unnamed source, who was identified as Yamagami’s relative in the report, said the suspect’s family “fell apart” because of the religious group, and that he was “convinced that Yamagami suffered damage from the organization.”

The suspect used a handmade gun measuring 40 centimeters in length and 20 centimeters in height. Police also found similar guns, explosives, and cylindrical objects during searches at Yamagami’s apartment in Nara.

Yamagami had previously worked as a dispatched staff worker for multiple companies after resigning from MSDF. He started working at a manufacturing company in the Kansai region in 2020 but left in May for health reasons.

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NPR Reminds Us Why It Needs to be Defunded With Its Latest Tweets

Before I begin this article, I want to give you a fun little fact about the National Public Radio (NPR) gets its funding.

According to The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which helps fund, they recently received a $50 million increase in funding support from the federal government, totaling out at $525 million, thanks to the House and Senate passing the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2022.

Got it? Good.

The assassination of Shinzo Abe was shocking news, not just to the people of Japan, but to the entire world. He was the longest-serving Prime Minister in Japanese history and a great ally in the fight against the communist regimes of North Korea and China. World leaders began issuing statements remembering the man fondly and expressing their sadness that such a man was slain.

However, there were two entities that made statements that disgusted many. One was from President Joe Biden who decided to turn Abe’s death into a chance at pushing anti-gun narratives.

The other was from NPR, which first posted a tweet calling Abe a “divisive arch-conservative” but soon deleted it.

But NPR didn’t delete it because they felt shame over their hyper-partisan tweet about a slain man. They just needed to reword it so that Abe came off even worse by using buzzwords that they typically associate with white supremacists, “ultranationalist.” Now he’s not just a political figure that opposed the left in his country, but now he’s a crazed xenophobe.

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Does assassination of Shinzo Abe signal strategic shift for Japan?

It seems increasingly clear that more than any particular policy achievement, Abe’s greatest legacy was a more substantial global leadership for Japan and peace with Russia and China.

One focus of Abe’s foreign policy was to secure a treaty with Russia on their territorial dispute. Abe had pursued this initiative even after some of his closest foreign policy advisers tried to scupper his efforts. The operation in Ukraine gave current PM Kishida Fumio room to join US sanctions targeting Moscow – marking a changed course from Abe’s foreign policy legacy.

Japan had been happy to offer economic concessions on the disputed islands in the Kurils, but Kishida – even before the Ukraine crisis – had abandoned Abe’s Russia policy. There is little question that Abe’s diplomatic initiative was stymied by his successors, particularly given that the goal was ultimately strategic: to forge a friendship with Russia that would stabilize Japan’s northern flank.

Ironically, Abe often spoke throughout his career about revising the Japanese Constitution to give the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (SDF) greater room to expand. On Friday, he was murdered in cold blood by an alleged member of the Self-Defense Forces.

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Despite Gun Ban, Japan’s Former Leader Was Assassinated With A Homemade Shotgun

Japan’s gun laws are some of the strictest in the world making it the go-to example for the anti-gun lobby in America. This is why the world was shocked on Friday when Japanese former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and killed — with a gun.

Other than the police and the military, no one in Japan may purchase a handgun or a rifle. So comprehensive are the gun laws in Japan that even possession of a starter’s pistol is allowed only under extremely strict conditions.

Despite these oppressive gun control measures and a disarmed society, however, a deranged criminal was able to obtain a gun and kill the country’s former leader.

Before his body was even cold, the anti-gun corporate press began rolling out articles about Japan’s strict gun control and how this has contributed to the country’s low rate of gun violence. None of the articles mention anything about Japan’s far more peaceful culture and pacifism being the main contributor to lower violence, nor do they mention the fact that Japan is not free from mass killings.

In July of 2016, an assailant killed 19 people in an assisted-living facility. Because guns are banned, the killer used knives, highlighting the fact that disarming law-abiding citizens won’t stop criminals from committing mass harm.

Similarly, the banning of guns in Japan did not stop the killer from making his own gun and killing Shinzo Abe.

Japan’s Shinzo Abe assassination: Who is suspect Tetsuya Yamagami?

The 41-year-old suspect in the assassination of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reportedly has told police Friday that he was dissatisfied with the ex-leader and wanted to kill him, but not over his political beliefs. 

Tetsuya Yamagami, who hails from Nara – where the 67-year-old Abe was gunned down while making a speech – is currently facing an attempted murder charge. But local police are expected to upgrade the charge to murder, according to Japanese broadcaster NHK. 

“Former Prime Minister Abe was giving a speech normally, but a man came from behind. The first shot heard only a very loud sound and the person did not fall down. However, the moment the second shot was shot, former Prime Minister Abe collapsed,” a witness told NHK. “The [suspect] didn’t seem to run away, he stayed there and the gun was there.” 

The killing has sent shockwaves around the world and throughout Japan, a country with notoriously strict gun ownership laws. 

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