Black Professionals Tokyo Entrepreneur Night

Black Scholars Who Make a Speciality of Asian Studies

Crime in Japan
As a lead-in to an upcoming story, here are some recent statistics on criminal activity in Japan: According to the National Police Agency’s 2009 white paper on crime, the police recognized 1,818,374 crimes, excluding traffic accidents, in 2008. The figure is 4.8 percent less than in 2007, and has fallen six years in a row. A total of 36,153 people were killed or injured in those crimes, about 3,000 less than in 2007. The police recognized 1,297 cases of murder in 2008 — an 8.2 percent rise from the previous year and ...

Black Professionals in Tokyo: First Friday’s Dinner & Cocktail Party
Henry Seals has invited you to the event ‘December First Friday’s Dinner Cocktail Party’ on Black Professionals in Tokyo! Check out “December First Friday’s Dinner Cocktail Party” on Black Professionals in Tokyo Time: December 4, 2009 from 7pm to 9:30pm Location: Japanese Izakaya SHARA @ Takada no Baba Station Event Description:  Come celebrate the holiday season with us as we attempt to fuse Japanese food, and the holiday season. Join us for a course menu with traditional and unique Japanese foods and all you can drink for 4000 yen in Takadanobaba. The Menu includes: Seasonal seafood ...

The Politics of History in Germany and Japan
Here is a very interesting read on how Japan deals with the past. DIFFERENT BEDS, SAME NIGHTMARE: THE POLITICS OF HISTORY IN GERMANY AND JAPAN contrasts Japan’s and Germany’s pre-war history and the path each took towards reconciliation. Germany and Japan are typically presented as polar opposites with respect to how they deal with the past. The Federal Republic is usually portrayed as a country that has faced up to the horrors of its history and accepted moral responsibility for them. As a result, it is commonly argued, Germany has managed to achieve reconciliation ...

Possible 3-year prison term for parental kidnapping
This is a very interesting case considering the drama over the Savoie custody issue. Japanese prosecutors are seeking a three-year prison term for a Chinese man accused of parental kidnapping and keeping his two daughters in China for about 10 years. Does this case reinforce that the Japanese parent wields the power in custody disputes? “It became clear on Nov. 17 that the Akishima Police Station has arrested Qin Weijie, 55 — a company employee from China with no fixed address — on suspicion of kidnapping his eldest and second daughters ...

Social Insurance Card Update
Let’s Japan reports: “The Free Choice Foundation has just received word that an unpopular Immigration guideline is to be repealed. The news was relayed via a phone call from the office of an Upper House lawmaker* immediately after he had spoken with the Justice Ministry regarding Immigration Guideline No. 8, the mandate that would have required visa applicants to present their social insurance ID cards at the application window. Click here for the rest of the story.”