activism

WOMEN

Tanaka Mitsu and Japan’s Second Wave Feminist Movement

Bold, outspoken, and controversial. How Tanaka Mitsu became the face of the 1970s Feminist Movement in Japan - and why that rubbed…

POLITICS

Is Free Speech Under Assault in Japan?

Amidst rising anti-Korean discourse in Japan thanks to worsening trade relations, another issue is taking headlines: freedom of speech.

CULTURE

#KimOhNo: Anger in Japan Over Kim Kardashian’s “Kimono” Clothing Project

"Cultural appropriation" usually hasn't made waves in Japan. Then Kim Kardashian came along. Learn why even the city of Kyoto is objecting…

CULTURE

10-Year-Old School-Skipping “Revolutionary” Goes Viral in Japan

An Okinawan boy's anti-school rant continues to rack up hits - and criticism of both the boy and his parents.

WOMEN

In Japan, Birth Control is Largely Out of Women’s Hands

Despite reports to the contrary, Japan is still having sex - but Japanese women have little control over the outcome.

LGBTQ

In Japan, The Surge for Marriage Equality Builds

An uptick in public support has LGBT couples in Japan on the offensive, as a new series of lawsuits aims to turn…

WOMEN

Hiratsuka Raicho: The Japanese Feminist’s Life and Work

Hiratsuka Raicho was a writer, feminist, and women's liberation activist who played a pivotal role in modern Japan's women's rights movement.

WOMEN

#KuToo: A Revolt Against Pumps in the Japanese Workplace

While #MeToo never took off in Japan the way it did in the U.S., Japanese women are growing more aware, and angrier,…