equality

RACE IN JAPAN

Nike Japan Ad Encouraging Diversity Angers Japanese Racists

Extreme right wingers in Japan slam Nike and threaten a boycott over a commercial that's being praised by...well, virtually everyone else.

CULTURE

Blaming Foreigners for Coronavirus: Cultural Prejudice or Fake News?

Did a government panel in Japan blame foreigners for the spread of COVID-19? The truth is a little more complicated.

FEATURED

“Love Tights” Campaign Lands Tights Maker in Trouble

A tights manufacturer in Japan seemed to forget who its target audience was when it launched this hyper-sexualized art campaign.

FEATURED

Japan’s Whiteness Problem, Part 3: The Diaspora and Whiteness

How does the perception of Whiteness in Japan impact mixed-race Japanese? Two members of the Japanese diaspora give us their perspectives.

LGBTQ

Anti-LGBT Comments Earn Japanese Politicians a Big Backlash

Back-to-back inflammatory statements by politicians in Japan show the uphill battle that local activists face in combating LGBT prejudice.

PATREON

Justice For “Comfort Women” in the 2000 Women’s Tribunal

In 2000, several organizations in multiple countries banded together to put Japan's Imperial regime on trial for its crimes against women. Here's…

LAW & CRIME

Japan’s Fear of a Marijuana Planet

While marijuana use is liberalizing in many countries, Japan is an exception - as one poor celebrity recently found out.

SOCIETY

Japan’s Hounded “Untouchables” Fight to Banish Blacklist

A case in a Tokyo district court is challenging the re-publication of a "guide" purporting to out reputed members of Japan's burakumin,…