Sentiment analysis
What Japan Thinks
Each entry analyzes how Japanese audiences are reacting to a story or topic on social media — sentiments, themes, and the takes you won't get from English-language sources.
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What Japan Thinks: Japan Gets a New Word for 40°C Heat — And Makes a Joke of It
The Meteorological Agency officially coined 酷暑日 (kokushobi) for days hitting 40°C or higher — and the top reply on livedoornews' breaking-news post, with 11,265 likes, was a pun suggesting 汗日暑日暑 (asebishobisho, roughly 'sweat-soaked day'). Nearly 80% of the…
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What Japan Thinks: Kyoto ‘Chinese Stepfather’ Hoax Backfires on Japan’s Far Right
A viral claim that the stepfather arrested in a Kyoto child-murder case was a Chinese national turned out to be disinformation — amplified after a Taiwanese TV station sourced the story from Japanese SNS posts, then apologized. In…
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What Japan Thinks: Wada Ayaka Weds in Taiwan — “Come Back When Japan Legalizes It”
Former Angerme idol Wada Ayaka announced she married her same-sex partner in Taiwan, explicitly citing Taiwan's marriage equality and optional dual-surname laws as the reason. Japanese X users flooded the reply thread with congratulations and calls for Japan…
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What Japan Thinks: SDF Soldier Sings Anthem at LDP Rally, PM Says ‘No Legal Problem’
A uniformed SDF soprano performed the national anthem at the LDP party convention. PM Takaichi declared it legal. Japan erupted.
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What Japan Thinks: 40% Have No Golden Week Plans as Inflation Bites
A new survey finds 41.2% of Japanese people have no plans for Golden Week 2026, the highest figure since tracking began. With budgets shrinking and nearly half blaming inflation and the weak yen, the thread became a pressure…
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What Japan Thinks: Man Arrested for Groping Same Girl on Odakyu Line Three Days Running
A 27-year-old part-time worker was arrested after groping the same high school girl on the Odakyu Line for three consecutive days. Japanese social media overflowed with praise for the victim, who grabbed the man’s arm on day three,…
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What Japan Thinks: 90% of Fans Hate Random Merch, But They Keep Buying It
A survey revealing that 89.9% of fans dislike randomized merchandise triggered an avalanche of agreement. Fans are fed up with gacha-style goods that exploit their love for characters, especially as prices soar past 1,000 yen.
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What Japan Thinks: “White Harassment” and the Impossible Standards for Bosses
A Yahoo News article about "White Harassment," the idea that overly gentle workplace management stunts employee growth, ignited a firestorm of ridicule. The overwhelming consensus: stop labeling everything harassment.
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What Japan Thinks: Tax Office Worker Sends 259 Taxpayer Records to Scammers via LINE
An Osaka tax bureau employee sent 259 taxpayer records, including 179 individuals and 80 companies, to someone impersonating a police officer via LINE. Japanese social media responded with 304 replies split between disbelief at the incompetence and a…
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What Japan Thinks: Fukuoka Swaps School Milk for Green Tea and Japan Has Feelings
Fukuoka City announced it would replace school lunch milk with green tea once a month, citing a better pairing with Japanese cuisine like grilled saba. The internet responded with 302 replies and a surprisingly passionate debate: is school…
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What Japan Thinks: Why Do Reiwa-Era High School Girls Hide Their Faces in Every Photo?
A TBS report on the "face-hiding pose" trend among Japanese high school girls sparked two very different conversations. On Yahoo News, commenters traced the trend to COVID mask culture, Japan's beauty standards, and low self-esteem. On X, the…
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What Japan Thinks: 11-Year-Old Found Dead in Kyoto Forest as Internet Detectives Clash with Those Demanding Silence
When police announced that an 11-year-old boy missing since March was found dead in a Kyoto forest with cause of death listed as "unknown," Japanese social media split into two camps: those piecing together a timeline that points…