Check out Audio Atrocities, which is a great site devoted entirely to, “the study and enjoyment of truly terrible voice acting in video games from the very first CD system, the Turbografx until the present day.”

When you get back…would you have an ice cream with me?

In a recent review of the book NORTH KOREA: The Struggle Against American Power, by Tim Beal, Glyn Ford, who is bio’d as a “Labor member of the European Parliament for Southwest England and member of the delegation for relations with Japan” (which must not be much of a job, seeing as how Ford finds enough time to write regularly for The Japan Times), we are treated to the following jewels of logic about the NORK nuclear weapons program. . .

• First of all, whether one really exists is doubtful. Charles Kartman, the former head of the U.S.-led Korean Energy Development Organization (KEDO), is quoted as saying “the number of proven weapons is zero.”
• Second, if it is developing one, it was forced to do so by the U.S. and South Korea, primarily the threat of American use of such weapons.

Got that? Kind of like the old “You can’t prove anything! You made me do it!”

But point three is the real kicker. . .

• Third, nuclear weapons are the cheap option that could enable North Korea to release hundreds of thousands of conscripts into civilian life to kick-start its failing economy.

So that’s the problem with the NORK economy.

NORTH KOREA: The Struggle Against American Power is published by Pluto Press. Pluto, I believe, is a dog owned by Goofy.

Since I was a kid, I always found it interesting how someone could be so famous in Japan, but not in the US. Now we have “Pan Asian” stars, meaning they are famous across Japan, Korea, Taiwan, etc, and not just in their home country. So when, I wonder, will someone break through to the US? Certainly many have tried, and just about as many have failed.

The New York Times (registration required) is reporting today on the Korean singer Rain, who is a “Pan Asian” performer and who is getting ready to put on two concerts at Madison Square Garden. To put Rain’s music in context, the articles states:

At 23, Rain, who has been labeled the Korean Justin Timberlake and the Korean Usher, is a serious and driven performer (with washboard abs, winsome looks and a Gene Kelly-like ability to leap through puddles while performing his hit song, “It’s Raining”). He wants nothing less than to break down barriers, build cultural bridges and become the first Asian pop star to succeed in America.

What I thought was also interesting about the article was this prescient point, which probably applies to many of Japundit’s devoted readers;

Because of the “multidirectional flow of cultural goods around the world,” there is a “new pop cosmopolitanism,” according to Henry Jenkins, professor of comparative media studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In an essay in “Globalization” (University of California Press, 2004), Professor Jenkins writes that “younger Americans are distinguishing themselves from their parents’ culture through their consumption of Japanese anime and manga, Bollywood films and bhangra, and Hong Kong action movies.”

So, there you go “younger Americans.” Your ambassador may have arrived.

Check out this page (in Japanese) for some great images of bento that are nothing short of works of art.

Via The Raw Feed

Japan’s Foreign Minister Taro Aso has suggested that Japan’s Emperor should visit Yasukuni Shrine.

Both China and Korea go absolutely off the wall whenever any Japanese official mentions Yasukuni, because they say that worshiping there glorifies the Japanese military and Class A war criminals who are enshrined there, criticism that was rejected by Aso.

Aso, who recently angered Beijing by calling China a threat, said the communist government’s opposition to Koizumi’s shrine visits only increased one’s desire to go.

“It’s just like when you’re told, ‘Don’t smoke cigarettes,” Kyodo quoted Aso as saying. “It actually makes you want to smoke. It’s best (for China) to keep quiet.”

He also said he hoped Emperor Akihito would visit the shrine.

“The war dead shouted ‘Banzai!’ for the Emperor, not the prime minister,” Kyodo quoted Aso as saying. “A visit by the Emperor would be best.”

The last time the reigning Japanese Emperor appeared at Yasukuni was in 1975, with a visit by the late Emperor Hirohito.

Aso is the son of Takakichi Aso, chairman of the Aso Cement Company. The Aso Family also owned Aso Mining in Kyushu, which most probably used Korean slave labor during World War II.

For those interested in the origins of the regional interaction between China, Korea, and Japan, the Japan Times covers all the bases with this review of history. This is well worth reading for people interested in the subject. Here’s the first sentence:

The Chinese had a name for the people of Japan long before the proto-Japanese had one for themselves. It was “Wa” or “Wo,” written with a character that means “dwarf.”

An excellent idea for a followup would be an account of the influence Japan has had on the rest of Asian culture in modern times, including in language, culture, and business. This influence has been extensive and has taken a route that is almost the reverse of the historical one: from Japan to Korea to China, though Taiwan and Hong Kong are now included.

Toire no Hanako-san (Toilet Hanako-san: The Secret of the Disappearing Girl)

(c) tubbypaws 2006

A report in The New York Times is suggesting that Little Kim and the other members of the NORK government may be considering a little of the hated capitalism to rescue their floundering economy.

Click here to read the whole story.

The following feedback about Marie’s recent UNIQLO post was received yesterday by e-mail

I’ve read your blog entries on UNIQLO’s temporary store in SoHo. I work with the company here in the U.S. and I wanted to make sure you knew that UNIQLO has extended its lease on the store through June. Things have been going so well in NYC that UNIQLO wanted to make sure New Yorkers would get to see the spring and summer lines too!

Regards,

Jason

Jason Schlossberg
President and Partner
Kwittken & Company
380 Lexington Ave., Suite 1700
New York, NY 10168

jschlossberg@kwitco.com (e)