As much as I love Japan and all its quirky, kitsch melting pot of all things kawaii and philosophical, and as much as I know that Japan is full of ancient traditions, respect and honour, I can’t deny that the dark side of Japan is dark.  Often, this dark side is not respectful, not honourable, and definitely not kawaii.  The only thing it shows is just how nationalistic and how self-righteous Japan can be, especially on touchy issues that can cause a huge dent in their political relations with their global neighbours and partners.

This web-based journal, linked to me as a resource for a subject that I took (UTS Communications students, if you have a free elective, Genocide Studies is worth your time to take), has articles that relate to all sorts of current news articles about Japan.  In particular, the articles by David McNeill touch on controversial topics with so much insight and analysis; it makes you really reflect on things other than that Kyary song or cute anime boys as it spreads your vision to think about all aspects of Japan.

If you have time, flick through their articles! It won’t hurt to learn about something you won’t generally read about Japan :)  And if you want to read about other countries, they sometimes do articles about other Eastern Asian countries too!

Take me to David McNeill’s articles now!
Take me to the Asia-Pacific Journal now!