Schedium

A Chinese announcer shouted "Diaoyu Islands belong to China" during a live broadcast at Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK), sparking a controversy in both Japan and China. Based on an image by Uchinanchu via Wikimedia Commons   ________________________________ On August 19, a Chinese announcer at an NHK-affiliated radio station went off-script during a live broadcast, shouting in English "Diaoyu Islands belong to China", "Remember the Nanjing Massacre" and "Remember the Comfort Women".  The announcer made the statements after he had read a news story about a Chinese man accused of defacing the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo.  This action immediately caused a stir within NHK and attracted significant attention on social media. The Japanese government called the incident "regrettable". Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi urged NHK “to be mindful of its social responsibility as a public broadcaster and prevent a recurrence.” NHK promptly...

On February 3, 2024, writer and journalist Steven Beschloss wrote on Substack about his plans to travel to Japan: “I asked last year where in the world you might want to visit, but I’m thinking about it again now. I’m happy to say that this week I get the opportunity to briefly visit the place I have dreamed about for a long time. That’s Japan, including a quick visit to Kyoto and its bamboo forest by way of Tokyo and the bullet train. "As I described last year, I’m drawn to the physical beauty of Japanese gardens and ancient temples. I’m intrigued by the bustling contemporary art scene and the people—and both the hustle and quiet of everyday life. ‘I’m determined to visit.’”   When I read Beschloss’s piece, I thought: “How nice! He gets to travel to Japan, and he seems so enthusiastic about it!” But that's not your reaction if you're a far right ethno-nationalist spreading your ideology at every opportunity. The Substack account Yuri Bezmenov quote-posted Beschloss’s art...

On July 27, 2017, China’s State Council announced that “ foreign garbage ”, including "plastic waste from living sources, paper, textile waste, and vanadium slag," would be banned from entering the country.  On July 18 Beijing had already notified the World Trade Organization (WTO) that by the end of the year it would no longer accept shipments of those types of waste. According to state-run Xinhua News Agency , China began to import solid waste as raw materials in the 1980s to meet its domestic demand for resources. However, some companies allegedly engaged in smuggling foreign garbage into the country for profit, "damaging the environment and public health." The Chinese authorities believe that imported solid waste poses "a serious threat to the environment" and has caused "widespread public concern." By the end of 2019 China will gradually phase out the import of "solid waste for which substitute resources are available in Chin...