148: A Japanese photographer heads to Ukraine; a student flees to Tokyo

The team at Deep Dive is taking a short break. We'll be back in mid-October, but in the meantime, enjoy this rebroadcast of our discussion with consultant Rochelle Kopp in April about how best to navigate your work life in Japan. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | Twitter | Instagram Rochelle Kopp: Articles | Twitter Read more: Help wanted: The (sleeper) agent of change (Rochelle Kopp, The Japan Times) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! Photo: A businessman waits to cross a street in Tokyo in April 2011. | REUTERS

5 Okt 202313min

This week on Deep Dive we get contributing writer and photographer Lance Henderstein to read us his article on traveling Okinawa during the rainy season.   Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode:  Shaun McKenna: Articles | Twitter | Instagram Lance Henderstein: Articles | Instagram | Threads Read more:  My annual pilgrimage to Okinawa (Lance Henderstein, The Japan Times) Akiko Mizuno: ‘Time moves forward. Photographers stop time.’ (Lance Henderstein, The Japan Times) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!   Photo: Aoi Suzuki's son tries to get a glimpse of the neighborhood barbecue from a nearby roof. | LANCE HENDERSTEIN

28 Sep 202320min

A drugs scandal at Japan’s biggest university draws attention to a troubling statistic: Cannabis use among young people is on the rise. Yukana Inoue and Tomoko Otake join us to discuss Japanese attitudes toward marijuana. (This episode includes a segment that was originally broadcast May 17.)  Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode:  Shaun McKenna: Articles | Twitter | Instagram Yukana Inoue: Articles Tomoko Otake: Articles | Twitter Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | Twitter  Read/Listen more:  Illegal stimulants found in Nihon University football player dorm (Yukana Inoue, The Japan Times) Nihon University scandal puts focus on ‘collective responsibility’ (Yukana Inoue, The Japan Times) Navigating Japan’s maze of cannabis-related laws (Tomoko Otake, The Japan Times) Jail in Japan for cannabis in Canada? Possible but unlikely (Colin P.A. Jones, The Japan Times) Cannabis: The fabric of Japan (Jon Mitchell, The Japan Times) CBD — Japan's path to medical marijuana? (Deep Dive from The Japan Times) “Legalize It” by Masataka and Saya Takagi (YouTube) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. For a transcript of the show, visit japantimes.co.jp, and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter!   Photo: Leaves of marijuana plants from which hemp fibers are extracted at Japan's largest legal marijuana farm in Kanuma, Tochigi Prefecture, on July 5, 2016 | REUTERS

21 Sep 202333min

The Johnny & Associates sexual abuse scandal is like the Harvey Weinstein and Michael Jackson scandals rolled into one. Karin Kaneko catches us up on how things are unfolding, while Alyssa I. Smith and Patrick St. Michel discuss the effect it may have on the Japanese music industry.    Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode:  Shaun McKenna: Articles | X (Twitter) | Instagram Karin Kaneko: Articles | X (Twitter) Alyssa I. Smith: Articles  Patrick St. Michel: Articles | X (Twitter)  Read/Listen/Watch more:  Johnny’s replaces president as it admits to abuse by late founder  (Karin Kaneko, The Japan Times) More companies move away from Johnny’s over sex abuse scandal (Yukana Inoue, The Japan Times)  Kauan Okamoto finds some closure after recognition of Kitagawa abuse (Karin Kaneko, The Japan Times) What’s in a name? A lot of baggage and trauma, unfortunately. (Patrick St. Michel, The Japan Times) “Predator: The Secret Scandal of J-pop” (Mobeen Azhar and Megumi Inman, BBC) The death of Johnny Kitagawa, J-pop’s puppet master (Deep Dive from The Japan Times) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. And don’t forget to follow us on X (Twitter) at @JapanDeepDive)!

14 Sep 202342min

Good news and bad news out of Fukushima. First, the bad news: Anika Osaki Exum and Gabriele Ninivaggi join us to discuss the reaction to the treated wastewater release plan (China’s not happy). Then, Francesco Bassetti gets us caught up on the good news: There has been a boom in renewable energies there.    Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode:  Shaun McKenna: Articles | Twitter | Instagram Anika Osaki Exum: Articles | Twitter Gabriele Ninivaggi: Articles | Twitter Francesco Bassetto: Articles | Twitter  Read/Listen more:  Japan begins controversial release of treated Fukushima water (Gabriele Ninivaggi, The Japan Times) Fukushima locals worry about the ‘what ifs’ from water release (Anika Osaki Exum, The Japan Times)  Fukushima water plan ‘complete opposite’ of recovery: former mayor (Anika Osaki Exum, The Japan Times) How a nuclear disaster turned Fukushima into a renewables leader (Francesco Bassetti, The Japan Times) After 3/11, an environment education rethink takes shape in Japan (Francesco Bassetti, The Japan Times) Japan is about to release 1.3 million tons of Fukushima wastewater. Should we be concerned? (Mara Budgen, Deep Dive from The Japan Times) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! Photo: An activist in Seoul protests Japan’s plan to release treated wastewater from the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. | REUTERS

7 Sep 202340min

The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 was literally a picture of hell. Fires killed hundreds of thousands of people and sparked a witch hunt of Korean residents who were wrongfully blamed for the infernos. Alex K.T. Martin joins us to discuss the quake and how the scars left by the disaster shaped the course of Japan's future.    Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode:  Shaun McKenna: Articles | Twitter | Instagram Alex K.T. Martin: Articles | Twitter  Read more:  The Great Kanto Earthquake: A wall of fire, a picture of hell (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) Century since Kanto quake, expert warns of ‘blind faith’ in disaster resilience (Kathleen Benoza, The Japan Times) A documentary on the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 has unearthed Japan’s first ‘disaster footage’ (Kyodo)  A diaspora remembers the disaster that forged it (Chitose Nakagawa, Kyodo) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! Photo: A child stands in front of the Hibiya Music Hall, which collapsed during the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake. | PUBLIC DOMAIN

31 Aug 202323min

As the last trains leave the central hubs of Shinjuku and Shibuya for the suburbs, much of the city heads home. However, Tokyo never sleeps. Economics reporter Elizabeth Beattie comes on the show to discuss a story she wrote about the businesses that keep night-time Tokyo buzzing.     Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode:  Shaun McKenna: Articles | Twitter | Instagram Elizabeth Beattie: Articles | Twitter  Johan Brooks: Instagram Read more:  After last train in Tokyo, a second city comes to life (Elizabeth Beattie, The Japan Times) Queer clubbing moves beyond Ni-chome (Kim Kahan, The Japan Times) ‘Stakeout Diary’: A killer on the run, two postwar gumshoes — noir at its finest (Alex K.T. Martin, The Japan Times) My annual pilgrimage to Okinawa (Lance Henderstein, The Japan Times) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! Photo: A young man exhales a cigarette in front of a Family Mart in Tokyo’s busy Shibuya Ward after last train. | JOHAN BROOKS

24 Aug 202322min

Japan’s new My Number identification cards were supposed to be a step forward for digitalization. Instead, numerous errors now risk exposing just how backwards we still are. Politics reporter Gabriele Ninivaggi joins us to discuss whether the whole debacle will have an impact on the ruling party. Hosted by Shaun McKenna and produced by Dave Cortez. On this episode: Shaun McKenna: Articles | Twitter | Instagram Gabriele Ninivaggi: Articles | Twitter  Read more:  Kishida confirms plan to merge My Number and health card (Gabriele Ninivaggi and Eric Johnston, The Japan Times) My Number report highlights errors by insurers and local governments (Gabriele Ninivaggi, The Japan Times) My Number woes put digital minister Taro Kono under pressure (Gabriele Ninivaggi, The Japan Times) The My Number card has some real benefits. Is it time you got yours? (Eric Margolis, The Japan Times) Get in touch: Send us feedback at deepdive@japantimes.co.jp. Support the show by rating, reviewing and sharing the episode with a friend if you’ve enjoyed it. And don’t forget to follow us on Twitter! Photo: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (right) sits next to digital minister Taro Kono while speaking at a government review meeting on the My Number national identification card. | KYODO

10 Aug 202323min