The East Asia Gazette
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“Imperialism, feudalism and bureaucrat capitalism" - China's bout for the Scarborough Shoal
The recent dispute over “illegal fishing” off the Scarborough Shoal between China and the Philippines calls to mind the Dokdo/Takeshima dispute between Korea and Japan in the East Sea. Just as the Japanese flaunt historical documents proving the Dokdo islets are Japanese, so too do the Chinese vociferously underline the existence of records proving that the Scarborough Shoal, or “Huangyan Island,” belongs to China. The Chinese claim that the earliest maps charting the territory were drawn up during the Yuan Dynasty, circa 1280 CE. However, anyone with a humble knowledge of Chinese history is aware of the fact that the Yuan Dynasty corresponds to an epoch when China was ruled by the Mongols – the first non-Han (and thus by definition, non-Chinese) dynasty to... read more
Korea's cities of the future
The prominent Italian anthropologist, academic, ethnologist and writer, Fosco Maraini once wrote [A] detail that is characteristic of Japanese cities, which Westerners never fail to notice in shock even upon brief visits, is the complete absence of squares, exedras, open spaces, fields and,... read more
After 42 years, Japan goes nuclear-free
The devastating magnitude 9 earthquake that crippled Japan's Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant on March 11, 2011, claiming 15,854 lives, injuring 26,992, leaving 1.5 million without water, shredding 130,000 buildings and damaging almost 700,000, has also swept away public faith in nuclear power... read more
Mr. Saitō: a chat-roulette for smartphones
A chat-roulette for smartphones: this is the new fad that is sweeping over Japan. With more than 2.6 million users – nearly the same as Osaka’s population – the Japanese program known as “Mr. Saitō” (斉藤さん) lets you speak to strangers on a VoIP (voice-over-internet... read more
"A tide that cannot be suppressed" - a Foucauldian interpretation of China's future
Chen Guangcheng, a blind human rights activist under house arrest was recently able to escape from his village in eastern China and find shelter in the US embassy, according to several reports. Chen's friends, He Peirong, as well as one of BBC's informants, Hu Jia, were detained by Chinese... read more
A painful beauty - Sexual Harassment in South Korea
“Why do you wanna write about it? Koreans are used to it...” The mournful stillness that settled into my mind upon reading those words brooded over me for several days. This girl, whom I will refer to as Ms. Kim to preserve her anonymity, works in a chemical factory in Seoul, South... read more
The race to save face: Bo Xilai's ousting disgraces China
Mr. Bo Xilai was removed from his position in the Chinese Politburo on April 10 as he is "suspected of being involved in serious discipline violations," the same day his wife, Gu Kailai, came under investigation for the murder of British businessman Neil Heywood in November 2011. The... read more
