Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Justin McCurry @justinmmccurry.bsky.social · 4d

Sanae Takaichi: the new leader of Japan’s Liberal Democratic party who cites Thatcher as an influence

Takaichi, likely to become Japan’s first female PM, is a rightwinger who has been critical of China and focused on migration in her campaign

www.theguardian.com

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Justin McCurry @justinmmccurry.bsky.social · 4d

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/o...

Sanae Takaichi expected to become Japan’s first female PM after winning ruling party leadership

Admirer of Margaret Thatcher beat her more moderate rival Shinjiro Koizumi to become leader of the Liberal Democratic party

www.theguardian.com

Justin McCurry @justinmmccurry.bsky.social · 9d

‘My kids are too scared to go outside’: Kurdish migrants face hostility as Japan wrestles with demographic crisis

Antagonism toward migrant communities visible in the UK, Europe and the US appears to be spreading to Japan

www.theguardian.com

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Justin McCurry @justinmmccurry.bsky.social · Aug 5

www.theguardian.com/world/2025/a...

Hiroshima’s fading legacy: the race to secure survivor’s memories amid a new era of nuclear brinkmanship

Eighty years on from the destruction of the city, registered survivors of the blast - known as hibakusha – have fallen below 100,000

www.theguardian.com

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Justin McCurry @justinmmccurry.bsky.social · Jul 7

www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

‘As thrilling as driving a sports car’: the Tokyo capsule tower that gave pod-living penthouse chic

They had portholes, cutting edge mod cons – and the ultra luxurious models even came with a free calculator. As Japan’s beloved Nakagin Capsule Tower resurfaces, we celebrate an architectural marvel

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Justin McCurry

Reged Ahmad @regedahmad.bsky.social · Jul 7

Japan has a prized home-grown rice industry but as @justinmmccurry.bsky.social explains, with skyrocketing prices, the future is uncertain for a culturally and politically significant crop. He takes us through the whys & what next. @australia.theguardian.com www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...

Japan’s rice crisis - podcast

Reged Ahmad speaks to the Guardian’s Japan and Korea correspondent, Justin McCurry, in Osaka about why a home-grown grain shortage is putting pressure on consumers and politicians, leading many Japane...

www.theguardian.com

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Justin McCurry @justinmmccurry.bsky.social · Jun 27

Breaking good: the yakuza gangster who became a lawyer

A mental health crisis on a busy Tokyo street set one-time dealer and debt collector Yoshitomo Morohashi on a path to redemption, and life as a lawyer

www.theguardian.com

Reposted by Justin McCurry

Simon Smale @simonsmale.bsky.social · Jun 20

Just finished this tremendous book by @justinmmccurry.bsky.social on Japanese keirin racing.

Informative and beautifully written by someone whose vast cycling and cultural knowledge shone through.

It’s only increased my desire to go and watch a meet live when I (eventually) get to Japan.

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Justin McCurry @justinmmccurry.bsky.social · Jun 25

Thank you very much for the kind words, Simon! Let me know when you make it to Japan and we'll go to a keirin meet.

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Justin McCurry @justinmmccurry.bsky.social · Jun 25

Teenager from Hull becomes second Briton ever to join a professional sumo stable

Sumo wrestler Nicholas Tarasenko, 15, gets rare chance to break into professional ranks after winning amateur tournaments and learning Japanese

www.theguardian.com

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Justin McCurry @justinmmccurry.bsky.social · Jun 11

Against the grain: as prices and temperatures rise, can Japan learn to love imported rice?

The political and cultural insulation of Japan’s beloved grain is falling apart, and experts warn the country’s relationship with the staple will have to adapt

www.theguardian.com

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Justin McCurry @justinmmccurry.bsky.social · Jun 10

Guardian photographer David Levene and I travelled to Okinawa a couple of months ago to make this video/text/photography package to mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Okinawa. A real team effort that would not have been possible without colleagues in Okinawa, London and Sydney.

Okinawa was the bloodiest battle of the Pacific war. 80 years on, are the dead being betrayed?

A quarter of Okinawan civilians died during the US invasion, some after being told to kill themselves. But today the legacy of the war dead is being complicated by the presence of tens of thousands of...

www.theguardian.com

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Justin McCurry @justinmmccurry.bsky.social · May 28

Fukushima soil headed to Japan PM’s flower beds to allay nuclear safety fears

The government has suggested the material, which it describes as low risk, could also be used in roads and infrastructure in other parts of Japan.

www.theguardian.com

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Justin McCurry @justinmmccurry.bsky.social · May 27

Holiday bookings to Japan are down - could a 90s manga comic’s earthquake prediction be to blame?

The Future I Saw, a Japanese graphic novel by Ryo Tatsuki, declared a major disaster would occur on 5 July 2025

www.theguardian.com

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Justin McCurry @justinmmccurry.bsky.social · May 27

Japan introduces rules to put outlandish baby names to bed

The change is designed to halt the use of kirakira (shiny or glittery) names that have proliferated among parents hoping to add a creative flourish

www.theguardian.com

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Reposted by Justin McCurry

Bonnie Malkin @bonniemalkin.bsky.social · Nov 11

Our Tokyo correspondent, the wonderful Justin McCurry, spent a day living only on the food and drinks sold at Japan's konbini stores - the result, and the video, is delightful
www.theguardian.com/world/2024/n...

Coffee, sandwiches, underwear, beer: a day in the life of Japan’s beloved konbini stores

Convenience stores are a neat and functional retail institution in Japan, where customers can access the daily essentials

www.theguardian.com

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