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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · 8d

Most countries on the BBC list aren't top-tier travel destinations, which suggests overtourism may be another turn-off.

Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · 8d

Rising costs may be another; Tokyo isn't the bargain it used to be, and a recovery by the yen could make it overly expensive again (as it was not too long ago). Real estate prices in particular are up, which local media blame on investment by rich Chinese seeking to park wealth offshore.

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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · 8d

The BBC has published the top ten countries for expats, and Japan didn't make the cut despite the increased number of foreign residents here. I'm guessing the language barrier is one reason for the omission.

www.bbc.com/travel/artic...

The best countries for expats in 2025

From Panama's jungles to Vietnam's buzzing cities, these five countries offer expats the best mix of affordability, friendliness and quality of life.

www.bbc.com

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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · 18d

The AI boom is reviving San Francisco. One new event is robot fight nights.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/19/t...

‘Peak SF’ on a Friday Night Is a Robot Fight

www.nytimes.com

Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · 18d

Senator Cruz calls Trump administration's use of FCC threats against TV media "dangerous as hell."

www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09...

Trump Administration Live Updates: Cruz Calls F.C.C. Threats to Media ‘Dangerous as Hell’

www.nytimes.com

Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · 19d

In fact, when Abe visited Trump Tower in late 2016, in addition to presenting a gold-plated golf club, he is said to have impressed Trump by asking: I defeated the Asahi, when will you do the same to the NY Times?

It took Trump eight years to try.

Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · 19d

The lawsuit against the NY Times takes another page from Abe's media playbook. In 2014, the Asahi Shimbun, Japan's liberal daily, capitulated to pressure by disbanding an investigative news department and retracting a scoop. Trump seeks to tame the NYT in more American fashion by filing a lawsuit.

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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · 19d

A key part of the pressure campaign was threats by Takaichi Sanae (currently candidate for prime minister) to revoke broadcasting licenses of networks seen as biased against Abe. Now, Trump is doing similar, intimdating networks with threats to revoke FCC licenses: www.nytimes.com/live/2025/09....

Trump Administration Live Updates: President Says Broadcasters Risk Losing Licenses When Hosts Criticize Him

www.nytimes.com

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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · 19d

In 2014 and 2015, Abe and his backers successfully brought Japan's major media to heel, pushing back against critical coverage. A watershed moment came when major TV networks removed newscasters and commentators. Here's a story that I wrote at the time: www.nytimes.com/2015/04/27/w....

Effort by Japan to Stifle News Media Is Working (Published 2015)

www.nytimes.com

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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · 19d

Steve Bannon used to talk about Abe Shinzo being a precursor to Trump, and the removal of Jimmy Kimmel and threats about revoking FCC licenses are an example of where he was right.

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Reposted by Martin Fackler

Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · Jul 28

Eighty years after Japan surrendered to end World War Two, only some 800 of its war veterans are still alive. I interviewed six of the last surviving soldiers and sailors of the Emperor's military. Here are their stories:

www.nytimes.com/2025/07/28/w...

Last Soldiers of an Imperial Army Have a Warning for Young Generations

www.nytimes.com

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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · 21d

He won zero seats in the last election, so an AI chatbot leading an illusory political party seems oddly appropriate.

The Japan Times @japantimes.co.jp · 21d

An upstart Japanese political party said Tuesday it will install an artificial intelligence as leader after its maverick founder quit following a disastrous showing in recent elections.

New Japanese political party to install AI leader

Shinji Ishimaru, who launched the Path to Rebirth party in January, quit following a disastrous showing in recent elections.

ebx.sh

Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · 28d

From the archives of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan:

Imperial Japanese Navy pilot Lt. Zenji Abe, who participated in the attack on Pearl Harbor, speaking in 1994 and 2005 about his experiences during the attack and the war.

youtu.be/x-t5tOJlHB4

Zenji Abe, Pearl Harbor Pilot - English Subtitles (1994 & 2005)

YouTube video by 日本外国特派員協会オフィシャルサイトFCCJchannel

youtu.be

Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · 29d

7-Eleven's Japanese-American CEO wants to spend $13 billion to bring Japanese convenience store-level food to stores in the U.S.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/09/b...

Is America Ready for Japanese-Style 7-Elevens?

www.nytimes.com

Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · Sep 7

Japanese Prime Minister Ishiba to announce his resign today, NHK reports. He will hold a press conference at 6:00 pm Japan time at which he is also expected to announce an LDP internal election to pick his replacement.

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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · Sep 6

The stories often involve supernatural visitations, including the play we saw, called Tamakazura, about a beautiful woman who returns as a tormented ghost.

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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · Sep 6

I visited the Japanese island of Sado, where locals perform Noh, an ancient and otherworldly theater form. Once the preferred entertainment of the samurai, Noh survives today in specialized theaters -- and on Sado, a small island with one-third of Japan's Noh stages.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/06/w...

A Japanese Island Preserves an Ancient and Ghostly Theater Form

www.nytimes.com

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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · Sep 3

I mentioned the three prefecture study in the article. They tested 4,500 people and found one positive, at which point they quit. The result was statistically meaningless.

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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · Sep 3

Without a comparative study, it's tough to know if the cancers rates found in Fukushima are high or just normal. It amazes me that authorities would leave so important a question unresolved. But then again, they've never fully revealed what happened in the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, either.

Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · Sep 3

Was an unusually high number of thyroid cancers detected in Fukushima due to the 2011 nuclear accident, or over screening as many doctors say? Japan hasn't conducted a comparative study to find a definitive answer.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/w...

Fourteen Years After Japan’s Nuclear Disaster, People With Cancer Seek Answers

www.nytimes.com

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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · Sep 3

Thanks for the replies. Yes, there's been no comparative study to tellus if the cancer rates in Fukushima and high or normal. It amazes me that the authorities would leave something so important so vague and unresolved. But they never told us what happened in the nuclear plant, either.

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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · Sep 3

Was an unusually high number of thyroid cancers detected in Fukushima due to the 2011 nuclear accident, or over screening as many doctors say? Japan hasn't conducted a comparative study to find a definitive answer.

www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/w...

Fourteen Years After Japan’s Nuclear Disaster, People With Cancer Seek Answers

www.nytimes.com

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Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · Aug 31

Here's a story on China stirring up nationalism with propaganda movies that promote hatred of Japan -- while deflecting attention away from the country's own weak economy and other more contemporary failings.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/30/w...

China Rekindles Wartime Fury, Stirring Fears of Anti-Japan Hate

www.nytimes.com

Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · Aug 29

Japan's justice minister wants to prepare for a future in which 10% of the population is immigrants. That's about three times the current ratio.

www.47news.jp/13079769.html

外国人10％想定し政策検討　入管庁、PT設置へ

鈴木馨祐法相は29日、外国人政策に関する私的勉強会の中間報告書を公表した。少子高齢化に伴い、推計通り総人口に占める外国人比率が10％台となる場合を想定し、政策を検討する必要があると明記。出入国在留管 ...

www.47news.jp

Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · Aug 29

A podcast on the rise of Sanseito and changes in Japan. Check it out.

www.abc.net.au/listen/progr...

From YouTube to the Upper House. Is this man the Japanese Trump? - ABC listen

A once obscure right wing party, Saneito, is now a serious political force in Japan.

www.abc.net.au

Martin Fackler @martinfackler.bsky.social · Aug 15

My obituary of 102-year-old Sen Masaoki, aka Sen Genshitsu, who volunteered to be a kamikaze pilot during WWII, and survived the war to become grand master of the Urasenke school of Japan's tea ceremony.

www.nytimes.com/2025/08/15/w...

Masaoki Sen, a Kamikaze Volunteer Who Later Promoted Peace, Dies at 102

www.nytimes.com