Doshiyo?

I am currently planning a Japanese pop culture event at the University of Missouri – St. Louis on October 3rd, 2009, in conjunction with the Japanese department, the Center for International Studies, and the Japan America Society!

In the morning, we will have an academic conference covering topics and emerging research in contemporary Japanese culture, with a chance to network and engage other scholars.

In the afternoon, we are going to be screening an animated title from Japan, with a panel discussion afterward.

If you are interested in presenting or attending, please let me know.

Tweet This Post

In this surprising article by Jesper Koll of the Far Eastern Economic Review, we are presented with some reasons why Japan looks to be set for a bullish recovery in the next few months. Primarily, Koll looks at the amount of patents filed in Japan when compared with the China and the USA. He also looks at the ratio of patents to engineers between China and Japan. Then, he discusses the general financial practices of the Japanese people: spend less, take on less foolish debt, and possible restructuring and reform in the public sector.

One of the key points Koll makes is that the Japanese corporate picture has become vastly different from the Amerian one. Japanese companies are not asking for governement handouts or public assistance anymore. While companies in the West are scrambling for stimuli, Japan is trying to innovate and RND its way out of the current situation.

This is a pretty convincing argument.

Tweet This Post

Just read this (Thanks to RK for the heads up):

Anime Insider to cease pubication after 8 years! Guess from now on, it’s going to be AnimeNewsNetwork.com for the win!

Tweet This Post