The Nonexistent Youth Bill, which was introduced in May, saw a lot of controversy even before it was put up for voting. The aim of the bill was to create guidelines to prohibits minors from buying explicit manga or anime material that featured characters that look or sound under the legal age limit. Well, the bill has recently been rejected by the Assembly. More »

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We all know that in any democracy, voting is an integral part of the political process. While it may not seem like it in the big scheme of things, every vote really does count! Local election day in South Korea recently happened, and some Korean pop music idols got a chance to vote for the first time! More »

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Prime minister of Japan, Yukio Hatoyama, has been under a lot of pressure lately. His approval rating, which now stands at an embarrassing 24%, is now at an all time low. Keith Henry, a government affairs expert, says that, “As a politician, you want to have the focus on policy and your agenda. I think the press and the Japanese people have lost patience with him; patience to the extent that they’re no longer paying attention to his policy proposals because no one has faith in his ability to implement them.” More »

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The “Nonexistent Youth” bill that is currently under construction in the Japanese congregation has been under some fire lately. Not only is there opposition from manga publishers but there are also lawmakers and politicians criticizing the bill for being vague and unclear. One such politician is the mayor of Tokyo, Shintaro Ishihara. More »

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The Japanese parliament has been debating regulation of explicit manga material for some time now. One current bill in debate is known as the “Nonexistent Youth” bill, which prohibits minors to buy explicit manga or anime material that feature characters that look or sound under the legal age limit. More »

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From Rekuru:

Above: Yukio Hatoyama, banzai!

It’s been an exciting year for the Land of the Rising Sun: we’ve seen a significant political power shift, Japanese technology continues to both fascinate and frighten us; but their expatriates are still embarrassing them. So without further ado (drumroll puh-leaze) her are Japan’s Top Five News Stories of ‘09: More »

Last weekend US President Obama visited Japan for some greeting, sushi, and talks about relocating military bases in Okinawa. The usual stuff a visiting president does when in Japan. Normally this would be a big non-issue for any other president, but as usual, because it’s Obama it has caused a storm of dumb controversy. More »

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For all the talk about how Asians are the model minority in this country and how much disposable income we have, there’s not much talk about how 10.2% of Asians in this country live below the poverty line. That number is higher of course in urban areas. More »

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Here is yet another incident of racism and prejudices against people of Asian descent. I pulled out my lovely cell phone to look at some of headlines this past morning. Iowa Senator Grassley immediately grasps my attention with his fuming remarks against AIG. Who isn’t mad as hell at AIG these days? More »

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Barack Obama is officially in office! Congrats to him and his family.

In honor of this historical week, we had a guest blogger and a special interview with NYC councilman John Liu. Be sure to check them out!

Also, we have a contest with Priscilla Chan!

Anyways here’s this week’s wrap up: More »

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To celebrate the inauguration of U.S. President Barack Obama, Ningin asked members of the Asian American political community to tell us what this historic event means to each of them. New York City Councilman John Liu returned from the Inauguration Ceremony and was kind enough to talk to Maimounah Masudi and David Hou from Ningin.

Councilman Liu moved to the United States from Taiwan at the age of five. His first name was changed from Chun to John, in honor of John F. Kennedy. In keeping with the Kennedy inspiration, his brothers became Robert and Edward. His father became Joseph. Councilman Liu was elected in 2001. He currently serves on the New York City Council, representing District 20 consisting of northeast Queens (Flushing, Queensboro Hill, Mitchell Linden, Murray Hill, Holly, Kissena Park, Harding Heights, Auburndale, part of Whitestone). Councilman Liu was re-elected in 2003 and in 2005. He is the first and only Asian American to be elected in New York City. (Yes, really! Go John!) More »

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James Yee, the former US Army Guantanamo Chaplain and 2008 National Delegate for Barack Obama was out doing some grassroots campaigning in Ohio from October 23-26 for the Democratic Presidential Nominee. He made stops in Columbus, Dayton and Cincinnati.

During the four days, Capt Yee made several Get Out The Vote presentations at major Islamic centers in Columbus and Cincinnati, also focusing on Muslim Participation in the Political Process The American Muslim vote will make a serious impact this year in several key battleground, swing states which have significant Muslim constituencies - Ohio being one of them. More »

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The Innovative Daniel H. Pink will be lecturing at The Japan Society of New York this Monday. The accomplished author will be speaking about his time in Japan when he studied the culture and society of Manga. As the writer of “The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You’ll Ever Need, he breaks a new mold as the first American author of a business related Manga! Yes… you heard that right, this New York Times best seller’s new endeavor is in Manga format.

The lead protagonist of this Japanese style comic, Johnny Bunko, is a just your average Joe. He has never strayed from normal expected behavior like listening to his parents or teachers. What is wrong with this? Like so many of us, Johnny is stuck at a dead-end job that he doesn’t like, more so, he’s is just upset with the way his career path is going. He begins to suspect that his knowledge on balancing career and happiness is just plain lacking. One bizarre night in a Japanese restaurant, Johnny meets Diana, the unlikeliest career advisor he will ever meet.  Described as part Cameron Diaz, part Barbara Eden (I Dream of Genie) , she uses her otherworldly powers and wisdom to reveals the six essential lessons for thriving in the world of work.

Dan Pink’s past work have been published in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, and Wired (where he is also an contributing editor). His analysis of business & technology trends have been seen on CNN, CNBC, ABC, NPR, and other various national/international networks. Even more interesting is Dan held a position in the White House, where he served as chief speechwriter to Vice President Al Gore.

The Japan society is situated on 333 east 47th st, right across from a lovely park called Dag Hammarskjold Plaza. For ticket information on this or other events hosted there you can call the Box Office at (212) 715-1258.

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