The Squid Game Phenomenon (Looking to the East)
How Has the Korean Squid Game Gone Global. The host for this show is Stephen Zurcher. The guest is Ingyu Oh. We discuss the recent online series called the Squid Game from Korea and why it has become a worldwide smash hit. We discuss its roots in Japanese anime and the program itself to help […]
Karen Kelley USA Consul General in Osaka (Looking to the East)
Interview with Karen Kelley Former CG. The host for this show is Stephen Zurcher. The guest is Karen Kelley. We discuss the career development of Karen Kelley who recently retired from the State Department. Her last role was as the Consul General for the USA in the Osaka/Kobe USA Consulate for three years ending in […]
President Biden Six Month Review (Looking to the East)
View from Japan, Europe on Biden Presidency. The host for this show is Stephen Zurcher. The guests are Paul Scott, Jiri Mestecky, Seung-Young Kim and Jonson Porteux. Three current or ex-Professors of International Relations at Kansai Gaidai along with one former American Chamber of Commerce Japan Kansai Vice-President and Partner in a local law firm […]
Mental Health Issues in Japan (Looking to the East)
Japan’s Slow Recognition of Mental Health. The host for this episode is Stephen Zurcher. The guest for this episode is Reggie Pawle. Japan has slowly been addressing the challenges of mental health in the country over the recent period whereas in the past the topic was stigmatized to some extent. With the recent pandemic the […]
Who is Shohei Otani and why he so important (Looking to the East)
The USA gets Otani fever! The host for this episode is Stephen Zurcher. The guests for this episode are Jim Allen and John Gibson. The USA baseball world and in general has discovered the two -way phenomenon Shohei Otani. Who is he and what are his origins here in Japan? We discuss Otani with two […]
Tokyo Olympics: 11 days and counting (Looking to the East)
Fear and Loathing in Japan. The host for this episode is Stephen Zurcher. The guests for this episode are Jim Allen and Jake Adelstein. We look at the current conditions in Japan and specifically the Tokyo area as we draw near to the start of the Tokyo Olympics on Friday July 23. ThinkTech Hawaii streams […]
The Geisha – Evolution in Current Japan (Looking to the East)
Explore the world of Japanese Geisha. The host for this episode is Stephen Zurcher. The guest for this episode is Arif Iqball. Models to Picasso and Rodin, entertainers to royalty, yet the Geisha have often been misinterpreted outside Japan and have shaped stereotypes about Japanese women. Closed in secrecy, not many outsiders have access to […]
Venture Capital in Japan (Looking to the East)
How venture capital is done in Japan. The host for this episode is Stephen Zurcher. The guest for this episode is Aruna Basnayake. We look at how a well regarded venture capitalist got started in Japan and what he does to find and fund investments of companies in the country. ThinkTech Hawaii streams live on […]
Rahm Emanuel, USA Ambassador to Japan? (Looking to the East)
Is the Rahmanator the right man for Japan? The host for this episode is Stephen Zurcher. The guests for this episode are Paul Scott, Jiri Mestecky, Jonson Porteux and SY Kim. The show has a panel discussion with three international relations Professor and one lawyer active in Democratic politics (and a Chicago resident for many […]
Japan’s Continuing Nuclear Disaster (Looking to the East)
Dumping Nuclear Water into the Pacific. The host for this episode is Stephen Zurcher. The guest for this episode is Michael Penn. The show covers the Fukushima nuclear disaster that occurred over then years ago that has now lead to Japan announcing it will let treated nuclear waste water be released into the Pacific Ocean […]
Today’s Headlines
- NYT > Top Stories
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- Washington Post
The resilience that President Biden sold as a trademark of his political brand for half a century now looks to some like blind resistance in the face of a rising [...]
The Connecticut Democrat said the president had more to do to assuage voters’ worries about his age, mental acuity and fitness to run. Top House Democrats are set to meet [...]
The process of choosing a running mate has created a new roster of rising Republicans with the potential to lead the ticket in 2028. [...]
Fifty years ago, my father’s friend was taken at gunpoint on Long Island. Then he went on with his life — and that’s the part that haunts me. [...]
The new prime minister wants to establish a "different and better" way of working across the United Kingdom. [...]
The new UK government wants to signal its desire to engage in the face of multiple world crises. [...]
The new home secretary says she will start work to recruit a border security commander on Monday. [...]
Emma Raducanu is out of Wimbledon after being hampered by a back injury in the deciding set of her fourth-round match against Lulu Sun. [...]
Crowds turn out to pay their respects to rugby league icon and MND fundraiser Rob Burrow ahead of his funeral. [...]
The left-wing New Popular Front (NFP) landed a surprise win over the far-right National Rally (RN) in the second round of the 2024 French legislative election. No alliance, however, managed [...]
Many Hungarians had the feeling that Viktor Orban's hold on power would never end. But then along came Peter Magyar, a disillusioned member of Orban's circle. Can he bring about [...]
The leader of the Catholic Church is concerned about the worldwide state of democracy. Francis is wary of "ideological temptations and populists" as the far-right makes gains in France, the [...]
A German official says what's usually a two-week process is currently often taking two months. He told the Sunday papers that the national printing service was to blame, but his [...]
A new OECD study has found Germany is successfully integrating migrants despite obstacles such as migrants often having little education. [...]
Hamilton's victory — by just 1.5 seconds — helped him become the first F1 driver to win on any track nine times. It also extended his F1 record to 104 [...]
President Biden has said only the Lord Almighty could convince him to step aside. On Sunday, he spoke at a church in Philadelphia as some Democrats publicly pled with him [...]
Hamas now appears closer to accepting a more gradual approach to its core demands, including a permanent end to the fighting and a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, [...]
Voters turned out in numbers not seen in decades to stop the far-right National Rally from taking power in the French National Assembly. Polls predicted a first-place finish for National [...]
California recently allocated $12 million for reparations for the state's Black residents as a way to compensate them for the harm caused by the legacy of slavery and current discrimination. [...]
Persistent heat wave in the US expected to shatter new records as it bakes West and swelters in East
Forecasters say a long-running heat wave that has already shattered previous records across the U.S. will persist, baking parts of the West with dangerous temperatures that will soar into the [...]
Two boys have been shot in a McDonald’s in the Bronx borough of New York City [...]
The populist, anti-immigration National Rally party had been hoping to install France’s first far-right government since World War II, with 28-year-old Jordan Bardella as prime minister. [...]
President Joe Biden has urged supporters to stay unified at a rousing Black church service in the critical battleground state of Pennsylvania [...]
