Category: Japan

Disclaimer : This blog post and the opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of my employer.

The phrase “From the River to the Sea” has been widely used by pro-Palestinian demonstrators. It took some time for governments, the media, and the wider public to understand that it is, in fact, a call to destroy Israel. It is not a call for peace and freedom, but a call to destroy the State of Israel. As such, some countries consider it hate speech and prosecute it accordingly (Germany and Australia—specifically Queensland—being recent examples).

You can imagine my surprise when I saw this art piece by “Multiple Spirits.” It prominently features the Japanese text 「川から海へ」 (“From the River to the Sea”), the headline “Cannot Forgive Massacre,” and a watermelon (a well-known pro-Palestinian symbol). Don’t you find it strange that the same artwork appears to call for the murder/displacement of all Jews in Israel while simultaneously claiming it “cannot forgive [a] massacre”?

You can read about the zine and the artists on the Mori Museum X Account:

Multiple Spirits Formed 2018 in Vienna; based in Vienna and Tokyo Multiple Spirits is a queer feminist art zine press and research platform founded in 2018 by Maruyama Mika and Endo Mai. The duo’s practice centers on reimagining the historical genealogies of queer feminism and dismantling historically constructed notions of identity. Its activity extends to exhibitions, lectures, and workshops, cultivating alternative modes of knowledge and community. Multiple Spirits’ zines have developed languages aligned with lived realities, linking girl’s culture and queer culture across Japan and beyond. Through interviews, collaborations, and exhibitions, the duo have expanded beyond press format and gender themes to interrogate the very forms of creation. The project insists on intersectionality, addressing overlapping systems of discrimination and colonialism rather than isolating gender or sexuality as single issues. This presentation is tied to the forthcoming zine “The Dungeon for the Shade of the Living Light,” which explores the metaphor of the “vine-like archive.” Here, the vines reflect how knowledge tangles across boundaries, shifts meaning, and enables queer reading resisting linear time. This installation includes cyanotype-printed and bundle-dye textiles, and archival materials encompassing representations of the “New Woman” across Asian cities, revealing a hidden history of feminist discourse in the region.

Photo from the” “Multiple spirit” X Account:
https://x.com/marusupi_/status/2008737299023188444/photo/1

Obviously, artists are free to express whatever they want, no matter how controversial. My biggest problem, however, is with the curator, the museum, and the sponsors of this exhibition. I am certain the curator understood the meaning, the museum personnel approved it, and they may even have thought it was “important” to display.

Exhibition Grants were provided by :

• Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands
• Mondriaan Fund
• OCA – Office for Contemporary Art Norway
• Austrian Federal Ministry for Housing, Arts, Culture, Media and Sport

Corporate sponsors:

• Anthropic
• OBAYASHI CORPORATION
• Sanyo Trading Co., Ltd.
• Contemporary Art Foundation

I wonder whether the sponsors and grant providers are aware of this message and whether they agree with it.

By the way, Anthropic publishes the following about Claude on its website. I wonder if this art piece qualifies as “broadly ethical”:

Broadly ethical: Having good personal values, being honest, and avoiding actions that are inappropriately dangerous or harmful.

There is no clear public email for the museum, so I left a message via the contact form. I have not received a reply yet. I will update this post if I do—and I will definitely not visit the museum until they clarify their position on this issue.

Update:
Response from Mori Museum:
Thank you for taking the time to contact us.

Since its founding, Mori Art Museum has pursued its mission as a space for encountering the world’s diverse cultures, histories, and values through artistic practice — a place that fosters multifaceted dialogue and understanding. The presentation of works at Mori Art Museum does not imply endorsement of any particular political position expressed within individual works.

We recognize that maintaining neutrality in today’s increasingly complex global landscape is no easy task. It is precisely this difficulty that we continue to face, as we remain committed to fulfilling our role as a space for dialogue.

We are deeply grateful for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.

Mori Art Museum

My response, which has not changed:
I fully support art and fostering multifaceted dialogue. But I am quite certain Mori museum will not display an art piece calling for a destruction of another country, race. As such their response is far from satisfying.

As always, this blog post and the opinions expressed are my own and do not necessarily represent the views of my employer.

報道ステーション (Hodo Station / News Station) is a news program on the TV Asahi network. I often watch it as one of the few news programs aired at 10 PM.

What triggered this post was the heavily biased coverage on March 9th. The program opened with roughly 10 minutes on the Iran situation, focusing almost exclusively on the Iranian side and human stories from Turkish interviews. There was virtually nothing about Iran’s missile and drone attacks on the UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Israel, or other Gulf states.

Newscaster Kensuke Okoshi (大越健介) concluded the segment with his commentary on the “different concepts of justice.” He stated as fact:

「今回、アメリカやイスラエルがイランの攻撃に一方的に踏み切ったことは、国際法の違反だという国際世論が圧倒的で、その意味では正義とは言えません。」

(“The unilateral military action by the US and Israel against Iran is considered a violation of international law by overwhelming international opinion, and therefore cannot be called justice.”)

He presented this not as his personal view, but as unquestionable reality. In his official postscript published the same day on the TV Asahi website, he went even further:

「明らかに国際法違反だと識者は指摘する。」 「軍事力に勝るアメリカという強者が、イランという国家を踏みにじる行為は国際法違反であり、看過できない。」

I’m very familiar with this style of biased reporting from the New York Times, The Guardian, and the BBC. But I was surprised to see it at this level on Japanese television. Of course media bias has been shaped by two years of conflict, but this specific report felt particularly one-sided.

Growing up, I always knew which newspapers leaned left or right. I learned early that I needed to read multiple sources to form my own opinion. During the Cold War, we understood that Soviet media’s job was to distort reality to fit the party line — yet it was sometimes still useful to read them to understand their perspective.

Today, when most mainstream media operates with a clear agenda, I wonder if we’re seeing the end of traditional journalism. If I can’t trust journalists to rigorously check facts, challenge assumptions, and present balanced context, who can I trust?

X (Twitter) is biased. Newspapers are biased. Television is biased. We’re constantly fed information shaped by political views — and sometimes outright paid propaganda from foreign states.

I had hoped Japanese news outlets would maintain higher standards, but the March 9th 報道ステーション report proved otherwise.

Very disappointing. I’ll probably take a break from the show for a while. There’s already more than enough propaganda on the internet.

(You can watch the exact segment here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbbQXrU_6B0)

I ordered a product from dbrand and selected the standard shipment method via DHL, expecting it to arrive in Japan within approximately 10 days.

Having been accustomed to Japanese delivery companies, where most deliveries arrive the next day accompanied by frequent location updates, the contrast was quite noticeable. As an illustration, I ordered a few days ago a Vinyl record from Kyoto, and it was delivered the very next morning, with a series of four location updates provided until the moment of delivery.

In contrast, DHL’s updates left much to be desired. There were significant time lags between updates, and the reasons behind these delays were far from clear. For instance, the package reached Melrose Park, IL on August 5th; however, it took a full week (!) until an update was registered, simply stating “In Transit to Destination Country.” As of August 16th (Japan time), the package’s whereabouts remain uncertain. Is it still in the US, or has it already arrived in Japan?

Another reminder of the exceptional quality of service provided by Japanese delivery companies.

Was on a short business trip to Fukuoka, which reminded me that I love this city.

Big, but not too big. Small, but not too small. I really think Fukuoka can (and probably already) attract people from Tokyo area. Read several articles about efforts to create start-ups in Fukuoka and I do feel it has the right infrastructure and “spirit” to accommodate it.

Had only a short walk to take photos, which resulted in the following two.