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Nagasaki Starbucks marks anniversary of World War II’s end with powerful message of peace

Coffeehouse chalkboard encourages customers to think about situations in coffee-growing regions of the world.

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North Korea-U.S. tensions spark interest in Japanese government’s J-Alert warning system

People around Japan are spreading news of the J-Alert System and the manual that explains what to do in the event of an armed attack.

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Musician Ian McCulloch flees Japan amid US-North Korea tensions, show cancelled without warning

You know things are getting serious when the lead singer of Echo & the Bunnymen throws in the towel.

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Pokémon GO turns into Pokémon GO TO WAR in super-intense, high-quality fan video 【Video】

Pikachu used a Gatling gun… it’s super effective!

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Lest we forget 1936: The year fake Mickey Mouse attacked Japan

Japan may have forgiven the rip-off Disney star, but they have not forgotten what he did 80 years ago on that blood soaked Pacific island beach.

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New school in Iraq to provide a Japanese-style education

Impressed with Japan’s ability to quickly rebuild after the Second World War, some educators in Iraq are looking to instill similar values in their own youth.

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Only 11% of Japanese people “willing to fight for their country”

WIN Gallup International recently announced the results of their international survey on people’s willingness to fight for their country. Despite recent changes to the constitution, it turns out Japanese Johnnies are least likely to get their guns among all nations surveyed.

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World War II ended 70 years ago — here’s the planned US invasion of Japan that never happened

On August 14, 1945, US President Harry Truman announced the unconditional surrender of Japanese Emperor Hirohito, thereby ending World War II.

The surrender came after months of bombing raids across the Japanese countryside, two atomic bombs, and the Soviet Union’s declaration of war on the island nation.

The iron resolve of the Japanese was a major factor the US anticipated while planning the invasion of mainland Japan. The culture known for literally putting death before dishonor with practices such as hara-kiri would not, by any stretch of the imagination, go softly into surrender.

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Sanrio mascots promote pacifism on 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender

On August 14, 1945, Japan announced its surrender to the Allied Forces it would come to be known as V-J Day before signing the Japanese Instrument of Surrender aboard the U.S.S. Missouri on September 2. This year marks the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender but the anniversary is also in the midst of debate over constitutional revisions with criticism honed in on Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.

Sanrio has seemingly voiced its option, albeit through the mouths of its popular mascots, in the latest issue of the company’s Ichigo Shimbun magazine. The magazine includes an article reflecting on the 70th anniversary of Japan’s surrender and is titled “Let’s think about what we can do for peace” with a sub-headline reading “No more war!” It calls for readers to research war through popular media and the memories of those who lived during that time.

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Travel back in time to the Sengoku Era at Sekigahara War Land

On October 21, 1600, Tokugawa Ieyasu won the famous Battle of Sekigahara which secured his way to rule the shogunate of Japan.

Today, the battlefield where more than 200,000 people perished is but a remnant of ancient history. It is an ordinary town, and only the most maniacal of history buffs would show up to trace the roots of Sekigahara. However, in the center of that town, there is actually a ‘theme park’ where you can learn about history and the famous battle right where it took place, known as the somewhat awkwardly named “Learn! Play! The Immersive War Museum – Sekigahara War Land”.

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Metal Gear Solid V’s child soldiers make an accidental news cameo

Good stock photos can be hard to come by sometimes, especially if they’re of niche matters like child soldiers. So when a bustling newsroom intern tracks down a perfect photo of children wielding rifles and sitting on tanks, it’s too good to pass up. Even if the photo looks a little off.

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Anti-Japan drama ironically borrows music from Japanese anime

It’s not too uncommon to hear similar pieces of music in entertainment; accusations of plagiarism seem to pop up every few months. This latest controversy, though, carries with it a heaping helping of irony.

Fans online have noticed a peculiar coincidence in the background music used in episode 33 of the Chinese anti-Japan war drama Blue Wolf… and Yasuharu Takanashi‘s “Man of the World” theme used in certain episodes of Naruto Shippūden.

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Japanese gamers debate Red Cross’s call for virtual crimes to be punished

The International Red Cross has recently been pushing for so-called “hyper realistic” video games to follow international humanitarian laws and penalize players for their in-game crimes, such as gunning down civilians. Last month, the organization on its Japanese site posted an explanation about why it decided to press for this. As expected, gamers had mixed reactions to the announcement with some decrying the “over-regulation” of their hobby, while many thought it was a much-needed change to the industry.

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“Good luck with the exam!” US comic depicting Japanese WWII pilot met with chuckles in Japan

Although they are sometimes considered to be the pastime of kids and teenagers, modern comics and graphic novels often deal with some incredibly heavy and moving content. Craig Thompson’s Blankets, for example, is a spellbinding journey that will melt any adult’s heart, and despite using mice as protagonists, Art Spiegelman’s retelling of his Holocaust survivor father’s experiences in Maus was so moving that it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize in 1992.

The following American comic deals with equally heavy content: the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941. The comic lost a little credibility amongst Japanese readers earlier today, however, when one netizen noticed that it shows one of the pilots preparing for the attack by donning what appears to be a headband much more likely to be worn by school kids studying for a big exam than someone going on a mission from which they may not return.

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Who would the U.S. back in a Japanese-Korean war? South Korean netizens debate

If Japan and South Korea were on Facebook, there is no doubt that their relationship status would be “it’s complicated.” Between territorial spats, historical disputes and arguing over a pop star’s table manners, these two countries have a lot of uncomfortable diplomatic moments. But they do have one very major thing in common—mutual defense treaties with the United States. Although we doubt (and very much hope) that Tokyo and Seoul never resort to war to solve these issues, some South Korean netizens recently took to the Internet to ponder who Uncle Sam would back in such a fight.

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How would America react if Japan suddenly attacked South Korea?

Here at RocketNews24 we have a major soft spot for Japanese culture and its quirks. But there’s no denying that the country has a nasty habit of glossing over controversial moments in its history. This has led to some long-lasting tension between Japan and its neighbors, namely China and South Korea.

This week Japan celebrates the end of World War II. At the same time, Korea takes a different angle on the times and celebrates the end of Japan’s colonization and subjugation of their country. This anti-Japan sentiment remains rooted in many aspects of Koreans’ psyche, and led to the creation of a certain documentary which aired on the Seoul Broadcasting System (SBS) last Sunday, August 11. The program was titled The Archipelago’s Perilous Night and posed the questions, “What would America do if Japan suddenly attacked South Korea? Who would they aid?” Korean Internet users were quick to respond with their own speculations.

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North Korea’s Gruesome Propaganda Posters Portray US Military as Sadistic and Somewhat Zombified

Propaganda is an ugly art. History is full of distorted and racist imagery of one nation’s enemies during times of war. Looking back on them now we can chuckle at the absurd lengths people went to in an effort to instill hate in one another, but they often remain shocking nonetheless.

This series of paintings from North Korea surfaced on the internet around 2010, but it’s uncertain exactly when they were created. Judging by the American uniforms they’re most likely Korean War era. We can also see this by the one where US soldiers are depicted sawing open a guy’s head (they got lasers to do that nowadays).

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China’s “Prepare for War” Orders Unsettling in Japan

With the transfer of power occurring in China, it’s only natural for new policies to be put into effect either for the improvement of society or for purely superficial demonstrations of power to both domestic and international rivals.

Currently a lot is being made on online message boards of reports coming from Chinese media outlining new orders for 2013 which apply to all branches of the People’s Liberation Army. Some Japanese media outlets have been interpreting these orders as “prepare for war… presumably against Japan.”

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Japan Starts High Seas Squirt-Gun Fight With Taiwan, Pushes Fishing Boat Flotilla Out of Contested Waters

Alright, let’s recap.

Last Tuesday, a flotilla of Taiwanese fishing boats was rumored to have set off for the disputed Senkaku islands, located near the Japanese islands of Okinawa, seeking to assert their ownership among China and Japan.

At around 6 a.m. on Sept. 25, the 50-strong Taiwanese flotilla arrived in the disputed waters. At least eight patrol ships were sailing alongside the fishing vessels and many of the boats were displaying banners reading “We swear to defend the Senkaku islands!”

Japanese coastguard patrol boats moved in to intercept the tiny fleet and warned them to vacate the area. However, the Taiwanese boats maintained their position, asserting that they were in Taiwanese waters and their presence perfectly legitimate. Tensions were running high and it seemed only a matter of time before the conflict turned hostile.

And that’s when Japan decided to bring out the big guns.

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