Into the World:
The Random Thoughts in My Mind

On paper, 2019 was a turning point for Japanese women in terms of their place in Japanese society. After years of relative neglect, the economic policies of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe emphasized the importance of female labor participation for the future growth of the Japanese economy. The so-called "womanomics" policies of the Japanese government aimed to draw more housewives to work by providing comparatively generous grants for sending kids to and creating more open spots in kindergartens, and mandated companies to support women through formalized maternity leave policies.

Recently, the world has the reputation of Aung San Suu Kyi, the de facto popularly elected leader of Myanmar, hit another low at the Hague the past week with her highly anticipated hearing on the country's treatment of its Muslim refugee issue. Aung San Suu Kyi likely lost the last of her supporters in the West by refusing to apologize for the state's role in systematically driving the Rohingya out of the country through rape and murder, instead only recognizing the excess of some soldiers and that the overall situation is "complex." She made no mention of the Rohingya by name and refuse to recognize them as legal citizens of the country.

A term that is frequently used when Japan talks about foreign countries and individuals is 親日, roughly translatable to "friendly to the Japanese/Japan" or more directly, "pro-Japanese." Often, the usage of the term crops up in discussions concerning international exchange at a grassroots level. A "pro-Japanese" country, the narrative goes, is much more likely to be friendly and helpful to Japanese individuals traveling or living in the country. Local citizens, additionally, would be much more receptive toward learning about Japanese culture and adopting at least some aspects of it in their daily lives.

At first, the show seems to be just another Japanese TV show that features a bunch of well-known comedians and other celebrities sampling good food around the country. For this episode of the typical "variety show," the group headed to Yokohama Chinatown to find the best-tasting and best-valued Chinese buffets in the area. The hour-long show featured the group going to four different restaurants to try out shrimp, shark fin, spicy stir-frys, and gourmet fried rice. There were plenty of mouth-watering close-up shots of the food and plenty of celebrities talking about how good the food is. So far so good.