Podcasts about Tokyo

The yen has made a huge move over the past seven months and no one can figure out why. According to every mainstream economic theory, JPY should be soaring not sinking. It's got the government in Tokyo hollering about currency intervention claiming there is no fundamental reason for the yen's plight. Except, there is and we just got more confirmation as household spending there utterly plunged in September and October. Eurodollar University's Money & Macro Analysis---------------------------------------------------------------------------------EDU's Webinar SeriesThursday December 17, 6pm ETA Trillion-Dollar Eurodollar Bomb is going Off on Wall StreetThe most important funding system in the world is flashing warning signals, and almost no one is paying attention.https://event.webinarjam.com/m9wym/register/n0rnxu7n---------------------------------------------------------------------------------https://www.eurodollar.universityTwitter: https://twitter.com/JeffSnider_EDU

Got Faded Japan ep 794! In this action-packed episode, Johnny sits down with James Straker, an adventurer, punk-rock enthusiast, and fearless explorer of Japan's hidden corners. James takes us on a wild ride through his experiences driving across Japan, uncovering forgotten countryside homes, and diving deep into the rich, often surprising history woven into the country's rural landscapes. This episode is packed with stories, insight, and the kind of excitement that makes you want to jump on a plane and start your own adventure. FADE ON! Learn more about James's adventures on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jstrakertroublemaker?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== @jstrakertroublemaker   And check out: https://www.instagram.com/pizasukeruton?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet&igsh=ZDNlZDc0MzIxNw== https://open.spotify.com/artist/3Ur1LEVEY3QtdcDbRZc1oD https://open.spotify.com/track/3Hay0dlNMTuxcEBpy2PTP0 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Supporting GOT FADED JAPAN ON PATREON directly supports keeping this show going and fueled with booze, seriously could you imagine the show sober?? Neither can we! SUPPORT GFJ at: https://www.patreon.com/gotfadedjapan -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- CHECK OUT OUR SPONSORS AND SUPPORT THE SHOW!!!!   1. THE SPILT INK: Experience art, buy art and get some original art commissioned at: SITE: https://www.thespiltink.com/ INSTAGRAM: @thespiltink YouTube: https://youtu.be/J5-TnZLc5jE?si=yGX4oflyz_dZo74m -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. MITSUYA LIQUOR in ASAGAYA: "The BEST beer shop and standing beer bar in Tokyo!" 1　Chome- 13 -17 Asagayaminami, Suginami Tokyo 166-0004　 Tel & Fax: 0303314-6151Email: Error! Hyperlink reference not valid. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------   3. Harry's Sandwich Company 1 min walk from Takeshita Street in HarajukuCall 050-5329-7203 Address: 〒150-0001 Tokyo, Shibuya City, Jingumae, 1 Chome−16−7 MSビル 3F -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Share Residence MUSOCO “It's a share house that has all that you need and a lot more!” - Located 30 minutes form Shibuya and Yokohama - Affordable rent - Gym - BAR! - Massive kitchen - Cozy lounge space - Office work units - A spacious deck for chilling - DJ booth and club space - Barber space - AND MORE! Get more info and move in at: https://sharedesign.co.jp/en/property.php?id=42&property=musaco&fbclid=IwAR3oYvB-a3_nzKcBG0gSdPQzxvFaWVWsi1d1xKLtYBnq8IS2uLqe6z9L6kY -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Soul Food House https://soulfoodhouse.comAddress:2-chōme−8−10 | Azabujūban | Tokyo | 106-0045 Phone:03-5765-2148 Email:info@soulfoodhouse.com Location Features:You can reach Soul Food House from either the Oedo Line (get off at Azabujuban Station and it's a 7-minute walk) or the Namboku Line (get off at Azabujuban Station and it's a 6-minute walk). -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- GET YOURSELF SOME GOT FADED JAPAN MERCH TODAY!!! We have T-Shirts, COFFEE Mugs, Stickers, even the GFJ official pants! BUY NOW AND SUPPORT THE SHOW: http://www.redbubble.com/people/thespiltink/works/16870492-got-faded-japan-podcast -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Got Faded Japan Podcast gives listeners a glimpse of the most interesting side of Japan's news, culture, peoples, parties, and all around mischief and mayhem. Hosted by Johnny and Jeremy who adds opinions and otherwise drunken bullshit to the mix. We LOVE JAPAN AND SO DO YOU! Send us an email on Facebook or hell man, just tell a friend & post a link to keep this pod rolllin' Fader! Kanpai mofos! #japan #japantalk #japanpodcast #gotfadedjapan #livemusic  

The CDC has just voted on a major change to childhood vaccinations. Criticism is mounting over the Trump administration's strike on an alleged drug trafficking boat in the Caribbean. A new Netflix deal with Warner Bros. could reshape Hollywood and online streaming. The DC pipe bomb suspect is set to appear in court, as authorities share a possible motive. Plus, we reveal the city which has overtaken Tokyo as the most populated city in the world.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On March 20th, 1995, the Tokyo subway system was flooded with sarin nerve gas in a coordinated terrorist attack by the religious cult Aum Shinrikyō. Led by the charismatic new-age guru, Shoko Asahara, the well-funded and technologically ambitious Aum organization manufactured and deployed chemical weapons in an attempt to bring about the end of the world. In the chaos that followed, 13 people were killed, thousands were injured, and the international community shuddered at the possibility of future attacks by fringe political groups.    SOURCES: Amarasingam, A. (2017, April 5). A history of sarin as a weapon. The Atlantic.  Cotton, Simon. “Nerve Agents: What Are They and How Do They Work?” American Scientist, vol. 106, no. 3, 2018, pp. 138–40.  Danzig, Richard; Sageman, Marc; Leighton, Terrance; Hough, Lloyd; Yuki, Hidemi; Kotani, Rui; Hosford, Zachary M.. Aum Shinrikyo: Insights Into How Terrorists Develop Biological and Chemical Weapons . Center for a New American Security. 2011. Gunaratna, Rohan. “Aum Shinrikyo's Rise, Fall and Revival.” Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses, vol. 10, no. 8, 2018, pp. 1–6.  Harmon, Christopher C. “How Terrorist Groups End: Studies of the Twentieth Century.” Strategic Studies Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 3, 2010, pp. 43–84. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/26269787.  “IHT: A Safe and Sure System — Until Now.” The New York Times, 21 Mar. 1995. Jones, Seth G., and Martin C. Libicki. “Policing and Japan's Aum Shinrikyo.” How Terrorist Groups End: Lessons for Countering al Qa'ida, RAND Corporation, 2008, pp. 45–62.  Kaplan, David E. (1996) “Aum's Shoko Asahara and the Cult at the End of the World”. WIRED.  Lifton, Robert Jay. Destroying the World to Save It: Aum Shinrikyo, Apocalyptic Violence, and the New Global Terrorism. 1999. Murakami, Haruki. Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and the Japanese Psyche. Translated by Alfred Birnbaum and Philip Gabriel. 2001. Murphy, P. (2014, June 21). Matsumoto: Aum's sarin guinea pig. The Japan Times.  Reader, Ian. Religious Violence in Contemporary Japan: The Case of Aum Shinrikyo.  2000. Tucker, Jonathan B. “Chemical/Biological Terrorism: Coping with a New Threat.” Politics and the Life Sciences, vol. 15, no. 2, 1996, pp. 167–83.  Ushiyama, Rin. “Shock and Anger: Societal Responses to the Tokyo Subway Attack.” Aum Shinrikyō and Religious Terrorism in Japanese Collective Memory., The British Academy, 2023, pp. 52–80.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Part Six of the Mike Tyson career profile, we enter one of the most dramatic chapters in the life of the youngest heavyweight champion in history. This segment covers the peak of Tyson's dominance inside the ring—alongside the chaos that began to consume his world outside of it. The episode opens with Tyson's explosive showdown against Michael Spinks, a fight built up as the ultimate test for the undefeated champion. In just 91 unforgettable seconds, Tyson demolished Spinks, cementing his position as the most feared boxer on the planet. We also revisit his bout with Tony Tubbs in Tokyo—a fight that at the time seemed routine, but in hindsight foreshadowed a darker future. Away from the spotlight of arenas and title belts, Tyson's life was spiraling. His tumultuous marriage to Robin Givens, marked by public conflict and media scrutiny, became a national spectacle. The death of mentor and manager Jim Jacobs—one of the last stabilizing forces in Mike's life—left a void that would never be filled. With Don King beginning to exert influence, friendships fractured and discipline faded. This part concludes with the night that shook the boxing world: February 11, 1990. Tyson vs. Buster Douglas in Tokyo—where the unstoppable champion was finally brought crashing to earth. Through a mix of behind-the-scenes turmoil, loss of focus, and an inspired challenger, Iron Mike suffered one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this ep we talk cheap cigarettes, holiday cheer, Trump taking naps on camera, racoon breaks into liquor store found drunk in bathroom, rabid racoon mauls idiot, Waymo car drives passenger through police stand off, Sheriff pulls women over to check their phones for nudes, robot dog on sale for 3k looks awesome, CIA put electrode in dogs brains to control them according to declassified files, and much more! Email here: tokyoblackhour@gmail.com Check us out Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/TokyoBlackHour/   Check out the Youtube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX_C1Txvh93PHEsnA-qOp6g?view_as=subscriber Follow us on Twitter @TokyoBlackPod Get your apparel at https://tkbpandashop.com/  You can also catch us Apple Podcasts, Google Play, and Spotify Check out the mix here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=outOhNt1vBA&t=1167s Need a logo for your business go here www.fiverr.com/eyeballa/buying 

In Part Six of the Mike Tyson career profile, we enter one of the most dramatic chapters in the life of the youngest heavyweight champion in history. This segment covers the peak of Tyson's dominance inside the ring—alongside the chaos that began to consume his world outside of it. The episode opens with Tyson's explosive showdown against Michael Spinks, a fight built up as the ultimate test for the undefeated champion. In just 91 unforgettable seconds, Tyson demolished Spinks, cementing his position as the most feared boxer on the planet. We also revisit his bout with Tony Tubbs in Tokyo—a fight that at the time seemed routine, but in hindsight foreshadowed a darker future. Away from the spotlight of arenas and title belts, Tyson's life was spiraling. His tumultuous marriage to Robin Givens, marked by public conflict and media scrutiny, became a national spectacle. The death of mentor and manager Jim Jacobs—one of the last stabilizing forces in Mike's life—left a void that would never be filled. With Don King beginning to exert influence, friendships fractured and discipline faded. This part concludes with the night that shook the boxing world: February 11, 1990. Tyson vs. Buster Douglas in Tokyo—where the unstoppable champion was finally brought crashing to earth. Through a mix of behind-the-scenes turmoil, loss of focus, and an inspired challenger, Iron Mike suffered one of the greatest upsets in sports history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Our guest is Gavin Whitelaw https://rijs.fas.harvard.edu/gavin-h-whitelaw who is the Executive Director of Edwin O. Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies at Harvard University. Gavin has spent over a decade living and teaching in Japan. Before joining the Reischauer Institute in 2016, he was the Senior Associate Professor of Anthropology and Japan Studies at International Christian University (ICU) in Tokyo for eight years. He has researched a wide range of topics, including Japanese contemporary commerce, work life, foodways and material culture. Gavin is here today to discuss Konbini, the Japanese-style convenience store, a subject on which he has done extensive research. Convenience stores were born in the U.S in the 1920s and were transplanted to Japan in the 1960s. Then its concept developed into something very different, which has become a necessary part of Japanese society overall. As of January 2025, there were 56,749 Konbini nationwide. In this episode, we will discuss the unique characteristics of Japanese-style convenience stores, what you can buy and experience at Konbini , Gavin's intriguing work experience at Konbini shops and what he discovered there, the possibilities of exporting Japanese Konbini abroad and much, much more!!!See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Michael Psaros is a Co-Founder and Co-Managing Partner of KPS Capital Partners, LP ("KPS") and a member of its Investment and Management Committees. KPS is a leading global private equity firm with approximately $19.4B (as of 6/30/25) of assets under management focused on making controlling equity investments in global manufacturing and industrial companies across an array of industries. KPS generates investment returns by structurally improving the strategic position, competitiveness and profitability of its portfolio companies. The KPS Funds' portfolio companies generate aggregate annual revenues of approximately $21.6B and operate 211 manufacturing facilities in 21 countries (as of 6/30/25 pro forma for recent acquisitions and exits). Mr. Psaros currently serves on the Board of Directors of 14 KPS portfolio companies and as Chairman of six. He previously served on the Board of 35 former KPS portfolio companies. Prior to joining its predecessor in 1991 and co-founding KPS in 1997, he was an investment banker with Bear Stearns & Co., Inc. He received a B.S.B.A. in Finance from Georgetown University and attended Sophia University in Tokyo, Japan. The Psaros Center for Financial Markets and Policy at Georgetown University, named for and endowed by the Psaros family in 2022, provides non-partisan, unbiased expertise to guide policy and practice. The Center leverages the strength of Georgetown's McDonough School of Business, distinguished faculty and leadership in finance and public policy to convene leaders across the private sector, global capital markets, legislators and regulators to solve problems for the common good. Mr. Psaros served on Georgetown University's Board of Directors and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the Executive Board of Advisors at McDonough School of Business. Mr. Psaros received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters, Honorus Causa, from Georgetown University in May 2025. Mr. Psaros created "The Michael and Robin Psaros Endowed Chair in Business Administration" at Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business in 2013 and "The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew Endowed Orthodox Chaplaincy, Endowed by the Michael Psaros Family" in 2021. Mr. Psaros is the Vice Chairman of the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine at Ground Zero in New York City. He currently serves on the Executive Committee of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and is an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate and serves on its National Council. He serves on the Board of Trustees of The Leadership 100 Endowment and the Executive Board of The Hellenic Initiative. Mr. Psaros was honored by the Hellenic Republic (Greece), the International Foundation for Greece and the Hellenic Post for his exceptional business achievements and philanthropy. The Hellenic Post placed Mr. Psaros on a limited-edition postage stamp now in circulation throughout Greece. Michael Psaros, Commencement Speech, Georgetown University: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=5U-9gVrfXto 

Join us for a discussion of Satoshi Kon's 2003 animated film Tokyo Godfathers, an unconventional holiday story that's equal parts heartwarming, chaotic, and surprisingly realistic. On Christmas Eve in Tokyo, three homeless individuals — a middle-aged alcoholic, a former drag queen, and a teenage runaway — discover an abandoned baby in the trash and embark on a wild, coincidence-filled quest to return her to her parents. Take out the DVD or watch on Hoopla Digital with your MCPL card this holiday season!

Send us a textThis week on the show!They are back with a twissssst, in:v Zootopia 2 An American actor in Tokyo struggling to find purpose lands an unusual gig, working for a Japanese rental family agency, in: Rental familyand finally The sequel to the already forgettable 2022 Netflix film comes: Troll 2Ready for my verdict. Let's get into it. *Support the show by leaving a review on Apple podcast or Spotify! *You can now listen to The Movie Wire on YouTube! Listen and subscribe here!Make sure you tune in to the Talking Smac Podcast where I join Josh and Alex to discuss Wicked: For GoodListen Here If you haven't followed or subscribed to The Cultworthy Cinema Podcast and The Movie Wire's crossover show Back 2 the Balcony, now is your time, because this week, we cover Disney's 1987 classic Dirty Dancing!Listen HereSupport the show

Coldwired Podcast (Follow on Facebook: facebook.com/ColdwiredMusic). December 2025. Tracklisting: [00:00] 01. Super-Frog Saves Tokyo - Minds (Electro Mix) [Electronic Architecture] [04:00] 02. F4T4L3RR0R - Out There (Extended Mix) [Addictive Sounds] [09:28] 03. Frank Savio, Moodfreak - Cosmic Cell [languages music] [13:30] 04. Quivver - Surin (Tilt's Lost Angeles Remix) [White] ***Defrosted from 2008*** [18:00] 05. Danny Tenaglia, Cass and Slide - Fever Rising (Cass 4by4 Remix) [Sudbeat Music] [24:15] 06. Markus Schulz, Matt Fax - The New World (Extended Mix) [A State Of Trance] [29:03] 07. Stelios Vassiloudis, Steven Weston - Two Faces [Bedrock Records] [33:32] 08. Naughty Bear - Do You Remember (Seizmic Rmx) [Superordinate Music] [37:43] 09. Kiz Pattison - It's Got Me (Lemon8 Inner Sanctuary Remix) [Dissident Music / EMG] [44:07] 10. Vhyce, the Haze - El Sentido [Pets Recordings] [47:49] 11. Deniz Bul - Tell Me You Want Me (Extended Mix) [FCKING SERIOUS] [51:15] 12. Banchan - GT30R [Bandcamp] [55:10] 13. Narel, Sunda - Refractor (Facade Remix) [Landscapes Music] [1:00:30] 14. Efreet - Human Being [Creatus Flow] [1:06:48] 15. CLOSE PROXIMITY - Need Somebody [Dischi Autunno] ***Gold Star Track*** [1:10:50] 16. Basil O'Glue - Unnecessary Attitude (Nomas Remix) [BAGRUHM] [1:15:40] 17. Long Island Sound - Stung [Signs Of Space] [1:18:46] 18. Juheun - Exhale [Tronic] [1:23:12] 19. UNKLE, Ian Brown - Be There (Tilt's Planet Of The Breaks Remix) [White]

First up…SAN FRANCISCO—-Incredible Health, the largest AI company powering healthcare hiring, today announced it has reached 1.5 million nurses on its career marketplace, representing half of active nurses in the United States. The company now serves more than 1,500 US healthcare employers. Eight weeks ago, Incredible Health introduced Gale and Lyn, two purpose-built AI voice agents designed to revolutionize the hiring experience for both healthcare workers and employers. The agents are specialized and trained on millions of data points from the Incredible Health marketplace. https://hrtechfeed.com/incredible-health-reaches-1-5-million-nurses/ Findem, the AI platform for talent decisions, today announced it has acquired Getro, the leading operating system powering more than 800 venture capital, private equity, economic development, chamber of commerce and professional networks worldwide. These communities represent 3.5 million open jobs and some of the highest-trust talent ecosystems in the market. https://hrtechfeed.com/findem-acquires-job-board-software-platform/ Built in partnership with Findem, AnitaB.org launched an AI-powered, purpose-driven platform designed to make tech hiring smarter, fairer, and more human. In a year marked by more than 150,000 tech layoffs and ongoing inequities in hiring, the new Talent Network connects recruiters with vetted, diverse technologists while giving job seekers unprecedented visibility into opportunities across the industry. https://hrtechfeed.com/findem-now-powering-niche-talent-networks/ TOKYO — HelloBoss, Asia's leading AI-powered recruitment platform developed by Tokyo-based startup NGA, announced today that it has raised Series A funding backed by international media group Bertelsmann, marking the firm's first-ever strategic investment in Japan.  https://hrtechfeed.com/series-a-funding-accelerates-hellobosss-vision-for-an-ai-powered-global-hiring-platform/ NEW YORK––LizzyAI, the AI-native interviewing platform revolutionizing how companies evaluate talent, today announced it has raised $5 million in seed funding, led by NEA, with participation from Speedinvest and Zero Prime Ventures. https://hrtechfeed.com/another-ai-interview-startup-lands-millions/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

50 Cent's “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” dropped, WATP Karl joins us with Howard Stern's Ladyboy obsession, Kim Kardashian's Masterclass, Drew Crime, and Corey Feldman v. The World. Don't forget to grab your Drew Lane Show merch right here just in time for the holiday! Congratulations to Jim Bentley for winning the coveted David Hall Bobblehead for the 2nd month in a row. Diddy's documentary “Sean Combs: The Reckoning” is out now on Netflix. The Shuffle is on HBO now and it follows making of the epic Super Bowl Shuffle. Luigi Mangione has so many female fans, but where are all the gay guys? The National Guard were attacked in Washington D.C. There is more information on fugitive Virginia High School football coach Travis Turner. Karl from WATP joins us to chat some Thanksgiving Day football, rip apart a flirty Stuttering John Melendez, dive into the latest with The Howard Stern Show, and much more. Miley Cyrus is engaged again. Katy Perry and Justin Trudeau are hanging in Tokyo. There are rumors that Hoda Kotb may be replacing Gayle King at CBS. Jada Pinkett Smith is accused of threatening Bilaal Salaam. Faith Kates has decided to retire from her high profile gig after ties with Jeffrey Epstein. Meghan Markle's website is a joke just like her. Akaash Singh is YouTube gold. Kim Kardashian has a MasterClass in business. We roll through her ‘Ten Kimmandments'. Drew Crime: Teen sexual exploitation is out of control. The US is leading the world in crypto-kidnapping. Former Google CEO, Eric Schmidt, brags about snooping around. Spin instructor murder in California. La Toya Jackson is sparking concern with her super thin frame. Waymo gives zero f**ks about police standoffs. New York Giants Younghoe Koo had the worst kick in NFL history. Matt Riley dropped by ML Soul of Detroit today. Sports: ML Elrick isn't as high on Pat Fitzgerald being hired as the next MSU football coach as everybody else. Adam Thielen (white receiver) moves to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Terrion Arnold lands on the IR. College degrees have lost their luster. There is a new documentary coming out on Apple TV+ on Corey Feldman and we're all for it. If you'd like to help support the show… consider subscribing to our YouTube Channel, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter (Drew Lane, Marc Fellhauer, Trudi Daniels, Jim Bentley and BranDon).

China's Nuclear Threat to Japan — Jack Burnham — Burnham documents China's escalated nuclear threats against Japan, explicitly threatening nuclear weapons deployment if Tokyo militarily intervenes in Taiwan conflict scenarios, marking a significant shift from Chinese minimal deterrence posture toward aggressive nuclear coercion. Burnhamcharacterizes this escalation as reflecting Chinese regional anxiety regarding American-led alliance structures, particularly strengthening U.S.-Japan security cooperation. Burnham recommends robust reinforcement of American-Japanese alliance relationships and extended nuclear deterrence commitments as essential counterbalance to Chinesenuclear blackmail and regional hegemonic ambitions. 1951 LAS VEGAS

It’s time for the Tokyo Special! Hear what we thought about the Stellar Force, the Stellar Matrix, and where this ranks in the Miraculous World Specials. Plus we celebrate 10 years of Ladybug! 4:45 – Initial Thoughts on the Tokyo Special? 21:15 – Stellar Force the show 27:45 – Stellar Matrix Mythology 45:00 – Stellar Force Characters 54:00 – Other things from the Tokyo Special 1:10:45 – Tokyo Tower 1:17:15 – Spamming Miraculous Ladybug 1:22:20 – Rank the Miraculous World Specials 1:30:20 – 10th Ladybug Podcast anniversary! Hosts this week: Dylan Hysen, Delaney Stovall, April Collins, & Sarah Dolman.

It's 3 December, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). While everyone chooses to mark it differently - from focusing on leveling up work places, to reminding people to be more inclusive - we've decided to celebrate with some big names from the disability world!Dr Shani Dhanda speaks to us from Tokyo where she's delivering a keynote speech at the world's first Accountability Summit which has brought together 500 companies who made disability pledges in the past two years to see just how well they're doing. Plus she reveals how she would ideally celebrate IDPD CEO of Paralympics GB, Dave Clarke, tells us what he thinks about marking the day and reveals the latest research about the number of disabled people getting involved in sport and what's holding others back.Plus, we have Hollywood film star, presenter and campaigner, Adam Pearson, in the house. He's just been announced as the patron of Face Equality International. He talks about the challenges AI can pose for someone with a facial difference and gives us the inside scoop on his next big film role....a man he once loathed as a child, but has come full circle to love.Intrigued? - Get your party hat on and take a listen!Presented by Emma Tracey Sound mixed by Dave O'Neill Produced by Emma Tracey and Alex Collins Series producer is Beth Rose Editor is Damon Rose

Justin Bieber BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.Justin Bieber has been making headlines over the past few days with developments spanning his social media presence, personal life, and business ventures. According to The Hollywood Gossip, the pop star recently experienced a significant drop in Instagram followers, losing approximately 270,000 followers in what some are calling a mass unfollow. While this represents less than one percent of his 293 million followers, the sudden exodus has sparked considerable speculation among fans. Some attribute the decline to Instagram bot purges conducted by Meta, while others suggest active unfollows stemming from various factors including his transition to family life, fewer social media thirst traps, concerning behavioral patterns, and his posting of AI-generated content. In what many perceive as a direct response to the follower loss, Justin posted a selfie flipping off the camera, though he provided no context for the gesture.On a more positive note, according to AOL, Justin expressed pride in his wife Hailey's major business achievement. On May 28, Hailey announced that her skincare brand Rhode was acquired by e.l.f. Beauty for a staggering 1 billion dollars, marking a massive success in her entrepreneurial journey. Justin reportedly told sources that he has observed her dedication from the beginning and feels extremely proud of her accomplishment.In business developments, Hailey's Rhode brand has demonstrated impressive financial performance, generating 212 million dollars in net sales over the twelve months ending in March 2025, according to AOL. The brand was also named top skincare brand by certain media outlets in 2024.Meanwhile, Justin's own business ventures continue to evolve. According to AOL, he announced in April 2025 that he was ending his association with his fashion label Drew House, stating that it no longer reflects him, his family, or his life. He has since hinted at launching a new fashion line called SKYLRK featuring clothing and accessories, though no official release date has been announced.Additionally, Justin and Hailey were recently spotted together in Tokyo, Japan on December 2, 2025, suggesting the couple remains actively engaged in travel and public appearances despite ongoing tabloid speculation about their relationship status.Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOtaThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Justin Bieber BioSnap a weekly updated Biography.Justin Bieber has been making waves in recent days with several significant developments. As of December 2, he and his wife Hailey were spotted by fans on the streets of Tokyo, Japan, marking a notable public appearance. This sighting comes amid ongoing speculation about his personal and professional life.On the business front, Hailey made major headlines when her beauty brand Rhode was acquired by e.l.f. Beauty for one billion dollars in May, a deal that continues to dominate discussions about the couple's empire. Justin has been celebrating her success, expressing pride in her entrepreneurial achievements. However, the couple has faced recent challenges. Reports indicate that sources close to Justin expressed concern in April about his personal struggles impacting his business ventures, with insiders claiming he's been making poor choices affecting his friendships and finances.Professionally, Justin has been dropping hints about his musical comeback after a four-year hiatus. Industry sources confirm he's been working in the studio with producer Mk.gee, exploring innovative sounds for what appears to be a highly anticipated new project. He's posted cryptic social media teasers showing himself driving while new music plays, fueling fan speculation about an imminent album release.On the fashion front, Justin ended his association with Drew House in April, his previous fashion label, posting on Instagram that it no longer reflected him or his family. He's now hinting at launching a new fashion line called Skylrk, which appears to feature clothing and accessories, though no official release date has been announced.Additionally, Justin has experienced a significant drop in Instagram followers, losing approximately 270,000 followers recently. When he posted a selfie flipping off the camera on December 1, many interpreted it as a response to the mass unfollow, though he provided no context for the image.On the family front, Justin and Hailey continue enjoying parenthood with their son Jack Blues, whom they welcomed in August 2024. Reports also indicate he unfollowed his former mentor Usher on Instagram, sparking speculation about shifts in his professional relationships.The overall narrative suggests a period of transition for Bieber, marked by family milestones, business challenges, and anticipation surrounding his long-awaited return to music.Get the best deals https://amzn.to/3ODvOtaThis content was created in partnership and with the help of Artificial Intelligence AI

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Rekindling Bonds: A Winter Reunion Beneath Mount Fuji Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ja/episode/2025-12-03-23-34-02-ja Story Transcript:Ja: 静かな冬の日、川口湖のそばにある雪に覆われた富士山がその雄大さを誇示していました。En: On a quiet winter day, Mount Fuji, covered in snow, was displaying its grandeur beside Lake Kawaguchi.Ja: 秋田市から移住して東京で働く中年男性、アキラは久々に故郷に戻ってきました。En: Akita City native Akira, a middle-aged man who had moved to work in Tokyo, returned to his hometown for the first time in a long while.Ja: 彼は都会の生活に追われ、家族と過ごす時間がめっきり減ってしまっていました。En: Chased by the bustle of city life, he had significantly less time to spend with his family.Ja: 今日、彼は特別な贈り物を手に、長い間会っていなかった妹のユキに会うため、一歩一歩家に近づいていきます。En: Today, with a special gift in hand, he is taking steps towards home to meet his younger sister, Yuki, whom he hasn't seen in quite some time.Ja: ドアを開けると、温かみのある木の香りとともにユキの声が聞こえました。En: When he opened the door, the warm scent of wood accompanied Yuki's voice welcoming him.Ja: 「アキラ、お帰りなさい。En: "Welcome back, Akira."Ja: 」少しの無言の後、二人はお互いの顔を見つめ、微笑みます。En: After a brief moment of silence, they looked at each other's faces and smiled.Ja: そこには言葉にならない安心感と、微かな緊張が交錯していました。En: There was an indescribable sense of relief mixed with a faint tension.Ja: アキラは週末を生かして、家族みんなと特別な夕食を計画していました。En: Akira used the weekend to plan a special dinner with the whole family.Ja: このプランは、普段忙しい彼の生活から一瞬抜け出し、家族の絆を再び深めるためのものです。En: This plan was a way for him to momentarily escape his normally busy life and rekindle the family bonds.Ja: 夕飯の準備中、アキラはユキと話しました。En: During dinner preparations, Akira spoke with Yuki.Ja: 「ユキ、全部一人でやらせてごめんね。En: "Sorry for making you do everything by yourself, Yuki.Ja: 都会での生活が忙しくて…」ユキは静かに笑いましたが、その言葉の裏には少しの苦しみも隠されていました。En: Life in the city has kept me busy..." Yuki quietly laughed, but there was a hint of pain hidden behind her words.Ja: 「アキラ、お兄ちゃんの仕事や夢は大切だとわかってる。En: "I understand that Akira, your work and dreams are important.Ja: でも、たまには顔を見せてほしいの。En: But sometimes, I want you to show your face.Ja: 両親も寂しいし、私も…」その晩、夕飯を囲んで親しい会話が続きました。En: Our parents feel lonely, and so do I..." That evening, intimate conversations continued around the dinner table.Ja: アキラは東京の話をし、ユキは田舎の生活の苦労を語り合いました。En: Akira talked about life in Tokyo, while Yuki shared the hardships of rural life.Ja: 暖かな灯りの下で、心の壁が少しずつ崩れていきました。En: Under the warm light, the emotional walls between them slowly began to crumble.Ja: 食後、ユキはアキラに話しかけました。En: After the meal, Yuki spoke to Akira.Ja: 「たまには私も東京に行ってみたいわ。En: "I would like to visit Tokyo sometimes.Ja: お兄ちゃんの生活を見て、直接話し合えたらいいわね。En: It would be nice to see your life, and we could discuss things directly."Ja: 」その瞬間、アキラは彼女を見つめる目が優しく、頼もしいものとなりました。En: In that instant, Akira's gaze turned gentle and reassuring.Ja: 「もちろんだよ、ユキ。En: "Of course, Yuki.Ja: これからはもっと頻繁に来るし、君も東京に遊びに来るといい。En: I will come more often, and you should visit Tokyo as well."Ja: 」二人は久しぶりの和解と再会の喜びで、心が満たされました。En: Their hearts were filled with the joy of reconciliation and reunion after such a long time.Ja: 外には雪が静かに降り続き、穏やかな冬の夜が二人を優しく包み込んでいました。En: Outside, snow continued to fall quietly, enveloping the two gently on a peaceful winter night.Ja: アキラとユキはそれぞれの道を歩みながらも、いつでも家族という繋がりが心の中に強く残っていることを感じたのでした。En: Akira and Yuki felt a strong sense of their family connection remaining in their hearts as they each continued on their respective paths. Vocabulary Words:grandeur: 雄大さnative: 出身bustle: 生活に追われindescribable: 言葉にならないrekindle: 再び深めるaccompanied: とともにindescribable: 言葉にならないintimate: 親しいreconciliation: 和解reunion: 再会enveloped: 包み込むgaze: 見つめるrelief: 安心感tension: 緊張reassuring: 頼もしいfaint: 微かなbonds: 絆hint: 裏lonely: 寂しいhardships: 苦労dreams: 夢displaying: 誇示してsolace: 安堵momentarily: 一瞬frequent: 頻繁reassuring: 心が頼もしいcrumble: 崩れてwelcoming: 迎え入れるunderstanding: 分かってpain: 苦しみ

In this episode of China Decode, hosts Alice Han and James Kynge break down China's accelerating push for self-sufficiency — from tech to industrial goods — and what that means for a global trading system that once relied on Chinese demands. They unpack a tense week in Asia, with Washington, Beijing, and Tokyo navigating security warnings, diplomatic pressure, and Taiwan's massive new $40 billion defense buildup. And they look at Beijing's latest experiment to revive spending: using school holidays to turbocharge travel and jump-start the services sector. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Tuesday, December 2nd, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus. (Adam@TheWorldview.com) By Kevin Swanson Trump urges Venezuelan president to leave country U.S. sabers are rattling off the coast of Venezuela.   The Miami Herald reported that President Donald Trump offered Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro an ultimatum over the weekend: He said, “You can save yourself and those closest to you, but you must leave the country now.”   For any assistance in leading to Maduro's arrest, the U.S. government has placed a bounty of $50 million on the Venezuelan President.   Also, President Trump issued a warning on Saturday via Truth Social. He wrote, “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.” Trump designates Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group The President also designated certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood organization as a terrorist group, as of Sunday.  CounterExtremism.com has counted 48 extremist individuals and groups tied to the Brotherhood. As a Muslim Brotherhood host, the nation of Qatar has transferred $1.8 billion to Gaza since 2012, some of which reportedly has gone to Hamas. That information was revealed through recent audits. 65 people died from Ebola in Congo, Africa The Democratic Republic of the Congo is dealing with another Ebola outbreak — 65 cases confirmed and 45 deaths, reports U.S. News & World Report. The last major Congolese outbreak occurred in 2018. The virus is as dangerous as rabies, the Marburg virus, and the Avian flu. Exodus 4:11 reminds us that God is in control of all health issues: “So the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord?” Russian-Ukrainian negotiations at stalemate In other world news, the Russo-Ukrainian conflict negotiations are approaching another stalemate. Ukraine announced they will not accept territorial concessions. And French President Emmanuel Macron announced an endorsement of using frozen Russian assets to help fund Ukraine's defense. Japanese court upholds ban on homosexual marriage Japan's Tokyo court upheld the homosexual marriage ban as constitutional, reports the BBC. Of Asian states, only Thailand, Nepal, and Taiwan have legalized the practice thus far. Christian ministries ranked most and least transparent Ministry Watch has released its 2025 ratings of American ministries for financial efficiency, transparency, and donor confidence. Of the largest ministries in the United States, Medicine For All People International, Grand Canyon University, World Relief, Christian Aid Ministries, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and the Christian Broadcasting Network rate the highest. Lowest ratings go to Samaritan's Purse, Convoy of Hope, Baylor University, Pepperdine University, and Hillsdale College. Some controversy has been brewing recently over the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability and the Billy Graham Evangelical Association's withdrawal from the organization.  Top 3 ministries serving the persecuted Of the six ministries serving the persecuted saints, Ministry Watch rates International Christian Concern, Equipping the Persecuted, and Persecution Project highest for financial efficiency, transparency, and donor confidence. Voice of the Martyrs is rated lowest.   Equipping the Persecuted focuses on Nigeria, and Persecution Project has been actively serving the persecuted saints in Sudan, Africa. Folks, think about giving to the poor and the suffering this Christmas season. Proverbs 28:27 says, “He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses.” U.S. government ran a $1.8 trillion deficit The financial numbers are in for the U.S. government's fiscal year 2025, ending in October. The government ran a deficit of $1.8 trillion for the year. That's down $41 billion or 2% compared to the previous year.  However, revenues increased by $317 billion due to higher tariffs on imported goods. Spending was up a whopping 4% or $275 billion, driven by welfare and benefit programs, as well as rising interest payments on the public debt. Trump to pick new Federal Reserve Chairman U.S. President Donald Trump will soon announce his next pick for chairman of the Federal Reserve. The new pick is slated to replace Jerome Powell in May of next year. Gold hits $4,230/ounce and silver hits $58/ounce Metals are still on the rise again. Gold hit $4,230 per ounce and silver topped $58.00 per ounce. Bitcoin is still down 31% over two months ago. FDA admits COVID-19 shots killed U.S. kids The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has acknowledged, for the first time, that COVID-19 vaccines have killed American children. According to Politico, Vinay Prasad, the vaccine chief for the FDA, issued a memo in which he revealed that FDA staff “found … at least 10 children have died after and because of receiving COVID-19 vaccination.” This comes from an “initial analysis of 96 deaths (associated with the vaccine taking place) between 2021 and 2024.” TN Democrat opposes Christian prayer in public forum And finally, the Christian faith appears to be at stake -- in a tight election in Tennessee for the 7th District Congressional seat. The Democrat candidate Aftyn Behn has gone on record stating she is opposed to Christian prayer in the public forum.   President Donald Trump took to Truth Social yesterday. He warned that Behn “hates Christianity, will take away your guns, wants Open Borders. . . men in women's sports, and openly disdains Country music.” The latest polls show the Republican candidate, Van Epps, is holding a slight lead in today's election. Close And that's The Worldview on this Tuesday, December 2nd, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  I'm Adam McManus (Adam@TheWorldview.com) Seize the day for Jesus Christ.

This week we cover a Perth man who went from "Duty Free" to " Status: Arrested"-----Cody's show CRU$HER is hitting all major centres and more in 2026. He's back. It's red hot. Fuckin' do it. Stop going to shit comedians who charge double and deliver half.-----------------------------------YOUR STUPID has arrived. It's a book. It's a similar vibe to last year's one, but better. If you want a copy, head over to lukeheggie.com and stump up, and it will arrive via Australia Post. Any First Class Patrons, yours have been posted, (including the seppos - at great personal expense) but excluding the three bastards who have not provided an address, and seem to refuse to reply to emails. Sort it out. I'll bring some to live shows too. That is all.Heggie's 2026 show I WON'T SAY IT AGAIN is on sale now too. It's a hand-selected crack team of bits from the last five years. Get on it here.----------------------------------------------------------------------Heggie dropped a FOURTH YouTube special, GROT, but still left the comments closed like a coward. Watch it here.Cody's new stand-up special "LIVE AT THE CORNER HOTEL" is OUT NOW on YouTubeHave a squizz and leave comments before he takes Heggie's cowardly route and turns off the comments. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From walk-on to Olympian, Emily Mackay has rewritten every expectation.Now, she's back on the show to open up about the reinvention that's powering the best chapter of her career.Emily ran collegiately at Binghamton University, where her best NCAA finish was 6th in the 1500m as a senior in 2022. She joined New Balance Boston that summer of 2022, while training under coach Mark Coogan. What followed was a rapid improvement as a professional, lowering her 1500m personal best from 4:08.97 to 3:59.99 in 2023. Emily was then one of America's best female middle distance runners in 2024. In addition to her 1500m exploits, her 800m season's best of 1:57.87 ranked sixth in the US that year. She also ran in the 1500m semifinals in the Paris Olympics. In 2025, Mackay finished 4th in the 3,000m at the US indoor championships in February, and took 10th at Tokyo in the 1500m semifinals with a 4:08.19. Emily signed with New Balance in 2022, and while she was formerly part of Team New Balance Boston, she has since left the team. Emily's rise is proof that belief, resilience, and reinvention can take you anywhere. If her journey fired you up, share this conversation and follow along, because her story is only getting betterTap into the Emily Mackay Special.If you enjoy the podcast, please consider following us on Spotify and Apple Podcasts and giving us a five-star review! I would also appreciate it if you share it with your friend who you think will benefit from it. Comment the word “PODCAST” below and I'll DM you a link to listen. If this episode blesses you, please share it with a friend!S H O W  N O T E S-The Run Down By The Running Effect (our new newsletter!): https://tinyurl.com/mr36s9rs-Our Website: https://therunningeffect.run -THE PODCAST ON YOUTUBE: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClLcLIDAqmJBTHeyWJx_wFQ-My Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/therunningeffect/?hl=en⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠-Take our podcast survey: https://tinyurl.com/3ua62ffz

GUESTYUKO WAKAYAMA YAMADA is the abbot of Shogakuji in Tokyo. She currently teaches at the International department of Eiheiji. She is the first nun to teach at Eiheiji, the head monastery of Soto Zen founded by Dogen Zenji. She trained at Aichi Senmon Niso-do, a training temple for female Soto Zen priests, where she also currently teaches. She was ordained in 1999 by the highly respected Rev. Shundo Aoyama-roshi. She was sent to Mt. Equity Zendo in United States for 2.5 years and has also practiced in Germany, Switzerland, France, Spain and Italy. After returning from Europe and finishing 2 more years at the Niso-do she studied at the graduate school of Komazawa University specializing in Chinese Zen History. Prior to becoming a Zen Buddhist nun, Yuko Yamada was a catholic nun in a convent for 3 years.HOSTREVEREND DANA TAKAGI (she/her) is a retired professor of Sociology and zen priest, practicing zen since 1998. She spent 33 years teaching sociology and Asian American history at UC Santa Cruz, and she is a past president of the Association for Asian American Studies. 

Moviewallas is on YouTube! Reviews: Rental Family – Wicked for Good – Hamnet Happy Thanksgiving weekend! In this episode of Moviewallas, Joe, Rashmi, and Yazdi gather for a packed holiday show featuring three very different films – from heartfelt indie drama, to mega-musical fantasy, to prestige literary adaptation. This Week's Reviews Rental Family Brendan Fraser stars in a soulful tale about an American actor in Tokyo who finds unlikely purpose working for a Japanese “rental family” agency. We discuss the film's charm, emotional beats, cultural context, and Fraser's beautifully understated performance. Wicked for Good The second part of the two-film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. Rashmi dives into whether the sequel improves on part one, how it ties into The Wizard of Oz, and what works (or doesn't) about its pacing, spectacle, and storytelling. Hamnet Chloé Zhao adapts Maggie O'Farrell's acclaimed novel about Shakespeare's family life and the tragedy that shaped some of his greatest work. We debate the film's pacing, emotional impact, performances by Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, and whether the hype helps or hurts. Join the Conversation Have you seen any of these films? Drop your thoughts in the comments – we always love hearing from you. About Moviewallas Your weekly dose of film reviews, movie news, and lively banter – from theaters, streaming, airplanes, and everywhere in between. If you love the movies, this show is for you. Thanks for listening and supporting us. Too many movies, too little time!

Il y a des histoires qui vous saisissent dès les premiers mots.Des parcours de vie où le courage, la fidélité et la passion se mêlent à la douleur, au dépassement et à l'amour.Dans cet épisode, nous avons eu l'immense chance de tendre le micro à Larissa Pauluis, cavalière belge de très haut niveau en dressage, présente à Tokyo puis à Paris. Une femme au parcours hors normes, façonné par les épreuves de la vie autant que par son incroyable résilience.Ce rêve olympique, Larissa ne l'a pas porté seule, avec Flambeau, son cheval aussi complexe qu'exceptionnel. Et surtout, avec son mari, à qui elle avait fait une promesse : celle d'emmener ce cheval-là, ce couple-là, jusqu'aux Jeux de Paris.Quelques semaines à peine avant Tokyo, il s'en est allé, sans avoir pu la voir dérouler le Grand Prix… mais Larissa est convaincue qu'il continue de veiller sur elle, quelque part là-haut, et de la guider dans chaque foulée.Dans cet échange, elle revient sur les débuts d'une cavalière souvent cantonnée aux jeunes chevaux, sur les rencontres et les opportunités qui lui ont, peu à peu, ouvert le chemin vers l'élite mondiale.Elle nous parle aussi de son rôle de mère, de ses filles qui l'ont portée, peut-être même sauvée, et de cet équilibre qu'elle a su préserver entre sa vie de femme et ses ambitions sportives.Un épisode fort, pudique et bouleversant.Une conversation marquante avec une femme d'exception, qui incarne avec humilité ce que l'équitation peut offrir de plus profond : le lien, la foi, la patience… et l'amour comme moteur.Hébergé par Ausha. Visitez ausha.co/politique-de-confidentialite pour plus d'informations.

According to a new UN study, Jakarta has now overtaken Tokyo as the world's most populous city. But, what is it actually like living in the Indonesian capital?Joining Seán to discuss is Barry Dunning, an Irishman who spent a number of years living there…

Last week, you heard about Andrew's solo travels and now you'll hear about Andrew's group leading travels. We discuss Tokyo and Kyoto as well as the dynamics of taking 10 people to a foreign country. Shelby also talks about Good Fortune. Enjoy!

ISSO 100 zurück mit einer neuen Folge. Direkt nach dem Comeback senden wir aus dem HomeOffice. Mario berichtet von seinem Aufenthalt in Tokyo und wir stellen uns die Frage, warum sich in Deutschland nicht so gut gekleidet wird?! Außerdem stellen wir uns nochmal einmal richtig vor. Woher kennen wir uns eigentlich und wie sind wir sowohl in einem gemeinsamen Podcast, als auch in einem geinsamen Creative Studio gelandet? Wir gehen der Frage nach dem Status Quo in Sachen Werbung nach. Wie sieht das so am Set aus? Wie ist die Gewichtung von TV Kampagne zu Social Media und wie können Qualität und Quantität zusammen funktionieren in einer heute so massiv schnelllebigen Werbelandschaft. Warum sich Sascha beim Bäcker zum Affen macht und was Packwürfel mit der Zufriedenheit von Mario anstellen erfahrt ihr in dieser Folge! ISSO100 alle 2 Wochen überall wo es Podcast gibt! (00:00:00) Intro, ISSO100 aus dem HomeOffice! (00:00:51) Marios Reisespaß nach Tokyo! (00:04:46) Tokyo als Sehnsuchtsort? (00:12:46) Warum sind alle Leute in Tokyo so gut gekleidet?(00:17:31) Wir haben uns noch gar nicht vorgestellt?! (00:25:45) Mario und Sascha lernen sich kennen!(00:35:25) Was ist der aktuelle Medien Status Quo?(00:46:40) Der neue quantitative Contentneed!(01:06:13) Beim Bäcker zum Affen machen!(01:08:23) Over- und Underexposed!(01:24:32) Popkultureller Wochenüberblick, was ging so?

Een slaande ruzie tussen de nieuwe premier van Japan Sanae Takaichi en het Chinese bewind van Xi Jinping zet een oud conflict op scherp. Dit raakt niet alleen de machtsverhouding in Oost-Azië, maar meteen ook de rol van de Verenigde Staten in de Stille Oceaan en die van Rusland in zijn eigen verre oosten. En omdat het uiteindelijk draait om het eiland Taiwan, raakt het ook de Europese Unie. En bovenal Nederland, als thuisbasis van ASML. Jaap Jansen en PG Kroeger diepen drie vragen uit: -Waarom provoceerde premier Takaichi meteen bij haar aantreden de grote buur? En waarom reageerde Trump, die 'groot respect' voor haar heeft, zo afhoudend? -Waarom sloeg Xi zo fel terug? -Welke diepe historische gevoeligheden, herinneringen en angsten maken deze explosie even begrijpelijk als riskant? *** Deze aflevering is mede mogelijk gemaakt met donaties van luisteraars die we hiervoor hartelijk danken. Word ook vriend van de show! Heb je belangstelling om in onze podcast te adverteren of ons te sponsoren? Zend ons een mailtje en wij zoeken contact. *** Het pacifisme werd Japan na 1945 opgelegd door president Harry Truman als prijs voor de terugkeer onder de 'fatsoenlijke naties'. Maar in 1972 kwam de 'Nixon Shokku'. De opening naar China door Richard Nixon leek Japan in de kou te zetten en dwong tot herijking van de geopolitieke strategie. Premier Shinzo Abe zette de deur open naar 'zelfverdediging' als agressievere houding en stelde: “Een noodsituatie rond Taiwan is een noodtoestand voor Japan." Dat zijn protegee Takaichi dit herhaalde toen zij Taiwan bezocht, alarmeerde Beijing. Haar coalitie werd direct vanuit China onder druk gezet. Maar dit gaf haar populariteit alleen maar een impuls. Het lijkt erop dat het Chinese bewind hier ook een onverwachte kans zag. Een overleg met een hoge ambtenaar uit Tokyo werd theatraal in scène gezet om hevige nationalistische en historische affecten op te jagen. Zowel militair als cultureel werd Japan in de ban gedaan. Popconcerten van JO1 werden geschrapt, toerisme opgeschort. Een herhaling van massale anti-Japan demonstraties van 2010 dreigde. De Japanse premier probeerde meteen te sussen. Xi Jinping kan deze opwinding goed gebruiken. Hij laat het volk stoom afblazen nu hij zijn nieuwe vijfjarenplan inluidt waarin hightech prioriteit heeft maar het platteland en de middenklasse moeten inleveren. En door Japan aan te pakken terwijl Trump hem schijnbaar bijvalt, laat hij Taiwan voelen dat het eiland nog verder in het isolement gedreven wordt. Deze harde aanpak is in China niet zonder reden populair. Japan overtrof na 1870 de grote buur als nieuwe, moderne wereldmacht en veroverde Taiwan en Korea. Sleutelfiguur in deze razendsnelle ontwikkeling was keizer Meiji die zijn land opengooide naar het Westen als een soort Thorbecke of Deng Xiaoping van zijn tijd. De gruwelen van Japanse agressie in China na 1930 en Mao's militaire triomf over Japan drukken een zwaar stempel op de relaties. Ten diepste is China nog steeds bevreesd voor een ambitieus Japan. Dat premier Takaichi zich als een soort beschermvrouwe van Taiwan zou profileren raakt een open zenuw. Maar tegelijkertijd kan Xi dat eiland laten nu voelen hoe het alleen staat. Het kan zich maar beter in de open armen van China storten. Zijn droom van een 'vreedzame hereniging' naar het model van Dengs greep naar Hong Kong kan zo dichterbij komen. Hij zou dan de voltooier zijn van de nationale eenheid en als heerser voorgoed de gelijke worden van Mao en Deng. *** Verder luisteren 458 - De gedroomde nieuwe wereldorde van Poetin en Xi https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/7e62cdac-bdb9-450c-af23-a7f974ec3e42 453 – 75 jaar Volksrepubliek China, waar is het feestje? https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/2268a339-e0ca-4d2a-85bd-2ec5c4b6a1ca 24 - Ties Dams over China's nieuwe keizer Xi Jinping https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/796c8734-7866-4295-b672-335e345da39e 220 - China's nieuwe culturele revolutie https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/3d52b1c2-d383-4e2c-991b-5531b6de78ae 245 - Oompje neemt de trein – de reis die China naar de 21e eeuw bracht https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/8041cd16-d577-45e1-83a9-efd7676c226a 250 - Nixon in China: de week die de wereld veranderde https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/bee983d6-1372-470a-8ce9-27ea6a2d3020 225 - Nixon in China: Henry Kissinger's geheime (en hilarische) trip naar Beijing https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/cff20ade-b4b1-47a8-b554-0fccc620e096 447 - Als Trump wint staat Europa er alleen voor https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/eee9ebfb-042b-4753-b70d-a48e915b5beb 488 - Het Congres van Wenen (1814-1815) als briljant machtsspel https://art19.com/shows/betrouwbare-bronnen/episodes/1423134d-c671-4a71-805a-1d21ab9f7de6 *** Tijdlijn 00:00:00 – Deel 1 00:36:16 – Deel 2 00:54:06 – Deel 3 01:20:19 – EindeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We and our guest YouTuber TrpyCris discuss manga Shojo Null.   MAL Description: With the proliferation of organic robots called Gijins, humanity is enjoying prosperity in 23rd century Tokyo. But when a young man named Riaha meets a certain Gijin, he uncovers the dark truth of the world!   Show Notes: • You can reach us at Twitter @shonenflopcast, Tumblr shonen-flop, or email shonenflop@gmail.com   • You can find our guest at youtube.com/@trpycris   • Become a member of our community by joining our Discord. You can hang out with us, submit your questions or six word summaries! Find it at https://discord.com/invite/4hC3SqRw8r   • Want to be a guest? You can ask to be on a future episode at bit.ly/shonen_flop_guest   Credits: • Manga by Nakanishi, Kanae (Story), Akima (Art)   • Shonen Flop is hosted by David Weinberger and Jordan Forbes   • Additional editing assistance by Dylan Krider you can find his podcast, Anime Out of Context at animeoutofcontext.com   • Assistance with pronunciation, translation, and other miscellaneous research done by Tucker Whatley and MaxyBee   • Episode art by Merliel (IG: mer_liel)   • Cover art funded by our generous art benefactor Nigel Francis

Last time we spoke about the beginning of a conflict between the USSR and Japan. In the frost-hardened dawns by the Chaun and Tumen, two powers eye a ridge called Changkufeng, each seeing a prize and fearing a trap. On the Soviet side, weary front-line troops tighten their grip, while Moscow's diplomats coaxed restraint through Seoul and Harbin.  As July unfolds, Tokyo's generals push a dangerous idea: seize the hill with a surprise strike, then bargain for peace. Seoul's 19th Division is readied in secret, trains loaded with men and horses, movement masked, prayers whispered to avoid widening the rift. Japanese scouts in white Hanbok disguise, peering at trenches, wire, and watchful Russians. Russian border guards appear as shadows, counters slipping into place, yet both sides hold their fire. On July 29, a skirmish erupts: a platoon crosses a shallow line, clashes flare, and bodies and banners ripple in the cold air.    #178 Night Attacks and Diplomatic Strains: The Lake Khasan Conflict Welcome to the Fall and Rise of China Podcast, I am your dutiful host Craig Watson. But, before we start I want to also remind you this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Perhaps you want to learn more about the history of Asia? Kings and Generals have an assortment of episodes on history of asia and much more  so go give them a look over on Youtube. So please subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry for some more history related content, over on my channel, the Pacific War Channel where I cover the history of China and Japan from the 19th century until the end of the Pacific War. A second troop train was scheduled to depart Agochi for Nanam on the night of 29 July, carrying back the initial elements of the 75th Infantry. At Haigan, regimental commander Sato was pulling on his boots at 16:00 when the division informed him that fighting had broken out near Shachaofeng since 15:00 and that the Russians were assembling forces in that area. Suetaka ordered Sato's 3rd Battalion, which had not been slated to leave until the following night, to proceed to Kucheng; the remainder of the regiment was to assemble at Agochi. After consulting with Division Staff Officer Saito at Agochi, Sato returned to Haigan with the conclusion that "overall developments did not warrant optimism, it was imperative to prepare to move the entire regiment to the battlefield." One of Sato's first actions was to telephone a recommendation to the division that he be allowed to occupy Hill 52, which commanded the approaches to Changkufeng from south of Khasan. Suetaka approved, and at 17:30, Yamada's company was ordered to proceed to Shikai along with Hirahara's battalion. Meanwhile, Suzuki's 15th Heavy Field Artillery Regiment, which had been among the last units ordered to leave, had finished loading at Agochi by about 15:00. Sato recommended to Suetaka that a portion of Suzuki's regiment be attached to him; this was why Suetaka decided to transfer one of the two batteries to the 75th Infantry. The rest of the heavy artillery concentrated at Kyonghun. Suetaka's orders, issued at 18:20, called for Sato to have two of his battalions, the 1st and 3rd, cross the Tumen as soon as possible, with engineer support. Attached was Narukawa's heavy battery. Sato's mission was twofold: to assist Senda and to watch the enemy in the Changkufeng area. Sato arrived at 21:15 in Shikai. There, he assembled a number of his officers, including Yamada, and explained his plan: the 1st Company plus machine guns were to cross the Tumen from Sozan ahead of the other units, occupy Hill 52 with an element, and concentrate the main body at the foot of Fangchuanting to await Hirahara's battalion. A portion of the 19th Engineers would go to Sozan to assist the 1st Company with its river crossing. Amid heavy rain and darkness, the various units set out at 22:15. The platoon sent to Hill 52 arrived before dawn on the 30th, the rest of the forces somewhat later, though Sato had intended to move everybody across the river by the early hours. On the 29th the engineer regiment commander, Kobayashi, had also arrived at Shikai. He ordered Captain Tomura to handle the crossing in the vicinity of Sozan, as well as preparations for a future offensive with the main body. When Kobayashi reached Kucheng, he learned from Hirahara not only about the front-line situation but also about Sato's important plans: "The K. Sato force is going to cross the river tonight, 29–30 July. A night attack will be launched against Changkufeng on the night of 30–31 July." Kobayashi issued orders to his two commanders to assist the crossing by Nakano's infantry unit, 1st Battalion, 75th Regiment at Matsu'otsuho and Sozan, and, in addition, to cooperate with the position attack by Nakano and help in the assault at Hill 52. Most of these young officers, such as Seutaka dishing out orders were performing what the Japanese termed "dokudan senko" or "arbitrary or independent action". Japanese operational regulations actually contained a section dealing with dokudan senko, by which initiative, not imperiousness, was meant. Two elements were involved: control but encouragement of self-reliant thinking. This subject became important in training officers, all of whom, including such infantry experts as Suetaka, were well acquainted with the requirements. Combat missions were stipulated in operations orders, but, if these were not realistic, initiative was to come into play, though only when there was no time to contact superiors. By the same token, commanders had to be ready to assume full responsibility if matters turned out adversely. "We were disciples of the 'Moltke' system of AGS control, with dual authority vis-à-vis the local forces and the chief of staff."  The Korea Army's version of events on 29 July, there was no mention of any report received from the division prior to 17:30. Details did not reach Seoul, in the form of printed divisional intelligence reports and operational orders, until 1 August. The late afternoon report from Kyonghun provided the Korea Army authorities with little solid information, but Seoul had to notify higher headquarters immediately. Kitano sent messages to Tokyo and Hsinking at 19:15. The command and Kwantung Army were told that, in addition to Senda's assault party, 40 Japanese soldiers were deployed west of Changkufeng and at Yangkuanping. The division's main forces had begun the rail pullback from the 28th, leaving behind only two infantry battalions and a mountain artillery battalion for the time being. At 21:20 on 29 July, Korea Army Headquarters received the text of Suetaka's full report, which concluded: "With a view toward a possible emergency, the division suspended movement back of the 75th Regiment and is making necessary arrangements to have them advance instead. The latest affair derives sheerly from the enemy's unlawful challenge. It is my firm belief that the nature of this incident differs completely from the one at Changkufeng and should be handled separately. At present, since communication with the forward lines is not good, Lieutenant Colonel Senda (who is at the front) has been entrusted with command, but I assume entire responsibility for the consequences." Instead of boarding their trains at Agochi, Sato's regiment and supporting engineers moved to the Manchurian side of the Tumen as soon as possible. Suetaka called Sato's 2nd Battalion to Kyonghun as divisional reserve. Subsequent dispatches claimed that: (1) Senda's unit, which had driven off intruders in the Shachaofeng area once, was engaged against new Soviet forces (sent at 18:20, 29th);  (2) Senda's unit had expelled trespassers, and a combat situation had developed near Shachaofeng (22:00, 29th);  (3) fighting was going on in the vicinity of Shachaofeng (06:40, 30th).  Korea Army Headquarters, however, obtained no more important communication concerning the events of 29 July than a report, sent that evening by Suetaka, that revealed his concern about a possible Soviet attack in the Wuchiatzu sector near the neck of the long Changkufeng appendix.  After the clash at Shachaofeng, a general officer, Morimoto, happened to be visiting Colonels Okido and Tanaka in Nanam. Both of them were said to be of the pronounced opinion that no troubles ought to be provoked with the USSR while the critical Hankow operation lay ahead; yet Suetaka apparently had some intention of striking at the Soviet intruders, using the 75th Regiment. They urged that this policy not be adopted and that Suetaka be approached directly; the channel through Y. Nakamura, the division chief of staff, was hopeless. Although in agreement, General Morimoto declined to approach Suetaka; since the latter seemed to have made up his mind, it would be inappropriate to "meddle" with his command. Suetaka was functioning as an operations chief at that time. Apart from the mobilization staff officer, who was not enthusiastic about aggressive action, the only other officer who may have affected the decisionmaking process was the Hunchun OSS chief, Maj. Tanaka Tetsujiro, a positive type who shared Suetaka's views and was probably with him on the 29th as well as 30th. Although developments at Suetaka's command post were known more as the result of silence than of elucidation, we possessed considerable information about thinking at the Korea Army level: "Suetaka contacted us only after his men had driven out the enemy near Shachaofeng. Till then, the front had been relatively quiet and we were of the opinion all or most of the deployed forces were on their way home. We at Seoul had no foreknowledge of or connection with the 29 July affair. Reports came in; we never sent specific orders. Triggered by the affray at Shachaofeng, the division attacked on its own initiative. It was our understanding that very small Japanese forces had been committed to evict a dozen enemy scouts and that, when a platoon of ours got atop the hill, they observed surprisingly huge hostile concentrations to the rear. This was probably why the platoon pulied back, although much has been made of the desire to obey the nonaggravation policy to the letter. We at Seoul felt that this was a troublesome matter—that our side had done something unnecessary. When the division finally made its report, the army had to reach some decision. There were two irreconcilable ways of looking at things. We might condemn what had been done, and the division ought to be ordered to pull out promptly, having arbitrarily and intolerably acted against the known facts that Imperial sanction for use of force had been withheld and Tokyo had directed evacuation of the moved-up units. The opposing, eventually predominant view was that the division commander's course of action ought to be approved. Perusal of small-scale maps of the locale indicated a clear violation of the frontier, something not proved in the case of Changkufeng. We shared the division commander's interpretation. His BGU had its mission, and he was acting with foresight to solve matters positively and on his own, since he was the man closest to the problem. General Nakamura felt that the latest development was inevitable; our units did not cross the Tumen until the Soviets attacked us in force. Therefore, the division's actions were approved and a report was rendered promptly to Tokyo. It could be said that our outlook served to "cover" the division commander, in a way. But if IGHQ had ordered us to desist, we would have".  Nakamura added: "I was of the opinion the only solution was to drive the Soviet troops outside Manchukuoan territory; therefore, I approved the action by the division." Such sanction had been granted on the basis of information supplied to Seoul by Suetaka on the evening of 29 July, again post facto. At 01:20 on the 30th, Nakamura wired Suetaka a message characterized by gracious phrasing that suggested his grave concern: "One ought to be satisfied with expelling from Manchurian territory the enemy attacking our unit on the . . . heights southwest of Shachaofeng. It is necessary to keep watch on the enemy for the time being, after having pulled back to the heights mentioned above, but we desire that matters be handled carefully to avoid enlargement; in case the foe has already pulled back south of Shachaofeng . . . he need not be attacked." Nakamura also sent a wire to the AGS chief, the War Minister, and the Kwantung Army commander. After conveying the information received from Suetaka, Nakamura continued: "In spite of the fact that our troops have been patient and cautious . . . this latest incident [near Shachaofeng] started with Soviet forces' arrogant border trespassing and . . . unlawful challenge. Therefore, I am convinced that this affair must be dealt with separately from the incident at Changkufeng. Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to handle matters so that the incident will not spread and shall make it my fundamental principle to be satisfied with evicting from Manchurian territory the hostile forces confronting us. The Korea Army chief of staff is being dispatched quickly to handle the incident".  The Korea Army, "painfully slow to act," says a Kwantung Army major, was merely the intermediary link, the executor of Tokyo's desires. In the case of remote Shachaofeng, there was an inevitable gap between on-the-spot occurrences and AGS reactions. By then, Arisue, Kotani, and Arao, Inada's observers, had returned to Japan—an important fact, given the "Moltke" system of staff control. Nevertheless, their return must have exerted significant effects on central operational thinking. Kotani remembered that his AGS subsection had given him a welcome-home party on the night of 29 July when an emergency phone call was received from the duty officer. "It was about the clash at Shachaofeng. The festivities came to an abrupt end and I headed for the office. From then till the cease-fire on 11 August, I remained at the AGS night and day." Since the 19th Division had furnished higher headquarters with minimal information, Tokyo, like Seoul, had only a few ostensible facts to act upon. But this had been the first combat test for the Korea Army, which needed all the encouragement and assistance possible. Although Japanese field armies, notably the Kwantung Army, were notorious for insubordination, one could not overemphasize the fact that the Korea Army was meek and tractable. If Nakamura had concluded that Suetaka acted properly (which reports from Seoul indicated), the AGS could hardly demur. It would have been unrealistic to think that Tokyo, although cautious, was "softer" about the Russian problem than front-line forces. There had been no concern over time lags; details were Seoul's province. Reaction took time at every level of the chain of command. Decision making in the Japanese Army had been a many-layered process. The Army general staff had been of the opinion that initial guidance ought to have been provided to the Korea Army soon, particularly since there had been evidence of failure to convey intentions promptly to the front and no high command staff officer remained to direct matters. After hearing from Seoul twice about the Shachaofeng affair, the responsible Army general staff officers conferred at length. Stress had been laid on the indivisibility of the Shachaofeng and Changkufeng incidents. It had also been evident that further information was required. On that basis, a "handling policy for the Shachaofeng Incident" was drafted, and Tada notified the Korea and Kwantung armies accordingly on 30 July. Nakamura had received the telegram at 16:50 and had its contents retransmitted to Kitano, then at Kyonghun: "Shachaofeng Incident is progressing along lines of our policy, leave things to local units, which have been adhering to the principle of nonenlargement. Have them report on front-line situation without fail."  The Army general staff and the Korea Army were calling for prudence, but the division, well down the rungs of the ladder of command, was initiating actions that jeopardized the government's basic policy. Earlier quibbling about restraints on "unit-size" elements crossing into Manchuria had been abandoned after the firefight near Shachaofeng on 29 July. At 15:30, Takenouchi's battalion, part of the 76th Regiment, had been directed to assist Senda near Yangkuanping; at 18:20 Suetaka was ordering the 75th Regiment to head for the Kucheng sector and be ready to assault the Russians in the Changkufeng area. Support was to be provided by Kobayashi's engineers, by Iwano's transportation men, and by Suzuki's heavy guns. Of particular interest had been Suetaka's acceptance of Sato's recommendation that elements be sent to occupy Hill 52, a measure linked with a possible Japanese attack against Changkufeng.   Sato had decided by evening that the new situation required rapid deployment of his forces across the river. At Shikai, he conducted a briefing of his officers. Suetaka's orders conveyed orally by staff officers had stipulated: "The division will take steps to secure the border line immediately, even if the situation undergoes change. The Sato unit will advance immediately to the left shore, reinforce Senda's unit, and maintain a strict watch on the enemy in the Changkufeng area." Around 23:20, the last elements ordered forward arrived at Shikai station. Sato instructed only his headquarters and the Ito company to get off. The rest of the troop train primarily the 1st [Nakano's] Battalion was to move on to Hongui. From there, the soldiers proceeded to the Tumen near Sozan. With his staff and Ito's company, Sato trudged in silence through the mud from Shikai to the shore at Matsu'otsuho, starting at 00:30 and reaching the crossing site at 03:00. Reconnaissance had proved satisfactory, Sato remembered.  At the crossings, the hardworking engineers rowed his 1st and 3rd battalions across, company by company. Near dawn, around 04:30, he traversed the river. The movement had been completed in about an hour. When Sato's infantry finally got across, they proceeded to the skirt of Fangchuanting and assembled in secrecy. Not until about 08:00 did the regimental headquarters, Ito's company, and Hirahara's battalion reach Hill 147, already held by Noguchi's company west of Changkufeng. By then, plans had fallen behind schedule by at least several hours because of difficulties in train movement forward. Sato also remembered torrential rains; other officers mentioned darkness. Members of Nakano's battalion pinpointed a shortage of engineer boats from Kucheng. Engineers rowed some boats downstream during the night, but six of them were kept at Matsu'otsuho. This left only three boats for moving the 400 men of the 1st Battalion, the unit slated to storm Changkufeng, across the river at Sozan. Sato had wanted all of his troops across well before dawn on the 30th. A division staff officer rightly thought that Suetaka had already advised Sato, in secret, to "attack at an opportune time," and that the night of 29–30 July had been intended for the surprise assault. "Perhaps there was not enough time for all the attack preparations." Kobayashi's engineers admitted problems in moving boats to Sozan: "Although the water level had gone up because of daily rains recently, there were still many shallows and the current was irregular. Not only was it hard to move downstream, but dense fog also complicated the work. Nevertheless, the units at both sites were able to accomplish the river-crossing operation approximately as scheduled".  Meanwhile, after reconnoitering Soviet defenses along the Manchurian bank, Suzuki, commander of the 15th Heavy Field Artillery Regiment, crossed the Kyonghun Bridge on 30 July with his 1st Battery and established positions on the edge of Shuiliufeng Hill. Once Captain Narukawa was attached to the 75th Infantry on 29 July, he dispatched his 2nd Battery by train to Shikai that night. Although firing sites had been surveyed northwest of Sho-Sozan, the battery had to traverse two weak, narrow bridges in the darkness. With two 15-centimeter howitzers to haul, plus five caissons and wagons, the unit faced tense moments. The gun sites themselves were worrisome: they were scarcely masked from observation from Changkufeng, and the single road to them from the unloading station ran through a paddy area and was similarly exposed. By 1200 hours on 30 July, Sato exerted operational control over the following units: his own forces, Nakano's battalion east of Fangchuanting; Hirahara's reinforced battalion west of Chiangchunfeng; a platoon from Nakajima's infantry company on Hill 52; and Noguchi's company on Hill 147; and from other forces, Senda's 2nd (Kanda) BGU Company; two reinforced companies from Takenouchi's battalion of Okido's 76th Regiment near Shachaofeng; and a 75-mm half-battery from the 25th Mountain Artillery on the Manchurian side with Sato. On the Korean shore, another half-battery comprising two 15-centimeter howitzers from Narukawa's unit of the 15th Heavy Field Artillery was in place. The 19th Engineers operated near the crossing sites, though one platoon remained at Fangchuanting. Sato said, "We were now deployed at last, to cope with any situation." His command post was set in foxholes on open ground at Chiangchunfeng, a central hill that offered excellent observation and control over actions around Changkufeng to the east and Shachaofeng to the north. Not content with suspending the pullout of units and deploying additional combat troops across the Tumen, Suetaka decided to recall division headquarters, mountain artillery, cavalry, signal, medical, and veterinary personnel from Nanam. At dawn on 30 July, Nanam issued orders for Colonel Tanaka to move 500 men and 300 horses to Agochi by rail; most of the increment came from Tanaka's horse-drawn 25th Mountain Artillery. The colonel reached the Korean side of the Tumen at 05:00 on 31 July. The preceding emergency measures were being implemented by Suetaka, even as he received Nakamura's calming telegram of 30 July enjoining nonexpansion. Changkufeng Hill was not even mentioned. Nakamura's concern was typified by Kitano flying to the front. At 10:00 on 30 July, Kitano sent the division chief of staff a cautious follow-up cable: "Based on the consistent policy for handling the Changkufeng Incident and on the army commander's earlier telegram, kindly take steps to ensure careful action in connection with the affair in the Shachaofeng vicinity lest there be enlargement." At 13:45, Nakamura transmitted another restraining message to Suetaka: "The division is to secure … Chiangchunfeng and … the heights southwest of Shachaofeng, using present front-line units. Unless there is an enemy attack, however, resort to force will depend on separate orders." Several hours later, at 16:50, Nakamura received instructions from Tada: the Shachaofeng case was being left to the local forces, who were pursuing the desired policy of nonenlargement, but prompt reporting was desired. At 19:30, the retransmitted message was received by Kitano, already at the front with Suetaka at Kyonghun. After his units had crossed the Tumen on 30 July, Sato Kotoku ordered a strict watch and directed preparations for an assault based on the plans. He conferred with Senda at Chiangchunfeng and observed the enemy. Even after dawn, the frontline commanders who had crossed the river remained uncertain about when the attack would be staged. While Sato's force conducted reconnaissance to prepare for a daytime offensive, orders arrived around 08:00 indicating, "We intend a night attack, so conceal your activities." Daytime movements were prohibited. Sato then explained the impression he had derived from Senda and the intelligence on which he based his estimates: " Exploiting the impasse in diplomatic negotiation, the enemy side had steadily reinforced front-line offensive strength and trespassed anew near Shachaofeng. They now had a battalion and a half of infantry plus 20 artillery pieces in the area, some south of Shachaofeng and the others at four positions immediately east of Lake Khasan. At least a dozen (maybe 20) tanks were deployed in the sector opposite us. About 300 well-armed, active Russian troops were at Changkufeng. I decided that an attack ought to be staged that night. First of all, we were going to chill the insolent enemy by a courageous night assault—a method characteristic of the Imperial Army. Then all kinds of fire power were to be combined in a surprise attack against the positions. Our intention was to jo lt the Russians, demonstrate the true strength of our combat fire, and, by a combination of night and dawn attacks, cut down losses which our left-flank units would have incurred if a night assault alone were staged. We had considered two plans—a night attack against Changkufeng by the 3rd Battalion from the north, or by the 1st Battalion from the south. On 30 July, I decided to execute the second plan, using my 1st (Nakano's) Battalion, to avoid simultaneous involvement around Shachaofeng where the foe was by now alerted."  The Japanese Army ordinarily favored surprise assaults without supporting guns, since firepower was regarded as secondary in close combat and artillery was in short supply. According to the regimental journal, telephone contacts from the morning of the 30th indicated that the division commander shared the same line of thinking as Sato. By noon, Suetaka made his stance explicit. A phone call from Kucheng conveyed to Sato the gist of a critical division order: first, a detailed briefing on Soviet troop concentrations and dispositions, firing positions, troops, and armor south of Shachaofeng; entanglements and forces at Changkufeng; large concentrations behind west of Khasan; tanks and ground formations moving north of the lake; a heavy concentration near the lake to the northwest; one confirmed and two suspected positions along the eastern shore and another with artillery far to the south. Then the order stated that K. Sato's forces, including the Takenouchi battalion from the 76th Infantry, one mountain artillery platoon, and one engineer platoon were to strengthen their positions and, at the same time, promptly evict from Manchurian territory the intruding and advancing enemy. However, pursuit must not be pushed too far lest the border be crossed. Shortly after noon, Suetaka issued another order to form a new force under Senda, who was to strengthen border security along the Shuiliufeng–Hunchun line. As with Sato, Senda was to eject the intruding and advancing enemy from Manchurian soil but not pursue them across the border. By midafternoon, Sato knew not only what he wanted to do but also Suetaka's intentions. At 15:30, he assembled all subordinate officers at Chiangchunfeng and dictated minute attack instructions. Intelligence indicated that the enemy continued to fortify points of importance along the Changkufeng–Shachaofeng line. Sato's plan was to annihilate hostile elements that had crossed the border north and south of Changkufeng. His concept went beyond a frontal assault. While Nakano's battalion would jump off south of Changkufeng, one reinforced company, Takeshita's 10th was to attack north. Since the sun rose at about 05:00, Sato intended to wipe out the enemy during three hours of darkness. Another battalion, Hirahara's 3rd would be held in reserve, with Ito's 6th Company ready to launch a night attack against Changkufeng from the northwest if necessary. Small forces deployed southeast at Hill 52 were to block the arrival of Soviet reinforcements around the southern shores of Khasan. Only after Changkufeng was secured and fire swept the high ground south of Shachaofeng would a reinforced battalion, Takenouchi's 1st from the 76th Regiment undertake a dawn assault to clear the Russians from that sector. An engineer platoon would assist both the night and dawn assault battalions with obstacle clearing. There would be no artillery support until dawn, when the available guns were to provide maximum coverage. Notably, even the movement of a single antitank gun warranted mention. Sato concluded the attack order by directing that each unit mask its intentions after sunset. Takenouchi was to act to check the enemy as soon as the sun went down. In connection with the dawn barrage against the enemy southwest of Shachaofeng, key personnel were to study the best way to exploit sudden fire described as gale and lightning. They were also to be ready to destroy enemy tanks. A green star shell would be fired to signal the success of the night attack. The code words were shojiki "honesty" and ydmo "bravery". At midnight, the regiment commander would be at the northwest foot of Chiangchunfeng. The order stressed typical night-attack precautions: secrecy and concealment, avoidance of confusion, antitank defense, and flare signaling of success. Sato added his own flair with his daily motto as code words and the reference to "whirlwind" fire. Impending action times were explicitly set when the order was issued at 15:30 on the 30th, more than ten hours before the 1st Battalion was to jump off. The key to success in a night assault lay in an absolute prohibition on firing by their side, and bold, courageous charging. Sato reminded his men that life is granted again after death. Nakano then assembled his company commanders east of Fangchuanting and issued his battalion order at 18:30. A few hours after Sato's briefing of the assault commanders, Suetaka arrived at the 75th Regiment command post. This visit late on 30 July is central to allegations that Sato, not Suetaka, conceived and executed the night attack on his own initiative. Divisional orders giving Sato his core mission had already been conveyed by telephone. After 16:00, Suetaka boarded a motorboat at Kucheng and went to the Manchurian side to verify front-line conditions. Soviet snipers south of Yangkuanping fired several shots, but his craft reached the Matsu'otsuho landing and proceeded to Chiangchunfeng to meet Sato. Sato described the situation: "frontline enemy forces had been reinforced steadily and had begun a vigorous offensive. The foe was provoking us, and the matter had grown very serious. I had already issued orders at 15:30 to take the initiative and deal the enemy a smashing blow." I would like to take this time to remind you all that this podcast is only made possible through the efforts of Kings and Generals over at Youtube. Please go subscribe to Kings and Generals over at Youtube and to continue helping us produce this content please check out www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals. If you are still hungry after that, give my personal channel a look over at The Pacific War Channel at Youtube, it would mean a lot to me. On a frost-bitten dawn by the Chaun and Tumen, Russia and Japan lock eyes over Changkufeng. Diplomats urge restraint, yet Tokyo's generals push a bold gamble: seize a hill with a surprise strike and bargain later. Japanese divisions, engineers, and artillery edge toward the border, while Soviet sentries brace for a confrontation that could widen the war. 

It's the Monday after Thanksgiving, and despite fighting off illness, jet lag, and some major technical difficulties with Riverside, we are here to recount Mike's trip to Japan and Dan's marathon finish. First we insert a special pre-recorded segment breaking down Dan's experience running the Philadelphia Marathon. We discuss the VIP bib upgrade that got him into a heated tent. Dan details his unconventional "Dan Method" of training (which we do not recommend), the horrors of the porta potty lines, and the physical toll of the final miles. Dan's experience getting hyped up from friends and strangers. Erin also shares her own embarrassing spectator moment involving a group of girls she thought wanted a selfie with her. Mike kicks things off with a full recap of his travels, including the surprisingly difficult experience of "renting an old man" named Kenji to help navigate the train system (who ended up getting more lost than they did). He also shares stories about stumbling upon a bar in Tokyo packed with Eagles fans, the life changing magic of Japanese high tech toilets with "privacy sounds," and his visit to a TikTok famous 80 year old knife maker. We also discuss the chaos of Nara Park, where the bowing deer can get a little too aggressive, and the surreal experience of Super Nintendo World.Finally, we wrap up with a strong recommendation for Vince Gilligan's new show Pluribus on Apple TV and explain why we're skipping the "No Bad News" segment just this once.

In this episode of the Healthy Sleep Revolution Podcast, Dr. Meghna Dassani breaks down one of the biggest, and most overlooked, disruptors of modern sleep: screens. We all know we should put our phones away before bed, but few people understand why it matters so much. Dr. Dassani explains how blue light, digital overstimulation, notifications, and nighttime scrolling impact melatonin, cortisol, airway stability, and your nervous system's ability to shift into deep, restorative sleep. You'll learn: How blue light signals your brain that it's daytime Why melatonin drops and cortisol rises with screen use What "social jet lag" is and why your nervous system thinks you flew from Houston to Tokyo How late-night scrolling worsens snoring and sleep apnea The link between digital dopamine hits and a hyperactive nervous system The real science on EMFs and sleep Simple, practical device rules for families The 90-minute "digital sunset" Dr. Dassani teaches in her practice Plus, Dr. Dassani shares her favourite screen-time hacks: warm lighting, bedroom boundaries, charging baskets, and behavioural shifts that turn chaotic evenings into calmer nights for the whole family. If your nights feel restless, your mornings feel punishing, or you suspect technology is taking a toll on your sleep, this episode will give you the tools you need to take back your evenings — one habit at a time. About Dr. Meghna Dassani Dr. Meghna Dassani is passionate about promoting healthy sleep through dental practices. In following the ADA's 2017 guideline on sleep apnea screening and treatment, she has helped many children and adults improve their sleep, their breathing, and their lives. Her books and seminars help parents and practitioners understand the essential roles of the tongue, palate, and jaw in promoting healthy sleep. Connect with Dr. Meghna Dassani Website: https://www.meghnadassani.com Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/healthysleeprevolution Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghna_dassani/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@meghna-dassani

This episode we look at many of the natural events and talk about those observing and writing things down, and why they may have wanted to do so. For more, check out our podcast blogpage:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-139   Rough Transcript: Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 139: Observing the "Natural" World. Members of the Onmyou-ryou, dressed in the official robes of their office, sat around in their observation tower, measuring the location of the stars.  They kept their light to a minimum, just enough so that they could write down their observations, but not so much that it would destroy their vision.  As they looked up, suddenly they saw a strange movement: a streak through the sky.  They waited, and observed, and then there was another, and another after that.  It was as if the stars themselves were falling from the heavens.  They watched as it seemed that the constellations themselves were melting and falling apart.  Quickly they scribbled down notes.  Tomorrow, with the light of day, they would consult various sources to see just what it could mean.  For now, their role was simply to observe and record.   Welcome back, everyone.  It is the height of holiday season in the US as I record this, and in our narrative we are in the middle of the reign of Ohoama, aka Temmu Tennou, who came to power in 672 and who has been shoring up the Ritsuryo state instigated by his late brother, Naka no Oe, aka Tenji Tennou.  We have talked in recent episodes about how Ohoama put a lot of the state under the control of members of the royal family, or at least those with claims to royal blood, and how he had also begun work on the Chronicles—the very works that we have been using to try and understand the history of this and earlier periods.   It seems clear that Ohoama and his cohorts were doing their best to solidify their control and, in the process, create what they felt was a modern state, leveraging the continental model, but not without their own local flavor.  After all, they were also investing in the kami based rituals of state and specifically in Ise shrine, which they claimed as an ancestral shrine for their lineage. This episode, let's dig into another thing that was getting reported around this time.  And that is… science!  Or at least observations of the world and indications of how people were interacting with it. Before going into the subject, I want to acknowledge that "science", or "Kagaku" in modern Japanese, may not look like what we think of as "science" today.  The word "Kagaku" itself appears to come about in the late Edo period, and became associated with the western idea of "Science" in the Meiji period.  Today we think of it as observations, yes, but also testing via the scientific method. I think it might be more appropriate to categorize a lot of earlier science under a term like "learning" or "study", and it seems to have encompassed a wide range of topics of study, some of which we would include as "science" and some which we might refer to more as "arts".  There is also a very fine line with religion and philosophy as well. From a modern perspective, I think one could fairly argue that "science"—particularly the so-called "hard" sciences—refers to something that can be empirically tested via the scientific method.  So you can see something, form a hypothesis, create a test, and then that test should produce the same results no matter who conducts it, assuming you account for the variables. And please don't @ me about this… I know I am simplifying things.  This isn't a podcast about science unless we are talking about the social sciences of history and archaeology. In contrast to our modern concept of science, much of what we see in the Asuka era is built around using our reasoning to arrive at the truth of something.  In cases where we are dealing with clearly physical phenomena that have observable causes and effects, this can lead to remarkably reliable results.  One example of this is calendrical science—it isn't that hard to observe the passing of days and seasons.  Even the rotation of the earth and the movements of stars and even something with as large a period as comets could be observed and tracked, especially if you had centuries of data to comb through.  In fact, they often would predict things that it turns out they couldn't, themselves, see.  They could predict that an eclipse would occur, for example, even when that eclipse was only visible somewhere else.  And they didn't have to calculate gravitational pull, mass, or distances between different heavenly bodies for that to occur. Similarly, in the agricultural sphere: you had so many people who observed the seasons and would figure out new ways of doing things.  It doesn't take an understanding of chlorophyl to know that plants generally do better when exposed to sunlight. I believe the leap happens when you get to things that go beyond purely observable means.  Sickness, for example—how do you explain viruses or germs without equipment like microscopes to see what our eyes alone cannot?  And if such "invisible" things could cause so much damage, then why could there not be other "invisible" elements, such as kami and boddhisatvas?  And as humans we are driven to make connections.  It is one of the things that has driven our technological innovation and rise, but it is also something that can easily go awry.  Like when you are sitting in a dark house, alone, and you hear a noise.  Rationally, you might know that houses settle and creak, but that doesn't necessarily stop your brain from connecting it with thoughts that someone must be in the house making that noise. Or even how we make judgments based on nothing more than how someone talks or what they look like, because our brains have made connections with those things, for good or ill. A large part of the rationalization that was accomplished in Asian thought had to do with concepts of Yin and Yang, the negative and the positive, the dark and the light.  This was thought of as a kind of energy—qi or ki—that was embedded in things.  We discussed this somewhat back in episode 127, because yin yang theory, along with the five element theory, known as Wuxing or Gogyou in Japanese, became embedded in the idea of the calendar.  Why was summer hot, except that it was connected with an excess of fire energy?  And the cold, dark days of winter would be associated with an excess of water, naturally. I should note that while this is one of the more comprehensive philosophical systems in use, it was not the only means by which various phenomena and effects were rationalized.  After all, it had to be imposed on a framework of how the world otherwise worked, and descriptions of the world came from a variety of places.  There was, for example, the Classic of Mountains and Seas, or Sanhaijing, which detailed the world as envisioned in the period before the Qin dynasty, although there were occasional updates.  The Sanhaijing  described regular plants and animals in the same breath as gods and monsters.  There were also various buddhist sutras, which brought their own cosmological view of the universe that had to be squared with other visions, including those passed down locally describing the archipelago as the "Reed Plain" and giving particular importance to eight of the islands—though which eight depends on which variant of the creation myth you are referencing. To categorize the study of the natural—and what we would consider the supernatural—world around them, the Ritsuryou set up specific bureaus.  One of these was the Onmyou-ryou, the Bureau of Yin-yang, also known as the Onyo no Tsukasa.  This Bureau oversaw divination, astronomy, time, and calendars.  At its head was the Onmyou-no-kami.  Below them were the various scholars studying the core subjects, as well as technical practitioners to carry out the rites and divination. On the continent, priority was generally given to astronomical and calendrical studies, and many of the more magical practices or rituals would fade away, likely because there were local Taoist institutions who could take up much of that work.  In Japan, however, it seems that the calendrical studies tended to ossify, instead, while onmyoji came to fill a role not just for the state but also among the population for divination and other such practices.  Even into the Edo period one could find private onmyoji, and the Bureau itself lasted until the very beginning of the Meiji period. Another important institution of the Ritsuryo government for learning was the Daigakuryou, the Bureau of Great Learning.  Students of Japanese may recognize the term "Daigaku" referring, today, to universities. The original concept for the Daigaku-ryou, or Daigaku no Tsukasa, was focused on the study of those things that were considered perhaps a bit more practical and necessary to anyone who might want a political career.  Since this was founded on concepts of Confucian government, it is little wonder that it was originally designed to focus on Confucian studies, among other things.  This fits into the idea of a supposed meritocracy, where one's education was part of the examination.  You may recall from Episode 115 we talked about the National University in Chang'an, which is likely something that the Daigaku Ryou could only ever dream of becoming. Early arts taught at the Daigaku Ryou included the Confucian classics, mathematics, writing, and Chinese pronunciation.  These were all things that you would need to know to become a part of the bureaucracy The idea of a school may have been born along with the early institution of the government, with mention as early as 671, in the last year of Naka no Oe's reign, but we don't have it clearly established in the code until later.  Full operations may have been somewhat delayed due to the tumultuous events of Ohoama's accession to power in 672, but we do see it explicitly mentioned in the year 675.  On the first day of the year we are told that Students from the Daigaku Ryou, along with students from the Onmyou-Ryou and from the Gaiyaku Ryou, the Bureau of External Medicine; along with the Woman of S'ravasti, the Woman of Tara, Prince Syeonkwang of Baekje, and Silla labourers offered presents of drugs and various rarities. We talked about the first two, the Daigaku-ryou and the Onmyou-ryou, but the Gaiyaku Ryou doesn't seem to have a lot of information out there beyond this mention.  Later there would a "Ten'yaku Ryou", or Bureau of Medicine, established in the code.  Since we don't have any extant codes from this period beyond what was written down in the Nihon Shoki, we don't know for certain what the Gaiyaku-ryou was , and it is possible that the Gaiyaku-Ryou was a precursor to the Ten'yaku Ryou.  "GAI" means "outside" or "external", leading me to wonder if this referred to external medicine in contrast to internal medicine, or if it meant medicine or drugs from outside teh archipeloago. I would point out that these students are found with the Woman of S'ravasti, or Shae; the Woman of Tara; a Baekje prince and Silla labourers.  In other words, they were all people from outside of the archipelago.  This is not entirely surprising as it was from outside that much of the learning was coming into the country. "Yaku" or "Kusuri", which can be translated as either "Drugs" or "medicine", could refer to a number of things.  How effective they were is somewhat questionable. Almost certainly some of them had confirmed medicinal efficacy, but others may have been thought to have been effective due to things like their connection to the five elements, or wuxing, theory. For example, something red might be assumed to have a warming effect because of the presumed presence of the fire element.  And the power of the placebo effect no doubt made them seem at least partially effective.  Consider, for example, how many people will swear by certain remedies for the common cold when all it really does is distract you, or perhaps make you a bit more comfortable, until the symptoms pass on their own. A more certain science was probably that of Astronomy, which we've mentioned a few times.  The passage of the stars through the sky was something that could be easily observed.  There is a theory that some of the first lines in the Yijing, or book of changes, may actually be a description of the changing of seasons as different aspects of a given constellation rise over the horizon, and the placement of certain stars would help in the adjustment of the lunar calendar, since the moon's orbit does not match up exactly with the solar year, and year the solar year was quite important to things like agriculture and even sailing to the mainland. This all makes 675 a seemingly banner year for science, as four days after the presentation of medicine to the throne, the government erected a platform by which to observe the stars.  This wouldn't need to be much—it could have been an earthen mound, or just a tower, from which one could get above the ground, presumably see over any buildings, to the horizon.  Granted, Asuka might not be the best place for such observations, with the nearby mountains meaning that the true horizon is often obstructed.  Nonetheless, it may have been enough to make calculations. Astronomy platforms, or Tenmondai, would continue to be used up until at least the Meiji period.  Without a telescope, observations were somewhat limited—though they also didn't have the same level of light pollution that we have today.  Remember, many woke just before dawn and went to sleep not too long after the sun went down, which only makes sense when you are living in a place where creating light, while doable, also ran the risk of burning your entire house to the ground. It is worth noting that the sky for the ancient Japanese was likely quite different than what most of us see when we look up, unless you are fortunate enough to live in a place with very little light pollution.  For many of those living today in the cities and suburban landscape, go outside at night and you might see the moon and some of the brightest stars, but for most of the ancient Japanese, they would look up and see the heavenly river, the Amakawa, or Milky Way.  They would have looked up at a sky glittering with myriad dots of light, as well as planets and more.  It was both familiar and strange—something one saw regularly and yet something that was also extremely inaccessible. Astronomical observations would have been important for several reasons, as I've mentioned.  They would have been used to keep the calendar in check, but they would also have likely been used to help calibrate the water clock, which helped to tell time.  Of course, going back to the five elements and yin yang theory, it is also believed that the energy, the qi or ki, changed with the seasons and the movements of the stars and planets—planets were not known as such, of course, but their seemingly erratic movements compared to bright lights in the sky meant they were noticed and assigned values within the elemental system. One of the things that came with the changing seasons, the heavenly movements, and the flow of ki was a concept of "kata-imi", literally directional taboos.  There were times when certain directions might be considered favorable or unfavorable for various actions.  This could be something as simple as traveling in a given direction.  In the centuries to come this would spawn an entire practice of kata-tagae, or changing direction.  Is the north blocked, but you need to travel there, anyway?  Well just go northwest to say hello to a friend or visit your local sake brewery, and then travel due east.  Ta-da!  You avoided going directly north!  There were also mantra-like incantations that one might say if they had to travel in an inauspicious direction to counteract the concept of bad influences. This also influenced various other things, and even today you will often see dates where a year and month might be followed by simply the character for "auspicious day" rather than an actual day of the month. So observing the heavens was important, and it was also important that they tostudy the works of those on the continent, whose records could help predict various astronomical phenomena.  Except that there was one tiny problem:  I don't know if you've noticed, but Japan and China are in two different locations.  Not all astronomical phenomena can be observed from all points of the globe.  The Northern Lights, for example, are rarely seen in more southerly latitudes, and while eclipses are not too rare, a total eclipse only impacts certain areas of the earth, along relatively narrow paths. I mention this because it isn't always clear if the records we get in the Nihon Shoki are about phenomena they directly observed or if they are taking reports from elsewhere and incorporating them into the narrative.  One such event is the comet of 676. The entry in the Nihon Shoki tells us that in the 7th lunar month of the 5th year of Temmu Tennou, aka 676 CE, a star appeared in the east that was 7 or 8 shaku in length.  It disappeared two months later. We've mentioned some of this before, but the sky was divided up into "shaku", or "feet", though how exactly it was measured I'm not entirely sure.  It appears to be that one foot was roughly 1.5 degrees of the sky, give or take about a quarter of a degree, with 180 degrees from horizon to horizon.  So it would have been about 10 to 12 degrees in the sky.  Another way to picture it is if you hold out your arm towards the object, and spread your index and little finger, it would probably fit between those two points.  This comet hung around for some time, and a great part about a comet like this is that it was viewable from multiple locations.  After all, as the earth turned, different areas were exposed to the comet as it passed through our part of the solar system.  Thus we have records of it from not just the Nihon Shoki:  We also find it in the Anglo-Saxon chronicles, where it was thought to have foretold the end of Bishop Wilfred's control of Northumbria.  We also see it in Tang, Silla, and Syrian sources. These sources aren't always in complete agreement.  For one thing, they noted when they first saw it, which might have been impacted by local conditions.  And then conversion between lunar and solar calendars can also sometimes get in the way.  Roughtly speaking, we have the Nihon Shoki providing dates of somewhere from about August or September of 676, on the Western calendar, to October or November. Tang sources put it from 4 September to 1 November.  Silla Chronicles claim that it first appeared in the 7th lunar month, so between August and September.  A Syrian Chronicle notes a comet from about 28 August to 26 October in the following year, 677, but this is thought to have been a mistake.  European sources generally seem to claim it was seen in August and lasted for three months.  All of these sightings put it at roughly the same time. Working with that and with known comets, we think we actually know which comet this is:  The Comet de Cheseaux also known as the Comet Klinkenberg-Cheseaux.  And I should mention this is all thanks to a research paper by M. Meyer and G. W. Kronk.  In that paper they propose that this is the comet with the designation of C/1743 X1, or the common names I just mentioned.  If so, based on its trajectory, this comet would have been visible in 336, 676, 1032, 1402, 1744, and is next predicted to show up in 2097.  And no, those aren't all exactly the same amount of time.  It is roughly every 350 years or so, but with the movements of the solar system, the planets, and various gravitational forces that likely slow or speed up its movement, it doesn't show up on exactly regular intervals.  Still, it is pretty incredible to think that we have a record of a comet that was seen the world over at this time, by people looking up from some very different places. Comets were something interesting for early astronomers.  They may have originally been seen as particularly ominous—after all, in the early eras, they were hardly predictable, and it would take years to get enough data to see that they were actually a somewhat regular occurrence.  In fact, it is likely that early astronomers were able to figure out eclipse schedules before comets.  Still, they seem to have come to the realization that comets were in fact another type of natural and reoccurring phenomenon.  That isn't to say that they didn't have any oracular meaning, but it did mean they were less of an obvious disturbance of the heavenly order. We have another comet mentioned in the 10th lunar month of 681, but that one seems to have had less attention focused on it, and we don't have the same details.  Then in the 8th lunar month of 682 we have an entry about a Great Star passing from East to West—which was probably a shooting star, rather than a comet.  Comets, for all that they appear to be streaking across the sky thanks to their long tails, are often relatively stable from an earthbound perspective, taking months to appear and then disappear again. Then, on the 23rd day of the 7th month of 684 we get another comet in the northwest.  This one was more than 10 shaku in length—about 15 degrees, total, give or take.  Given the date, we can be fairly confident about this one, as well: it was the famous Halley's comet.  Halley's comet is fascinating for several reasons.  For one, it has a relatively short period of about 72 to 80 years, though mostly closer to 75 to 77 years in between sightings.  The last time it visited the earth was in 1986, and it is expected back in 2061.  Halley's comet has been recorded since the 3rd century BCE, and, likely because of its short period, it was the first periodic comet to be recognized as such.  There are other periodic comets with short periods, but many of them are not visible with the naked eye.  Halley's comet is perhaps the most studied comet, given its regular and relatively short periodicity.  It is also connected to the famous writer, humorist, and essayist, Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka Mark Twain.  He was born only a few days after the comet reached perihelion in 1835 and died a day after it reached the same point again in 1910, and while he may not have visited Japan in his lifetime, it was a period of great change both in his home country of America and in Japan.  America, of course, would undergo a Civil War over the issue of slavery in the early 1860s, and shortly after that Japan would have its own civil war in the form of the Meiji Revolution.  And while he never visited—and translation could only do so much to capture the art of his prose—Mark Twain's works were apparently quite influential in Japan in the early 20th century. Of course, comets were just one of the celestial phenomena to be observed.  The astronomers were interested in just about anything happening in the sky.  We have accounts of both solar and lunar eclipses, and not necessarily full eclipses either.  We even have notice of the movement of some planets, such as in 681, when they noted that the planet mars "entered" the moon. Obviously the astronomers weren't recording every raincloud that came through—at least not in the main chronicles—but they did capture a fair number of events.  They did record particularly memorable storms.  For instances, in the 8th lunar month of 675 there was a storm that is said to have caused sand to fly and which then damaged houses.  This sounds like a wind storm without rain—after all, if there was rain, you would expect that the sand would have been wet and tamped down.  It is possible to have hurricane level winds without the rain.  While typhoons typically bring rain, especially as they usually build up their strength at sea, it is possible to have the winds alone, as I've experienced, myself, in Tokyo.  This most likely happens in an isolated area—there is water and rain somewhere, but the typhoon can be large, so parts of it may only get the wind and little or no rain.  I wonder if something like that happened in this instance.  It is also possible that this record refers to actual sand being brought across from the continent.  In some instances, sand can be lifted up from as far away as Mongolia and carried all the way to Japan, though it is pretty rare. And it wasn't just wind and sand.  We get accounts of hail coming down as large as peaches, torrential rainstorms, and even ash, likely from a volcanic eruption that was otherwise unrecorded.  There are also accounts of snow, though typically recorded in times where you wouldn't expect to see it, such as the third lunar month, which would mean snow in late April or early May. Mostly these storms are mentioned in terms of how they affected the immediate fortunes of the living, but sometimes storms did even more damage.  In 682, for example, a hoar-frost was reported in both Shinano and Kibi in the 7th lunar month.  On its own, this probably wouldn't have been worth mentioning, but the chroniclers add that because of storms the "five grains had not formed".  So storms had diminished the crops and the hoar-frost was apparently the killing blow.  The harvest that year would be lean, and it would not be a happy time for many that winter. And then, just as important as what was happening was what was not.  There are several mentions of droughts, particularly towards the end of Spring, early Summer.  This is traditionally a drier period, and if it is too dry it could harm the harvest.  And so the government was expected to find a way to bring the rain—a tall order, the general resolution to which seems to be prayers and rituals designed to bring rain.  In a place like Japan, I suspect that it was usually just a matter of time before the prayers were "successful", thus reinforcing their presumed efficacy. Some of the things that they recorded were a bit more mysterious.  For example, in the second lunar month of 680 we are told that a sound like drums was heard from the East.  There are many things this could theoretically be, from rumbles of thunder to some other phenomenon, though the following year we have a note about thunder in the West, so theoretically they knew the difference between thunder and drums.  Later that same year, 680, we are told that there was a "brightness" in the East from the hour of the dog to the hour of the rat—about 8pm to midnight.  Was this some kind of aurora?  But wouldn't that have been in the north, rather than the east?    Could it have been some kind of lightning?  But that is a long time for a lightning storm to hang around.  And there are other strange things, some of which seem impossible and we have to doubt.  For example, in 684 they said that, at dusk, the seven stars of the Big Dipper drifted together to the northeast and sank.  Unless they are just recording the natural setting of the stars of the big dipper.  Certainly, over time the constellation appears to rotate around the north star, and it dips down to or below the horizon in the autumn months.  So were they just talking about the natural, yearly setting of the stars, or something else? There may be some clues in that the 11th lunar month, when that was recorded, we see several other heavenly phenomena recorded.  Two days after the Big Dipper set, at sunset, a star fell in the eastern quarter of the sky that we are told was as large as a jar.  Later, the constellations were wholly disordered and stars fell like rain.  That same month, a star shot up in the zenith and proceeded along with the Pleiades until the end of the month.  While this sounds like shooting stars and a possible meteor shower, a later commenter suggested that this was all a heavenly omen for the state of the court, showing the "disordered" state of the nobility at this time.  Of course, this was also a year and change before the sovereign's eventual passing, so there is also the possibility that the Chroniclers were looking at events later and ascribing meaning and importance after the fact. In another account of something seemingly wonderous: in 682 we are told that something shaped like a Buddhist flag, colored like flame, was seen by all of the provinces and then sank into the Japan sea north of Koshi.  A white mist is also said to have risen up from the Eastern mountains. There are various things that could be going on here.  It strikes me that the white mist could be a cloud, but could also be something volcanic.  And the flame colored prayer flag makes me think about how a high cloud can catch the light of the rising or setting sun.  That could look like a flag, and can seem extremely odd depending on the other conditions in the sky. Or maybe it was aliens. Okay, it is unlikely that it was aliens, but I think that these do give an idea of the kinds of records that were being made about the observed phenomena.  Obviously the Nihon Shoki is recording those things that were considered particularly significant for whatever reason.  This could just be because it was something odd and unexplained, or perhaps it was more well known but rare.  It may have even had religious connotations based on some aspect, like evoking the image of Buddhist flags.  And it is possible that it was thought to have had significant impact on events—perhaps even an impact that isn't clear to us today, many centuries removed from the events. Some things were clear, however.  Lightning strikes are often mentioned specifically when they strike something of note.  In 678, we are told that a pillar of the Western Hall of the New Palace was struck by lightning, though apparently the building itself survived.  Then, in 686, Lighting appeared in the southern sky with a large roar of thunder.  A fire broke out and caught the tax cloth storehouse of the Ministry of Popular affairs, which immediately exploded in flames.  After all, a thatched roofed, wooden building filled with kindling in the form of cloth—and likely a  fair amount of paper and writing supplies to keep track of it all—sounds like a bonfire waiting to happen.  There were reports that the fire had actually started in Prince Osakabe's palace and then spread to the Ministry of Popular Affairs from there. It is also worth noting that recording of such events was still somewhat new to the archipelago as a whole. They were learning from the continent, but also defining their own traditions. Observations of natural phenomena weren't just relegated to celestial occurrences or weather.  After all, there was something else that one could observe in the sky:  birds.  Now this wasn't your average bird-watching—though I'm not saying that there weren't casual birders in ancient Japan, and if we ever find someone's birding diary from that era I think that would be so cool.  But there were some things that were significant enough to be mentioned. For example, in 678 we get a report of "atori", or bramblings.  Bramblings are small songbirds which are found across Eurasia.  Notably they are migratory, and are known to migrate in huge flocks especially in the winter time, and sure enough on the 27th day of the 12th month we are told that the bramblings flew from the southwest to the northeast, covering the entire sky.  This makes me think about some of the other mass migrations that used to occur that have largely been reduced significantly due to habitat loss, disruption to traditional migratory routes, and other population pressures on various bird species.  Still, having so many birds that it blocked out the sky certainly seems a significant event to report on.  We later see a similar account in 680, with the flock moving from southeast to northwest.  Given the location of Asuka it sounds like they were flocking in the mountains and heading out over the Nara Basin, perhaps seeking food in another mountainous area. In 682, the birders were at it again.  This time, around midday on the 11th day of the 9th lunar month, several hundreds of cranes appeared around the Palace and soared up into the sky.  They were there for about two hours before they dispersed.  Once again, cranes are migratory and known to flock.  Cranes are also known as a symbol of long life and joy—and I can understand it.  Have you ever seen a flock of cranes?  They are not small birds, and they can be really an incredible sight.  Flocks of cranes themselves were probably not that rare, and it was no doubt more about so many gathering around the palace which made it particularly special. It wasn't just birds in the sky that were considered important symbols, though.  Birds often are noted as auspicious omens.  Usually strange birds, plants, or other such things are found in various provinces and presented to the throne.    So in 675, Yamato presented auspicious "barn-door fowl", likely meaning a fancy chicken.  Meanwhile, the Eastern provinces presented a white falcon and the province of Afumi presented a white kite.  Chickens are associated with the sun and thus with the sun goddess, Amaterasu, and albino versions of animals were always considered auspicious, often being mentioned in Buddhist sources.  Later, in 680, we see a small songbird, a "Shitodo", also described as white, and probably albino, sent to the court from nearby Settsu. Then, in 681 there is mention of a red sparrow.  Red coloration is not quite the same as albinism, though it is something that does occur at times, when the brownish coloration comes out more red than brown, and I suspect this is what we are talking about.  This is most likely just a recessed gene or genetic mutation, similar to causes for albinism, but just in a different place in the DNA.  As for why it was important:  I'd first and foremost note that anything out of the ordinary (and even some ordinary things) could be considered a sign.   Red was also seen as an auspicious color, so that may have had something to do with it as well.  And then there is the concept of Suzaku, the red bird of the south.  Suzaku is usually depicted as an exotic bird species of some kind, like how we might depict a phoenix.  But it was also just a "red bird", so there is that, and perhaps that was enough.  Not that this red sparrow was "Suzaku", but evoked the idea of the southern guardian animal.  A year prior, in 680, a red bird—we aren't told what kind—had perched on a southern gate, which even more clearly screams of the Suzaku aesthetic. It is probably worth noting here that in 686, towards the end of the reign, not that anyone knew it at the time, Ohoama decided to institute a new nengo, or regnal period.  It was called Shuuchou—red or vermillion bird—and it likely referred to Suzaku.  This nengo was cut short, however, with Ohoama's death that same year.  Nengo were often chosen with auspicious names as a kind of hope for the nation, so clearly "red bird" was considered a good thing. A month after the red sparrow, Ise sent a white owl, and then a month after that, the province of Suwou sent a red turtle, which they let loose in the pond at the Shima palace.  Again, these were probably just examples of animals seen as auspicious, though they would have likely been recorded by the Onmyou-ryou, who would have likely combed through various sources and precedents to determine what kind of meaning might be attached to them. Color wasn't the only thing that was important.  In 682, the Viceroy of Tsukushi reported that they had found a sparrow with three legs.  There are numerous reasons why this could be, but there is particular significance in Japan and Asia more generally.  A three legged bird is often associated with the sun Andusually depicted as a black outline of a three legged bird inside of a red sun.  In Japan this was often conflated with the Yata-garasu, the Great Crow, which is said to have led the first mythical sovereign, Iware Biko, to victory in his conquest of Yamato.  Thus we often see a three legged crow depicted in the sun, which was an object of particular veneration for the Wa people from centuries before.  And I suspect that the little three-legged sparrow from Tsukushi  I suspect that this had particular significance because of that image. Animals were not the only auspicious things presented to the throne.  In 678, Oshinomi no Miyatsuko no Yoshimaro presented the sovereign with five auspicious stalks of rice.  Each stalk, itself, had other branches.  Rice, of course, was extremely important in Japan, both from a ritual and economic sense, so presenting rice seems appropriate.  Five stalks recalls things like the five elemental theory—and in general five was consider a good number.  Three and five are both good, prime numbers, while four, pronounced "Shi", sounds like death and is considered inauspicious.  Three, or "San" is sometimes associated with life, and five is associated with the five elements, but also just the fact that it is half of ten, and we have five fingers on one hand and in so many other ways, five is regarded as a good number in much of Asia. That the stalks had multiple branches likely referred to them bearing more than the usual amount of rice on them, which seems particularly hopeful.  Certainly the court thought so.  In light of the auspicious gift, all sentences of penal servitude and lower were remitted.  In 680, Officials of the Department of Law gave tribute of auspicious stalks of grain, themselves.  I'm not sure, in this case, that it was all that they hoped, however, as that began three days straight of rain and flooding. A year earlier, in 679, we are told that the district of Ito, in Kii, immediately south of Yamato, sent as tribute the "herb of long life".  We are told that it "resembled" a mushroom—probably meaning it was a mushroom, or maybe something formed into a mushroom shape.  But the stem was about a foot long and the crown was two spans, about 6 feet in diameter.  This is pretty incredible, and I have to wonder if there is a bit of exaggeration going on here. Another tribute was a horn found on Mt. Katsuraki.  It branched into two at the base, was united at the end, and had some flesh and hair still attached, about an inch in length.  They claimed it must be horn or a Lin, or Kirin, sometimes referred to as an Asian unicorn—a mythical creature considered to be quite auspicious and benevolent.  This was on the 26th day in the 2nd lunar month of the year 680, probably around March or April.  I highly suspect that what they found was an oddly shaped bit of antler from  a buck whose antlers had begun to come in and which might have been taken out by wolves or bears or something else altogether.  The fact that the ends were said to be fused together could just be referring to some kind of malformation of the antlers.  The fur and flesh could mean that the antlers were still growing—antlers would probably just be coming in around early spring time.  Still, there is no telling how long it was there, so it could have been from the previous year as well.  Attributing it to a kirin seems a bit of a stretch, but it was clearly something unusual. Animals and plants were recorded in tribute, but also when something odd happened.  Fruiting out of season was one such occurrence, which we've seen elsewhere in the chronicles as well.  There was even a record when the famous Tsuki tree outside of Asukadera had a branch fall down.  Presumably it was a large and noticeable branch, and by now this appears to have been a tree with a bit of age to it that had seen a lot, so it makes sense it got a mention. Finally, we go from the heavens to the earth.    Perhaps the most numerous observations in the Chronicles were the earthquakes.  We've noted in the past that Japan is extremely active, volcanically speaking, so it makes sense that there are multiple accounts of earthquakes each year, especially if they were compiling reports from around the country.  Most of these are little more than just a note that there was an earthquake, but a few stand out. The first is the 12th lunar month of 678.  We are told that there was a large earthquake in Tsukushi—modern Kyushu. The ground split open to the width of about 20 feet for more than 30,000 feet.  Many of the commoners' houses in the area were torn down.  In one place there was a house atop a hill, and though the hill crumbled down the house somehow remained intact.  The inhabitants had apparently been home and must have been oblivious, as they didn't realize anything had happened until they woke up the next morning. Again, probably a bit of hyperbole in here, but if we think back to things like the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, where large areas of land shifted noticeably along the fault lines, it is likely that this was a similar or even more catastrophic event.  And here I'll give a quick plug for Kumamoto, which is still working to rebuild from the earthquake, and if you ever get a chance, I recommend a visit to the Kumamoto Earthquake Memorial Museum or Kioku, where you can see for yourself just how powerful mother nature can be. Another powerful earthquake was mentioned in the 10th lunar month of 684.  If the earthquake in Tsukushi had hit mostly agricultural areas, based on the description, this seems to have hit more populated regions.  We are told that it started in the dark of night, the hour of the boar, so about 10pm, give or take an hour.  The shaking was so bad that throughout the country men and women cried out and were disoriented—they could not tell east from west, a condition no doubt further hindered by the dark night sky.  There were mountain slides and rivers changed course, breaking their banks and flooding nearby areas.  Official buildings of the provinces and districts, the barns and houses of the common people, and the temples, pagodas, and shrines were all destroyed in huge numbers.  Many people and domestic animals were killed or injured.  The hot springs of Iyo were dried up and ceased to flow.  In the province of Tosa, more than 500,000 shiro of cultivated land sank below sea level.  Old men said that they had never seen such an earthquake.  On that night there was a rumbling noise like that of drums heard in the east—possibly similar to what we had mentioned earlier.  Some say that the island of Idzu, aka Vries Island, the volcanic island at the entrance of Edo Bay, increased on the north side by more than 3,000 feet and that a new island had been formed.  The noise of the drums was attributed to the gods creating that island. So here we have a catastrophic quake that impacted from Iyo, on the western end of Shikoku, all the way to the head of Edo Bay, modern Tokyo.  This appears to be what seismologists have labelled a "Nankai Trough Megathrust Earthquake".  Similar quakes have occurred and are predicted to occur in the future., along a region of Japan from the east coast of Kyushu, through the Seto Inland Sea, including Shikoku, through the Kii peninsula and all the way to Mt. Fuji.  The Nankai Trough, or Southern Sea Trough, is the area where the continental shelf drops down, and where the Philippine tectonic plate slips underneath the Eurasian—or more specifically the Amuric—plate.  As these plates move it can cause multiple events all along the trough at the same time.  Since being regularly recorded, these quakes have been noted every 100 to 150 years, with the last one being the Showa Nankai quakes of 1944 and 1946. For all of the destruction that it brought, however, apparently it didn't stop the court.  Two days after this devastating quake we are told that Presents were made to the Princes and Ministers.  Either they weren't so affected in the capital, or perhaps the date given for one of the two records is not quite reliable.  Personally, I find it hard to believe that there would be presents given out two days later unless they were some form of financial aid.  But what do I know?  It is possible that the court itself was not as affected as other areas, and they may not have fully even grasped the epic scale of the destruction that would later be described in the Chronicles, given the length of time it took to communicate messages across the country. Which brings us back to the "science" of the time, or at least the observation, hoping to learn from precedence or piece out what messages the world might have for the sovereign and those who could read the signs.  While many of the court's and Chronicler's conclusions may give us pause, today, we should nonetheless be thankful that they at least decided to keep notes and jot down their observations.  That record keeping means that we don't have to only rely on modern records to see patterns that could take centuries to reveal themselves.  Sure, at this time, those records were  still a bit spotty, but it was the start of something that would be remarkably important, and even though these Chronicles may have been focused on propaganda, the fact that they include so many other references are an incalculable boon to us, today, if we can just see to make the connections.  And with that, I think I've rambled enough for this episode.  We still have a couple more to fully cover this period. Until then, if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  

Some fight action in England and California and a world champ readying to move up and fight for antother world title in another weight division joins us on the "Fight Freaks Unite Recap Podcast."Host T.J. Rives returns with insider Dan Rafael of his Fight Freaks Unite Substack and Newsletter are backFirst a recap of the Saturday Matchroom Boxing/DAZN main event at Birmingham, EnglandLight heavyweight Ben Whittaker massive KO1 Benjamin Gavazi. Was this really even a test? What's next for the flamboyant Whittaker? Next we recap Saturday's Boxxer/BBC main event at Derby, England Heavyweight Jeamie “TKV” Tshikeva upsets Frazer Clarke by decision and wins vacant British title. Dan has more.  Plus, a quick recap from the Saturday Manny Pacquiao Promotions ESPN Knock Out bout at Temecula, Calif.Lightweight Manny Pacquiao Jr. Draw  over four rounds with Brendan Lally (both making pro debuts). Not good for Pac-man son's debut.Then, WBC featherweight champion Stephen Fulton is on the Pod as he is moving up to challenge O'Shaquie Foster for his WBC junior lightweight title this Saturday in San Antonio on the PBC on Prime Video PPV undercard of Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz vs. Lamont Roach Jr.Foster-Fulton was originally scheduled on the Octover 25th FUNDORA-THURMAN undercard, but that main event was postponed. So now it's on this show inTexas. And, we have this conversation from earlier.   Some fight news:An update on Teofimo Lopez slated to meet Shakur Stevenson. Dan has the latest on when and where?Zurdo Ramirez's decision to face David Benavidez in May angers Cruiserweight champ Jai Opetaia and his team.And, four division titleholder Kazuto Ioka, who announced in late October that he would move up to bantamweight in pursuit of a title in fifth weight class, will make his debut in at 118 pounds in a WBA title eliminator Maikel Ordosgoitti on Dec. 31 in Tokyo. Dan has the latest.It's all part of the "Fight Freaks Unite Recap Podcast" and make sure to follow/subscribe on Apple/Spreaker/Spotify, etc.! 

Asian stocks swung between gains and losses following modest US gains on Friday, with investors turning focus to a slew of economic data ahead of an expected Federal Reserve interest-rate cut this month. And over the weekend, China's factory activity improved but remained in contraction in November, extending its streak of declines to a record as the country's economic slowdown deepens. The official manufacturing purchasing managers' index was 49.2, remaining below the 50 mark that separates growth and contraction for an eighth month. The median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg was 49.4. For more on the week ahead, we heard from Illiana Jain, Economist at Westpac International. She spoke to Bloomberg's Avril Hong and Shery Ahn on the Asia Trade. Plus - FII Priority Asia Summit is taking place in Tokyo and it brings together key leaders and policy makers from Saudi Arabia and Japan. The summit's focus will be on robotics, AI trade, and global supply chains. And we had the chance to hear from Rishi Kapoor, Vice Chair & CIO Investcorp. He spoke to Bloomberg's Shery Ahn and Avril Hong.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Merriam-Webster's Word of the Day for November 30, 2025 is: iconoclast • eye-KAH-nuh-klast • noun Iconoclast originally referred to someone who destroys religious images or who opposes their veneration. It is now used to refer broadly to anyone who criticizes or opposes beliefs and practices that are widely accepted. // The comedian had developed a reputation as a contrarian and an iconoclast for whom no topic was off-limits. See the entry > Examples: “Chicago will be the only U.S. city to see the 92-year-old iconoclast Yoko Ono's new show. ... ‘Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind' goes back to the start of the artist's career in the mid-'50s, and the role she played in the creative worlds of New York, Tokyo and London.” — Carrie Shepherd, Axios, 1 Apr. 2025 Did you know? Iconoclast comes from the Middle Greek word eikonoklástēs, which translates literally as “image destroyer.” While the destruction wrought by today's iconoclasts is figurative—in modern use, an iconoclast is someone who criticizes or opposes beliefs and practices that are widely accepted—the first iconoclasts directed their ire at religious icons, those representations of sacred individuals used as objects of veneration. The Byzantine Empire's Iconoclastic Controversy occurred in the 8th and 9th centuries, but the word iconoclast didn't find its way to English until the 17th century. Figurative use came later still.

Welcome back to Bri Books podcast! If this is your first time, WELCOME! And if you're a return listener from the last 6 (!!!!!!) years, welcome back. Bri Books is now also on YouTube: watch here. Today is November 30th, marking not just the beginning of Advent season, but the beginning of BriCember! What is BriCember? BriCember is a personal project wherein I challenge myself to produce and publish a podcast episode a day in the month of December. Not only is December my birth month, it's also the perfect time of the year to catch up on where you've been and where you're going. What's Coming Up This BriCember? In 2025, I'll be approaching BriCember through the lens of literature, with lots of recommendations of what to read. But I'm also aligning it not just with the month, but with how we think of time. This BriCember will be aligned with the moon phases. But Wait, Where Have You Been, Bri?I've spent most of 2025 in flux, in the most beautiful way. Last year, in 2024, I began a new career at JPMorganChase. In 2025, I started to find my professional stride. I also moved house in 2025! I moved from one apartment in Brooklyn to another, and I'm nesting. We'll be doing deep dives into winter food as well this BriCember. Also, I'm still reeling from the fallout of my mothers' death. That's a constant on my mind. Which brings me to….writing! I'm officially writing again, and I'm focused on writing and publishing in 2026. I'm giving myself the rest of the year to sharpen up my writing, so I can graduate to having an agent and finishing my book. I've been reorganizing my life in very tiny, quiet ways, and art has been a big part of 2025. I've been painting, and I've been traveling. I'm grateful that travel has been part of my working life in 2025. This year, I went to Sydney, Australia; Tokyo, Japan; Hong Kong; and Singapore, in addition to Western China and Mexico. Prayerfully there will be more travel in 2026. What's Coming in BriCember 2025 I've broken each week of December according to the moon cycles. Week 1: All about wine! Holiday wine menu planning, how to spend $60 at your local wine shop, Austrian wine, Madeira, orange wine, and having fun learning about terroir in the wine world. Week 2: Winter reset! We'll shift into how to prepare for a restful winter, my favorite health and beauty picks of 2025, gentle goal-setting, how to go gently into the new year; what to grow and sow in the new year! Lifestyle toolkit; manifestation journaling and how to get started; a winter mid-season check-in; Week 3: Cozy-maxxing! Winter recipes, soups, and spices; winter food rituals; what's in season at the farmers market in winter; deep winter books/ the best books to hunker down with this winter Week 4: Prepping! What we want to bring into 2026 (and what we're leaving in 2025); gratitude journaling; manifestation journaling; how to round out 2025 gently and with discernment.   Listen to Bri Books and find @BrionnaJay on Instagram. You can always find Bri Books on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and at bribookspod.com.  

In this episode, Bishop Gilbert Foliente of Victory Church Manila shares the incredible story of how the good news of Jesus spread across the Philippines in just one generation. If you're believing for a move of God in your nation, this is one you don't want to miss.Learn how to reach the unreached, build healthy local churches, and raise up the next generation of leaders no matter where you are in the world. Join Pastor Rod Plummer, his team, and leaders from around the world as they discuss missions, ministry, and reaching more people with the message of Jesus.Subscribe to Innovative Missions with Pastor Rod Plummer and Team on your favorite audio platform (https://therodcast.captivate.fm/listen) and on YouTube subscribe & turn on bell notifications to get notified as soon as future episodes release.About Pastor Rod PlummerPs Rod and Viv Plummer live in Tokyo, Japan and are true pioneers with a passion for reaching every person with Gods' message. Senior Pastors of Lifehouse International Church they oversee all of Lifehouse's churches across Japan and Asia. Their heart is to inspire, mentor, and equip hundreds of young Japanese and foreign leaders to minister to the needs of people not only in the greater Tokyo area, but throughout Japan, Asia and beyond.More about Pastor Rod: https://rodplummer.com/about-rod/Connect with Pastor Rod PlummerWebsite: http://rodplummer.comInstagram: http://instagram.com/rodplummerMore about Lifehouse ChurchUnder Pastor Rod's leadership, Lifehouse Church has grown from a team of 16 to thousands of weekly attendees across Japan and Asia and thousands of people reached with the gospel every year.Find out more at http://mylifehouse.com

Yu Watanabe is General Counsel at Airbnb Japan, where he has spent over 10 years building one of the most respected in-house legal teams in the country. From training at Freshfields to navigating the world of tech startups at DeNA, and ultimately joining Airbnb, Yu's career embodies the power of taking calculated risks and listening to the right mentors. This episode is rich with wisdom about mentorship, community involvement, and finding success by focusing completely on serving your clients. If you are wondering how Yu stands out as such a star in the world of Tokyo Law, this is the episode for you.If you enjoyed this episode and it inspired you in some way, we'd love to hear about it and know your biggest takeaway. Head over to Apple Podcasts to leave a review and we'd love it if you would leave us a message here!In this episode you'll hear:How a childhood visit to a law firm in Osaka inspired Yu to pursue law and become a "superhero" helping peopleThe critical decision to join Airbnb Japan in 2015 when almost everyone advised against itWhy Yu approaches legal work with hospitality at its core The transformative moment in Yu's career and why someone is always watching your effortHis favourite book and other fun facts About YuYuichiro Watanabe is a Director of the Japan In‑House Lawyers Association (JILA) while taking a role of Lead Counsel at Airbnb Japan, and since January 2025 serves as a board director of Airbnb Japan K.K. He joined Airbnb in 2015 as the company's third lawyer in Asia, following roles with Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and DeNA. Recognized with eight honors across six consecutive years at the ALB Japan Law Awards in his thirties, including being the youngest recipient of In‑House Lawyer of the Year, Yu has also led a team named Diversity & Inclusion: In‑House Team of the Year at the Chambers Asia‑Pacific and Greater China Region Awards 2024 and has been selected for The Legal 500 GC Powerlist: Japan. He also contributes to policy and standards work through committees at Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Digital Agency, and ISO/TC262 for risk management. He has walked a non-traditional career path in Japan, where in-house lawyers were still rare at the time. Through various failures and struggles within organizations, he has gained lessons that shaped his professional journey — and he carries a deep commitment to turning those personal setbacks into guidance for others. Admitted to the Japan Bar in 2009, he holds a J.D. from the School of Law at the University of Tokyo, and is the author of 「リーガルリスクマネジメントの教科書」 (The Textbook of Legal Risk Management, Nihon Kajoshuppan, 2023) and 「組織内弁護士の教科書」 (The Textbook for In-House Lawyers, forthcoming, Nihon Kajoshuppan, October 2025). Including these and his earlier two publications, his four-volume series has achieved an extraordinary circulation of 15,000 copies in Japan.In his personal life, he enjoys traditional Kabuki theatre and traveling.Connect with YuLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/wtnby/ LinksHotel New Otani https://www.newotani.co.jp/en/tokyo/  JILA: https://jila.jp/   Blog: https://inhouselaw.org/inhouse/ Peter Thiel, Zero to One : https://amzn.asia/d/43FV5e7 Connect with Catherine LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/oconnellcatherine/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lawyeronair

Original Release Date: October 31, 2025Our Japan Financials Analyst Mia Nagasaka discusses how the country's new stablecoin regulations and digital payments are set to transform the flow of money not only locally, but globally.Read more insights from Morgan Stanley.----- Transcript -----Welcome to Thoughts on the Market. I'm Mia Nagasaka, Head of Japan Financials Research at Morgan Stanley MUFG Securities. Today – Japan's stablecoin revolution and why it matters to global investors. It's Friday, October 31st, at 4pm in Tokyo. Japan may be late to the crypto market. But its first yen-denominated stablecoin is just around the corner. And it has the potential to quietly reshape how digital money moves across the country and globally. You may have heard of digital money like Bitcoin. It's significantly more volatile than traditional financial assets like stocks and bonds. Stablecoins are different. They are digital currencies designed to maintain a stable value by being pegged to assets such as the yen or U.S. dollar. And in June 2023, Japan amended its Payment Services Acts to create a legal framework for stablecoins. Market participants in Japan and abroad are watching closely whether the JPY stablecoin can establish itself as a major global digital currency, such as Tether. Stablecoins promise to make payments faster, cheaper, and available 24/7. Japan's cashless payment ratio jumped from about 30 percent in 2020 to 43 percent in 2024, and there's still room to grow compared to other countries. The government's push for fintech and digital payments is accelerating, and stablecoins could be the missing link to a truly digital economy. Unlike Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, stablecoins are designed to suppress price volatility. They're managed by private companies and backed by assets—think cash, government bonds, or even commodities like gold. Industry watchers think stablecoins can make digital payments as reliable as cash, but with the speed and flexibility of the internet. Japan's regulatory approach is strict: stablecoins must be 100 percent backed by high-quality, liquid assets, and algorithmic stablecoins are prohibited. Issuers must meet transparency and reserve requirements, and monthly audits are standard. This is similar to new rules in the U.S., EU, and Hong Kong. What does this mean in practice? Financial institutions are exploring stablecoins for instant payments, asset management, and lending. For example, real-time settlement of stock and bond trades normally take days. These transactions could happen in seconds with stablecoins. They also enable new business models like Banking-as-a-Service and Web3 integration, although regulatory costs and low interest rates remain hurdles for profitability.Or think about SWIFT transactions, the backbone of international payments. Stablecoins will not replace SWIFT, but they can supplement it. Payments that used to take days can now be completed in seconds, with up to 80 percent lower fees. But trust in issuers and compliance with anti-money laundering rules are critical. There's another topic on top of investors' minds. CBDCs – Central Bank Digital Currencies. Both stablecoins and CBDCs are digital. But digital currencies are issued by central banks and considered legal tender, whereas stablecoins are private-sector innovations. Japan is the world's fourth-largest economy and considered a leader in technology. But it takes a cautious approach to financial transformation. It is preparing for a CBDC but hasn't committed to launching one yet. If and when that happens, stablecoins and CBDCs can coexist, with the digital currency serving as public infrastructure and stablecoins driving innovation. So, what's the bottom line? Japan's stablecoin journey is just beginning, but its impact could ripple across payments, asset management, and even global finance. Thanks for listening. If you enjoy the show, please leave us a review wherever you listen and share Thoughts on the Market with a friend or colleague today.

Welcome to the Fun Friday edition of the Learn Japanese Pod podcast — the show where we sit down with cool people doing cool things in Japan. In this episode, I talk with Wes Lang about the recent rise in bear encounters and attacks across Japan: the latest stats, what's causing them, and what Japan is doing to prevent future incidents. We also dive into Wes's long experience as a master hiker. He was the first American to complete the Hyakumeizan, and he shares practical advice on how to prepare for the unlikely event of meeting a bear on the trail — including what to do, what not to do, and some useful bear-related vocabulary in Japanese. I learned a lot from this interview with Wes, and I now feel slightly more prepared to go hiking — and hopefully avoid any battles with bears! Wes is the creator of hikinginjapan.com, an authoritative resource with detailed information on hundreds of hikes and mountains across Japan. If you love hiking, Japanese nature, or just a good story, you won't want to miss this one.

Happy Thanksgiving!  It's Thursday, November 27th, A.D. 2025. This is The Worldview in 5 Minutes written by Jonathan Clark and heard on 140 radio stations and at www.TheWorldview.com.  Filling in for Adam McManus I'm Ean Leppin. (Contact@eanvoiceit.com) 18 Church Leaders Arrested in China Authorities in China arrested 18 leaders from Zion Church last Tuesday. Zion Church is one of the largest unregistered church in the country. The congregation has faced persecution for years. In the latest crackdown on the church, police detained at least 30 Christians across seven cities since October. The arrested leaders can effectively be held indefinitely in pre-trial detention. Scott Bower with Christian Solidarity Worldwide said the church leaders were “targeted solely for the peaceful exercise of their religious belief.” Taiwan Spends Extra $40 billion on Defense The self-ruling island of Taiwan plans on spending an extra $40 billion on defense in the face of threats from China. The Chinese government continues to claim the island as its own.  Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te announced the plan yesterday. He said, “China's threats to Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region are escalating. . . . History has proven that compromising with aggression only brings war and enslavement.” The U.S. State Department welcomed the plan. And Japan recently stated that a Chinese attack on Taiwan could trigger a military response from Tokyo. Poland Facing Changes to Marriage Law In Europe, Poland is facing challenges to its marriage law. The country currently bans faux same-sex marriage and defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman.  However, the European Court of Human Rights ruled Tuesday that Poland must recognize the faux same-sex marriages of other European Union countries.  Some Polish lawmakers are trying to change the marriage law. But Poland's President Karol Nawrocki has said he would veto “any bill that would undermine the constitutionally protected status of marriage.” Jesus said in Mark 10:6-8, “But from the beginning of the creation, God ‘made them male and female.' ‘For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'; so then they are no longer two, but one flesh.” Roman Catholic Church Praises Monogamous Marriage The Roman Catholic Church recently praised monogamous marriage between one man and one woman. The Vatican's Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith released the document Tuesday. The doctrinal note came in response to concerns from bishops in Africa where polygamy is still practiced. The document stated, “Polygamy, adultery, or polyamory are based on the illusion that the intensity of the relationship can be found in the succession of partners.” However, the Vatican's doctrinal dicastery has previously allowed priests to give a blessing to same-sex couples in certain cases.  U.S. Highschoolers Losing Interest in Marriage In the United States, high schoolers are losing interest in eventually getting married. Pew Research reports 67% of 12th graders in 2023 said they would want to get married in the future. That's down from 80% in 1993. Twelfth graders are also less likely to want children or to stay married to the same person for life if they do get married. In particular, high school girls are much less likely to want to get married someday. Boys' interest in eventually getting married has remained relatively unchanged over the last 30 years. U.S. State Department Addresses Human Rights Violations  The U.S. State Department announced a list of acts it considers human rights violations. These acts include transgender surgeries, government funded abortions or abortifacient drugs, attempts at coerced euthanasia, and violations of religious freedom.  Tommy Pigott is the Principal Deputy Spokesperson for the Department of State. He told The Daily Signal, “In recent years, new destructive ideologies have given safe harbor to human rights violations. The Trump administration will not allow these human rights violations, such as the mutilation of children.” Do People Still Thank God on Thanksgiving? And finally, Lifeway Research reports two in three Americans say they typically give thanks to God at Thanksgiving. Lifeway Research also shared the Bible verses Christians turn to at Thanksgiving based on Bible-reading apps. Many of them are from the Psalms. One of the most-read verses at Thanksgiving over the last five years was Psalm 9:1-2. The passages says, “I will thank the Lord with all my heart; I will declare all your wondrous works. I will rejoice and boast about you; I will sing about your name, Most High.” The most popular verse last year was 1 Chronicles 16:34. The verse says, “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his faithful love endures forever.” Close And that's The Worldview on this Thanksgiving, Thursday, November 27th, in the year of our Lord 2025. Follow us on X or subscribe for free by Spotify, Amazon Music, or by iTunes or email to our unique Christian newscast at www.TheWorldview.com.  Plus, you can get the Generations app through Google Play or The App Store. Filling in for Adam McManus I'm Ean Leppin (Adam@TheWorldview.com). Give Thanks and seize the day for Jesus Christ.

Estonian conductor Paavo Järvi is one of the most in-demand maestros in the world, and one of Alec’s favorite conductors. Järvi is currently the chief conductor of the NHK symphony orchestra in Tokyo and the Tonhalle Orchester-Zürich. Over his career, he’s led orchestras in Paris, Frankfurt, Stockholm, Malmö, and, for the decade between 2001 and 2011, here in the United States, as the musical director of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He and his musical family are pillars of the thriving classical music scene in his home country of Estonia. Paavo Järvi talks to Alec about how slowing down in the pandemic offered Paavo time to think, his early love of music, what it was like to come to the United States from Soviet-era Estonia as a 17-year-old, and what he took away from a decade of conducting the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Originally aired November 30, 2021See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In his new film, 'Rental Family,' Brendan Fraser plays an actor in Tokyo who takes a job with a rental family service. It's based on a real phenomenon in Japan: companies where you can hire someone to fill a gap in your life. Fraser spoke with Tonya Mosley about shooting in Japan, working with Scorsese on ‘Killers of the Flower Moon,' and his struggle with confidence. Also, Ken Tucker shares three songs dominating the charts: Neko Case's "Oh, Neglect...," Valerie June's "Runnin' and Searchin'" and Olivia Dean's "Man I Need" Follow Fresh Air on instagram @nprfreshair, and subscribe to our weekly newsletter for gems from the Fresh Air archive, staff recommendations, and a peek behind the scenes. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In this episode of The PDB Afternoon Bulletin: Japan announces plans to deploy missile systems on an island just miles from Taiwan, triggering an immediate and angry response from Beijing. We'll break down what Tokyo is doing, why China is escalating its rhetoric, and what this means for regional security. Later, a team of scuba divers off the Welsh coast makes a startling discovery: what appears to be a Russian tracking device sitting on the seabed. We'll explain what was found, where it was recovered, and why U.K. authorities are now taking a closer look. To listen to the show ad-free, become a premium member of The President's Daily Brief by visiting https://PDBPremium.com. Please remember to subscribe if you enjoyed this episode of The President's Daily Brief.  YouTube: youtube.com/@presidentsdailybrief TriTails Premium Beef: Feed your family and your legacy. Grab your Black Friday gift before it's gone! Visit https://trybeef.com/pdb Lean: Visit https://BrickhouseSale.com for 30% off Birch Gold: Text PDB to 989898 and get your free info kit on gold Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Charlie delivered his final speech on September 6 to a sellout crowd in Tokyo, Japan. He was there to tell enthusiastic Japanese patriots about the importance of taking pride in your country, fighting back against the threat of globalism, and ensuring the future of a nation. And along the way, he was there to witness to the Gospel of Christ in a pagan land as well. It's a distillation of so many of the messages Charlie gave his life for and is not to be missed. As Blake Neff explains, Charlie's pacing was to account for the translations, which have been removed for an optimal listening experience. Watch every episode ad-free on members.charliekirk.com! Get new merch at charliekirkstore.com!Support the show: http://www.charliekirk.com/supportSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.