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Women, married or unmarried, often confront difficult working situations in Japan. This article deals with the hostility of employers towards women who may wish to have children.

http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21663283-pregnant-women-are-furious-about-how-they-are-treated-office-were-busy-get-abortion?frsc=dg|d

A term has developed combining maternity and harassment.

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The challenges for South Korea include an increasing number of women who just don't want to marry. Here's a recent article on the subject:

http://www.economist.com/news/asia/21659768-more-women-ditch-or-delay-marriage-men-tie-themselves-knots-i-dont?frsc=dg|d

It begins,
"“PLAN B”, a guidebook for unmarried women living in Seoul, the South Korean capital, begins with a test. “Have your parents chided you for wanting to live alone?” “Are you often told that a woman’s best chance of happiness is being a wife and mother?” Too many noes will land the reader in the “soft tofu” category—unprepared for the rigours of life as a single woman in socially conservative South Korea. (Other types include thick-skinned “watermelon” and die-hard “walnut”.)"

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Ken Liu translated the Hugo Award winning The Three Body Problem. He's an award winning author in his own right. US-China Today interviewed him about "speculative fiction."

http://www.uschina.usc.edu/article@usct?qa_with_ken_liu_translator_of_the_three-body_problem_20003.aspx

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Few governments get high marks for candor about the dark days of their pasts. Many know of the battles in Japan over what is taught. Ienega Saburo devoted much of his life to informing students and others of some of the consequences of the Pacific War.

Here's his obituary in the NY Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/08/obituaries/08IENA.html).

George Washington University's Memory and Reconciliation in the Asia Pacific Project has a page devoted to his legal cases: http://www.gwu.edu/~memory/issues/textbooks/textbookcases.html

And here is a resource prepared by one of the founders of the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia, Kathy Masalski, for our NCTA partner, the Stanford Program on International and Cross-cultural Education: http://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/docs/examining_the_japanese_history_textbook_controversies

Here's the publisher's page for his book: http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/85001/pacific-war-1931-1945-by-saburo-ienaga/

Here's an article he published in 1993, "The Glorification of War in Japanese Education." http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/ins/summary/v018/18.3.ienaga.html

Here is a useful summary of textbook reviews and the approval process: http://www.nippon.com/en/in-depth/a00701/
Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has its own translation of the review process: http://www.mofa.go.jp/policy/education/textbooks/overview-3.html

Our NCTA partners at Stanford have prepared a terrific unit to teach about textbooks. Information about it is available here: http://spice.fsi.stanford.edu/catalog/divided_memories_comparing_history_textbooks
edited by Clay Dube on 8/27/2015

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Abe's statement: http://www.us.emb-japan.go.jp/english/html/pm-abe-statement.pdf
It includes: "Upon the innocent people did our country inflict immeasurable damage and suffering. History is harsh. What is done cannot be undone. Each and every one of them had his or her life, dream, and beloved family. When I squarely contemplate this obvious fact, even now, I find myself speechless and my heart is rent with the utmost grief."

Akihito's statement: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2015/08/15/national/history/emperor-akihitos-70th-war-end-anniversary-speech-full/#.VdT11Jc4kXc
It includes: "On this day to commemorate the war dead and pray for peace, my thoughts are with the people who lost their precious lives in the last war and their bereaved families, as I attend this memorial ceremony with a deep and renewed sense of sorrow."
edited by Clay Dube on 8/27/2015

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This post to the forum discusses and has a link to a CSPAN interview with Iris Chang, author of The Rape of Nanjing.

http://uschinaforum.usc.edu/topic19746-rape-of-nanking-interview-with-iris-chang.aspx

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Yale University's library has a website devoted to the Nanjing Massacre. It includes letters from witnesses, photographs, and more.

http://divinity-adhoc.library.yale.edu/Nanking/index.html

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There's much more to discuss than the horrible atrocities that took place in Nanjing. But those do need to be remembered and shared in appropriate ways with students.

Novelist Ha Jin uses the character Gao Anling to take us through the Japanese seizure of Nanjing, China's capital in 1937. Gao is the assistant of Minnie Vautrin, the American head of Ginling College.

publisher's page: http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/209856/nanjing-requiem-by-ha-jin/

Ha Jin speaking at Brown University on the book: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0QfJYg2_zg&index=15&list=PL0B5EE8C41413DDAA

NY Times review: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/23/books/review/nanjing-requiem-by-ha-jin-book-review.html?_r=0

Washington Post review: http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/books/book-review-nanjing-requiem-by-ha-jin/2011/10/11/gIQA69NnDM_story.html

Cleveland Plain Dealer review: http://www.cleveland.com/books/index.ssf/2011/10/ha_jins_nanjing_requiem_is_a_f.html

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The Three Body Problem by Liu Cixin (translated by Ken Liu) was the top choice for the Hugo Awards. The announcement: http://www.thehugoawards.org/

We'd love to hear what you think of the book and whether or not it will appeal to young sci fi fans.

Articles and reviews:
NPR http://www.npr.org/2014/11/13/363123510/three-body-problem-asks-a-classic-sci-fi-question-in-chinese

An excerpt:
This is hard SF, full of lovingly lengthy passages of technical exposition about everything from quantum mechanics to artificial intelligence. But Cixin Liu supports all of that braintwisting theory with empathetic characters and a strong action-thriller backbone.

NY Times http://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/11/books/liu-cixins-the-three-body-problem-is-published-in-us.html?_r=0

An excerpt:
In addition to the usual high school and college-age fans of science fiction, China’s aerospace and Internet industries have embraced the books. Many interpret the battle of civilizations depicted in the series as an allegory for the ruthless competition in the nation’s Internet industry.

Wall Street Journal http://www.wsj.com/articles/book-review-the-three-body-problem-by-cixin-liu-1418415619

An excerpt:
What makes Mr. Liu’s novel different from its Western competitors in the alien-invasion line is not its hardware (though it is full of strange ideas, like how to construct a human computer using 30 million people, each with a white and a black flag: Chairman Mao would have gone for that). The difference seems to be a kind of patience, seeing things long-term. The “madness years” were bad for individuals, but just a blip for the species. We’re told authoritatively, “The entire history of humanity has been fortunate.” That’s right, “From the Stone Age till now, no real crisis has occurred.” It’s only now that things have gotten serious.

Locus http://www.locusmag.com/Reviews/2014/12/gary-k-wolfe-reviews-cixin-liu/
AV Club http://www.avclub.com/review/cixin-lius-translated-three-body-problem-works-bet-211529

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Some Taiwanese have modified their passports in order to convey their thinking on Taiwan's status. Check out the link to see the article and more pics.

https://www.hongkongfp.com/2015/08/12/i-am-from-the-republic-of-taiwan-taiwanese-declare-independence-with-passport-stickers/

Attachments:

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One of the artists highlighted by Christina Yu Yu was Cai Guoqiang. Here's a youtube video of one of his creations: Sky Ladder. Pretty amazing pyrotechnics.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=unMoF9VWSlU

Here's a video following Cai as he worked at MOCA. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whxaekh4IzU

And here's the MOCA page on it: http://sites.moca.org/thecurve/category/cai-guo-qiang/page/2/

Be sure to check out the films discussed by Julie at: http://uschinaforum.usc.edu/topic20025-ai-weiwei-cai-guoqiang-cao-fai.aspx

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There was no link in the email message I received. I've since received a print copy of the invitation which includes the speakers and schedule. It's also nice to note the event is being underwritten by our long-time friends, the Sammy Yukuan Lee family. The seminar is mentioned in this list:
http://www.huntington.org/WebAssets/Templates/content.aspx?id=17644#lectures

The invitation I received has a reservation form:

Name
Address
Email/Phone
Affiliation

$15 registration fee
$16 buffet lunch

Send info and check (payable to: The Huntington):
Michelle Bailey
The Huntington
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108

You can reach Michelle at 626-405-3503.

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Meyer has a piece in ChinaFile today on the children left behind. http://www.chinafile.com/library/excerpts/what-happened-settlers-japanese-army-abandoned-china

Here's an AFP story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92dA0bXHgpU

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Thanks, Mayra, for the additional information. The damage was extensive, in addition to the impact on those injured and the families of those killed.

Check out our Facebook page for a video of the Taipei 101 damper during the typhoon. It moved a record amount.

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Thanks, Mayra, for a great photo. I hope that more folks will share their photos.

Last spring we had a presentation on Japanese gardens in the US by Kendall Brown. We may have a Saturday workshop devoted to discussing gardens. Would you be interested in attending such a workshop?

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