In this week’s news roundup we report on the increasing calls for dual pricing in Japan. Anti-Whaling activist Paul Watson is detained under an international arrest warrant issued by Japan. Ubisoft responds to criticism about the role of Yasuke in its upcoming game Assassin’s Creed Shadows. A 70-year-old woman is arrested for killing her 102-year-old mother. The CrowdStrike outage impacts Japanese airlines and other services. And in sport, Japan’s men’s soccer team begin their Olympic campaign with a 5-0 victory over Paraguay.
Over 60% Agree That There Should Be Dual Pricing in Japan
A record 17.78 million foreign tourists arrived in Japan in the first half of 2024. Spending by visitors from overseas during that same period is estimated to have totaled ¥3.9 trillion, making tourism the second-biggest export sector behind automobiles. By the end of the year, it is expected to come to around ¥8 trillion, far exceeding 2023’s total of ¥5.3 trillion. While travelers are taking advantage of the fact that the Japanese yen is the weakest it’s been in years, the situation isn’t so positive for locals. As a result, calls for companies to introduce dual pricing in Japan are growing louder.
Kenji Koganezawa, chairman of the Hokkaido Tourism Organization, and Himeji Mayor Hideyasu Kiyomoto both feel dual pricing is now necessary in Japan, with the latter suggesting that overseas tourists should pay four times as much as locals to enter the UNESCO World Heritage site, Himeji Castle. According to a survey by Loyalty Marketing, operator of a shopping points card, many Japanese people agree with them. Over 60% of the 1,200 people asked said they would approve of dual pricing in Japan. Tamatebako, a restaurant that opened in Shibuya in April, already has a dual pricing system in place.
Anti-Whaling Activist Paul Watson Detained in Greenland: Arrest Warrant Issued by Japan
Paul Watson, a Canadian-American environmental, conservation and animal rights activist who established the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, was detained on Tuesday under an international arrest warrant issued by Japan. The 73-year-old who gained fame attempting to disrupt Japanese whalers on the reality TV show Whale Wars was traveling from Dublin, Ireland, to the North Pacific on the John Paul DeJoria ship with 25 crew members. They were reportedly planning to intercept Japan’s newly-built $48 million factory whaling ship, the Kangei Maru. Watson was arrested when the ship docked in Greenland’s capital of Nuuk.
The Captain Paul Watson Foundation (CPWF) believes his arrest is “connected to a previous Red Notice issued for Watson’s anti-whaling activities in the Antarctic.” The statement continued: “This development comes as a surprise since the Foundation’s lawyers had reported that the Red Notice had been withdrawn. However, it appears that Japan had made the notice confidential to facilitate Paul’s travel for the purpose of making an arrest.” Watson now faces possible extradition to Japan. His case will first be brought before a district court where the police will request to detain him.
Ubisoft Responds to Criticism About Yasuke in Assassin’s Creed Shadows
Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Shadows, which takes place in Feudal Japan at the end of the Sengoku period, is already one of the most controversial games of 2024, and it’s not even being released until November 15. The reason for the controversy is the lead male character, Yasuke. Described as the first Black samurai, he was a real historical figure who served under Oda Nobunaga. His status as a samurai, however, has been called into question by many and there has been a backlash against Thomas Lockley, who co-authored the world’s first book about Yasuke.
A petition launched last month pushing for Ubisoft to halt the release of the game due to a “serious lack of historical accuracy and cultural respect,” has already garnered close to 100,000 signatures. On Tuesday, the French company responded to these concerns by sending out a message to its “Japanese community” on X. “Our intention has never been to present any of our Assassin’s Creed games, including Assassin’s Creed Shadows, as factual representations of history or historical characters,” it read. “Instead, we aim to spark curiosity and encourage players to explore and learn more about the historical settings we get inspired by.”
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70-Year-Old Woman Arrested for Murdering Her 102-Year-Old Mother
A 70-year-old woman in Kunitachi, Tokyo, made a chilling 110 emergency call on the morning of July 22, confessing that she’s killed her 102-year-old mother. Police arrived at the scene to find Fuku Komine lying on her bed with strangulation marks and stab wounds. She was pronounced dead at the hospital shortly after. Yoko Komine, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. “My mother could no longer move to the portable toilet on her own, and I had to move her,” she said. “Caring for her became too difficult, so I killed her.”
The suspect had been living with her mother for nearly a decade, moving back into the family home after her father’s death. According to neighbors, the two women had been living together since then, relying on weekly visits from a home care service to assist Fuku with bathing. One neighbor, a man in his 70s, described the daughter as appearing increasingly weary. “She seemed tired, and her voice was weary, but I thought she was managing since she had contact with people through the home care service. I never imagined she was feeling so desperate,” he told Yahoo Japan.
CrowdStrike Outage Impacts Japan Travel and Other Services
It’s been described by cybersecurity experts as the biggest IT outage the world has ever seen. Last Friday, a corrupted update by cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike led to approximately 8.5 million Windows devices crashing around the globe after encountering the so-called blue screen of death (BSOD). According to Microsoft’s vice-president David Weston, that’s less than 1% of all Windows machines. However, “the broad economic and societal impacts reflect the use of CrowdStrike by enterprises that run many critical services,” such as ATMs, banks, hospitals and transportation services. The trouble was still being felt several days after the outage.
While the situation wasn’t too bad in Japan, some trains and airlines were affected. Jetstar Airways canceled approximately 20 domestic flights. Staff at Fukuoka Airport wrote passengers’ names and destinations on their boarding passes with pens. On the JAL website, bookings, reservations and cancelations were briefly unavailable for both domestic and international flights. West Japan Railway’s website and app failed to display the status of train services. The outage also impacted cash registers at Universal Studios Japan in Osaka and around 30% of McDonald’s outlets across the country suspended operations due to a glitch in their cash registers.
James Maddison and Ange Postecoglou in Tokyo
Japan Thrash Paraguay in Olympic Opener
Japan’s men’s soccer team got their Olympic campaign off to the perfect start on Wednesday with a comprehensive 5-0 victory over South American U23 champions Paraguay, who played with 10-men for the majority of the match due to Wilder Viera’s red card for dangerous play after 25 minutes. By the time he received his marching orders, Japan were already leading 1-0 courtesy of Shunsuke Mito’s opener. He then added a second just past the hour-mark. Rihito Yamamoto hit the third before Shota Fujio bagged a brace in the final 10 minutes. Nadeshiko Japan, meanwhile, lost 2-1 to World Cup holders Spain.
Several high-profile European clubs are currently touring Japan. On Wednesday, Borussia Dortmund defeated Shinji Kagawa’s Cerezo Osaka 3-2 in Osaka. On the same night, Kaoru Mitoma’s Brighton hammered Kashima Antlers 5-1 in Tokyo. The Premier League side conclude their tour against Tokyo Verdy on Sunday. Fellow English team Tottenham Hotspurs are also playing this weekend against J-League champions Vissel Kobe. “We’ve had a good few days of training. The boys are working hard. The conditions have been testing for them… Kobe is a top team, so we’re looking forward to it,” said coach Ange Postecoglou at Friday’s press conference.
