TRAILER: Attack On Titan

Screen Rants recaps:

Attack on Titan features an all-Japanese cast and will only receive a limited theatrical release in North America, courtesy of FUNimation Entertainment, so the marketing materials so far have all been in Japanese. For those who had difficulty following the events of the previous trailer, we can now offer the first Attack on Titan trailer with English subtitles, which introduces the premise and the main cast of characters. The visual effects in this trailer reflect the movie’s modest budget, but nonetheless the Titans look very creepy, with their blank eyes and massive mouths (all the better to eat you with). As the trailer explains, the Titans can only be killed by attacking a weak spot on the back of their neck, which the Survey Corps can reach using a grappling system calling Omni-directional Mobility Gear.

JAPAN: Mag-Lev Train Sets New Record

The BBC reports:

A Japanese magnetic levitation train has broken its own world speed record, hitting 603km/h (374mph) in a test run near Mount Fuji. The train beat the 590km/h speed it had set last week in another test. Mag-lev trains use electrically charged magnets to lift and move carriages above the rail tracks. Central Japan Railway (JR Central), which owns the trains, wants to introduce the service between Tokyo and the central city of Nagoya by 2027. The 280km journey would take only about 40 minutes, less than half the current time. Construction costs are estimated at nearly $100bn (£67bn) just for the stretch to Nagoya, with more than 80% of the route expected to go through costly tunnels, AFP news agency reports. By 2045, mag-lev trains are expected to link Tokyo and Osaka in just one hour, slashing the journey time in half. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is visiting the US on Sunday where he is expected to pitch for a role in building a new high-speed rail line between New York and Washington.

Today In Creepy Robots

Uncanny valley, anyone?

Quote Of The Day - Akie Abe

"There is no difference to importance of love from sexual orientation. There should not be any discrimination because who you love. I am going to raise my voice. If my raised voice could contribute to the pride of LGBT people, there is no greater joy." - Akie Abe, the First Lady of Japan, speaking today at a gay pride event sponsored by the US embassy in Tokyo.

Also in attendance was George Takei, who predicted that Japan will soon make advances in LGBT rights.

The "Star Trek" actor also known for his gay and civil rights activism, said he was encouraged to have met with Japanese activists for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights, and even some of their parents fighting for their children. "They have to have courage to come out and share their lives honestly," Takei said. Once they get a ball rolling, more movement would follow, like "a ripple effect" that spreads, he added. "So I'm optimistic. I do think that Japan will be one of the nations that have equality and that too will serve as an example for other Asian nations."

The event was hosted by Ambassador Caroline Kennedy. From her opening speech:

"African-Americans, women, people with disabilities, and gay men and lesbian have reminded all Americans that we are each entitled to the same rights, liberties, responsibilities and opportunities. Those struggle to transform our society, here tonight we celebrate the countless acts of courage and commitment and reaffirm that LGBT rights are human rights."

RELATED: In April, Akie Abe rode in Tokyo's pride parade.

Japan's First Lady Rides In Pride Parade

Japan's First Lady rode on a float during Tokyo's gay pride parade yesterday.

The 51-year-old wife of conservative Prime Minister Shinzo Abe donned a white suit to stand on a float with a drag queen, as some 3,000 participants marched through the trendy Shibuya business and shopping district. Mrs Akie Abe, known for her liberal inclinations, wrote on her Facebook page later that she has been involved in the issue since joining a commission set up by UNAIDS and the Lancet medical journal last year. "I want to help build a society where anyone can conduct happy, enriched lives without facing discrimination," she wrote.

The parade included a marching band which performed We Shall Overcome.

Run Away!

On Japan's Rabbit Island, where they used to make WWII poison gas. Headline reference.

Major Quake Strikes Near Fukushima

Story developing...

Branding Fail

The Independent reports:

As sending positive brand signals go, naming your mascot Fukuppy is probably a step in the wrong direction. Indeed, it would seem this refrigerator company have had their very own fukuppy with the unfortunate christening of this cartoon egg. Social media users seized on the winged ovum's name to ridicule Fukushima Industries' mascot, with initial reports linking the upbeat ovum with Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The Fukushima plant suffered a nuclear meltdown in 2011, forcing the evacuation of 300,000 people, and there are still reports of leaks and contamination. However this innocent egg is actually attached to Fukushima Industries, a company who make refrigerators, based hundreds of miles away in Osaka.

The company is now considering another name.

World Order - Welcome To Toyko

I first posted about World Order, a band headed by a retired martial arts champion, a couple of years ago.  This is their "welcome" to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.  Nice track, cool dancing, lyrics in Japanese.

(Tipped by JMG reader Greg)

Lesbian Athlete Becomes First Woman To Row Solo From Japan To Alaska

Out British athlete Sarah Outen yesterday completed a 150-day solo row from Japan to Alaska, becoming the first woman to do so. And along the way, she got engaged.

"I have had some of the most intense and memorable months of my life out on the Pacific. It has been brilliant and brutal at the same time," Outen said in a statement. "And it has been a privilege." Outen celebrated with a bottle of champagne in Adak, Alaska, and greeted locals and supporters, her first human contact in nearly five months, as first reported by the Anchorage Daily News. She left Choshi, in Japan, on 27 April and travelled 3,750 miles at sea. It is part of her plan for a global trek by ocean rowing shell, kayak and bike. "I have pushed myself to my absolute limits both physically and mentally to make land here in Alaska, and body and mind are now exhausted," she said. Along the way, she also got engaged to her longtime girlfriend during a satellite phone call from the middle of the ocean. She had initially wanted to row from Japan to Canada, but the punishing weather caused a change of course to Alaska.

In 2009 Outen became the first woman to row alone across the Indian Ocean.

(Tipped by JMG reader Miriam)

Tokyo To Host 2020 Olympics

Beating out fellow finalists Madrid and Istanbul, the IOC today announced that Tokyo will host the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Tokyo's bid came in at $5 billion to $6 billion, compared to $19 billion pledged by Istanbul, said Ed Hula, editor and founder of aroundtherings.com, which covers the business and politics of the Olympic movement. But Tokyo's government has already amassed a $4.9 billion Olympic fund to pay to prepare for the Games, Hula said. And a $1 billion national stadium that will be used for the athletic events and the Opening Ceremonies will already have been built for the rugby World Cup in 2017 and is not considered an Olympic expense. Turkey would have been the first Muslim country to host the Games, and with a median age of less than 30 years, one of the youngest. However, it missed out for the fifth time.

President Obama Nominates Caroline Kennedy To Be Ambassador To Japan

Yesterday afternoon President Obama formally nominated Caroline Kennedy to be the US ambassador to Japan.

In naming Ms. Kennedy, whose nomination has been rumored for months, Mr. Obama is keeping with a well-established tradition of rewarding important campaign supporters with plum embassies. He recently put forward big-dollar fund-raisers to be envoys in London, Berlin, Copenhagen and Madrid. But Ms. Kennedy’s value to Mr. Obama has been less about money than mystique. As the daughter of President John F. Kennedy, her imprimatur on his candidacy in 2008 — along with that of her uncle, Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts — elevated Mr. Obama at a crucial moment against his better-known rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton.

RELATED: In late 2008 Kennedy was considered to be a top prospect to be appointed by then-New York Gov. David Paterson to replace Hillary Clinton in the Senate when Obama named Clinton as Secretary of State. Kennedy withdrew from consideration in early 2009, citing the failing health of her uncle, the late Sen. Ted Kennedy.

Oldest Man In History Dies At Age 116

The oldest man in the history of the world has died in Japan at the age of 116.

Jiroemon Kimura, a former postman, died of natural causes in hospital in his hometown of Kyotango, western Japan, in the early hours of Wednesday, city officials told CNN. In December, Kimura had been recognized by Guinness World Records as the world's oldest living person, and as the oldest man whose age had ever been verified. Kimura, who attributed his longevity to eating light, healthy meals, worked for the post office until his retirement in 1962, continuing to carry out agricultural work until the age of 90. Only the third man in history verified to have reached the age of 115, Kimura had seven children, 14 grandchildren, 25 great-grand children and 14 great-great grandchildren.

Born on April 19th, 1897, Kimura had been the world's only male survivor of the 19th century. The oldest human in history was France's Jeanne Calment, who died in 1997 at the verified age of 122.

Lesbians Wed At Tokyo Disney

Flanked by Mickey and Minnie, a lesbian couple was (not legally) married on Friday at Tokyo's Disney Resort.

The event on Friday was the first homosexual wedding in the popular amusement park even though gay marriage has no legal standing in Japan.The couple first hit the headlines after the theme park initially told them there would be no problem with the ceremony provided they dressed "like a man and a woman". A staff member said a same-sex wedding would create "repercussions" among visitors if both brides wore wedding dresses or both grooms donned tuxedoes. But just few days later the resort operator got back in touch to say their initial response had been wrong and gay couples were free to mix and match their attire.

Walt Disney Company, which signed onto last week's corporate SCOTUS brief, has allowed same-sex ceremonies on its properties since 2007.

UN Condemns Gay Death Penalty

Yesterday the United Nations approved a resolution that condemns the killing of LGBT persons either by governments or via "extrajudicial" means such as hate crimes. Via press release from the International Gay & Lesbian Human Rights Commission:

An international coalition of organizations dedicated to human rights celebrated yesterday’s historic vote in the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to pass resolution condemning extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions. The vote reversed the events of 2010 when the same body voted to strip the resolution of reference to "sexual orientation." The UNGA also expanded upon its commitment to the universality of human rights by including "gender identity" for the first time in the resolution’s history. The resolution, which is introduced biennially in the Third Committee, urges States to protect the right to life of all people, including by calling upon States to investigate killings based on discriminatory grounds. It was introduced by the Government of Sweden and co-sponsored by 34 states from around the world.

IGLHRC notes that the United Arab Emirates attempted to strip "sexual orientation" from the resolution on behalf of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, just as they did two years ago. (See the photo above for the vote tally on that amendment.) They add: "Another failed effort, led by the Holy See, would have stripped all specific references to groups at high risk for execution; however it was never formally introduced."

The governments of the United States, Brazil, and many others spoke in favor of the resolution. IGLHRC reports that Egypt "spoke frequently" in opposition. Japan broke its long silence on the issue with this declaration: "We cannot tolerate any killings of persons because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Our delegation voted against the proposed amendment to this paragraph because we think it is meaningful to mention such killings from the perspective of protecting the rights of LGBT people."

Read the full resolution here.

Hello Kitty + KISS = Toilet Paper

It's just simple math, people. Source.

Russia & Japan Want Moon Bases

Move over Newt Gingrich, you've got company.

At the Global Space Exploration Conference, which started on May 22 — the same day SpaceX successfully launched its Dragon capsule towards the ISS, which is why NASA administrator Charles Bolden was absent from the conference — Russia and Japan laid out their plans for space exploration, both focusing on Earth’s natural satellite. “We’re not talking about repeating what mankind achieved 40 years ago. We’re talking about establishing permanent bases,” said Vladimir Popovkin, the head of Roscosmos, the Russian space agency. Japan’s space exploration goals for the near future are similar to those of Russia. “We are looking at the moon as our next target for human exploraiton,” said Yuichi Yamaura, an associate executive director at JAXA, the Japanese Space Agency.

Tokyo Pride 2012

Japanese Retail: It's A Fuckin' Sale

JMG reader and expat Bruce reports that the fuckin' sale lasts until tomorrow.

Clam Chowder Doritos

I'd probably try this. I tried shrimp-flavored potato chips. (Not good.)