johnraff
@johnraff.bsky.social
Nagoya layabout. Master of nothing in particular. Linux (@bunsenlabslinux.bsky.social), food (元ラッフルズ), languages, gardening, music 第8旅団 ( daihachiryodan.com ) のジョンです。Lot of politics recently...
Pinned
johnraff
@johnraff.bsky.social
· Nov 19
Reposted by johnraff
February 10, 2026 at 9:52 PM
Collapse of international justice
Israel used weapons in Gaza that made thousands of Palestinians evaporate | Israel-Palestine conflict | Al Jazeera www.aljazeera.com/features/202...
Israel used weapons in Gaza that made thousands of Palestinians evaporate | Israel-Palestine conflict | Al Jazeera www.aljazeera.com/features/202...
Israel used weapons in Gaza that made thousands of Palestinians evaporate
US-made thermal weapons burning at 3,500C caused 2,842 people to "evaporate" in Gaza, Al Jazeera investigation finds.
www.aljazeera.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:58 AM
Collapse of international justice
Israel used weapons in Gaza that made thousands of Palestinians evaporate | Israel-Palestine conflict | Al Jazeera www.aljazeera.com/features/202...
Israel used weapons in Gaza that made thousands of Palestinians evaporate | Israel-Palestine conflict | Al Jazeera www.aljazeera.com/features/202...
“This case is not about national security – it is about rewriting history and punishing those who refuse to forget the victims of the Tiananmen crackdown”
Jimmy Lai sentenced: What happened to other HK pro-democracy protesters? | Protests News | Al Jazeera www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/...
Jimmy Lai sentenced: What happened to other HK pro-democracy protesters? | Protests News | Al Jazeera www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/...
Jimmy Lai sentenced: What happened to other HK pro-democracy protesters?
Jimmy Lai, 78, has been sentenced to 20 years. We look at what happened to major democratic Hong Kong protesters.
www.aljazeera.com
February 11, 2026 at 12:54 AM
“This case is not about national security – it is about rewriting history and punishing those who refuse to forget the victims of the Tiananmen crackdown”
Jimmy Lai sentenced: What happened to other HK pro-democracy protesters? | Protests News | Al Jazeera www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/...
Jimmy Lai sentenced: What happened to other HK pro-democracy protesters? | Protests News | Al Jazeera www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/2/...
Written before the election results came in, but still - sadly - convincing.
"The fantasy of the two-party system as a democratic ideal has haunted the decisions made by Japan’s liberal opposition. It may be time to finally put it to bed."
www.tokyoreview.net/2026/02/is-t...
"The fantasy of the two-party system as a democratic ideal has haunted the decisions made by Japan’s liberal opposition. It may be time to finally put it to bed."
www.tokyoreview.net/2026/02/is-t...
Is this the end of a unified opposition?
The biggest surprise in an already difficult-to-predict election has been the merger of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and the ruling party’s former coalition partner Komeito into ...
www.tokyoreview.net
February 10, 2026 at 9:43 AM
Written before the election results came in, but still - sadly - convincing.
"The fantasy of the two-party system as a democratic ideal has haunted the decisions made by Japan’s liberal opposition. It may be time to finally put it to bed."
www.tokyoreview.net/2026/02/is-t...
"The fantasy of the two-party system as a democratic ideal has haunted the decisions made by Japan’s liberal opposition. It may be time to finally put it to bed."
www.tokyoreview.net/2026/02/is-t...
It's not news but Trump has seriously damaged the US, and its allies.
LIVE with Bill Bishop: The world order is shifting — and China is moving fast to shape it. sinocism.com/p/live-with-...
LIVE with Bill Bishop: The world order is shifting — and China is moving fast to shape it. sinocism.com/p/live-with-...
LIVE with Bill Bishop: The world order is shifting — and China is moving fast to shape it.
A recording from Bill Bishop and Tara Palmeri's live video
sinocism.com
February 10, 2026 at 9:28 AM
It's not news but Trump has seriously damaged the US, and its allies.
LIVE with Bill Bishop: The world order is shifting — and China is moving fast to shape it. sinocism.com/p/live-with-...
LIVE with Bill Bishop: The world order is shifting — and China is moving fast to shape it. sinocism.com/p/live-with-...
"It is ... urgent for the new party to undergo its own rectification of words—to find new purpose, new strategies, new slogans, new faces."
"The CRA, grandchild of the then-New Frontier Party, has chosen to entrench its tired discourse in a rhetoric that is both implausible and prematurely aged." (Good line among many more in this piece) www.tokyoreview.net/2026/02/when...
When reform becomes preservation: The paradox of the Centrist Reform Alliance
The Centrist Reform Alliance (CRA)–a merger of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP) and former ruling coalition partner Komeito–marks less an innovation than the endpoint of a jou...
www.tokyoreview.net
February 9, 2026 at 5:00 AM
"It is ... urgent for the new party to undergo its own rectification of words—to find new purpose, new strategies, new slogans, new faces."
Usual good analysis from Tobias Harris (who, amazingly, doesn't live in Japan).
My first attempt to make sense of a truly historic general election.
open.substack.com/pub/observin...
open.substack.com/pub/observin...
The age of Takaichi dawns
Understanding what happened on Sunday
open.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:57 AM
Usual good analysis from Tobias Harris (who, amazingly, doesn't live in Japan).
“The danger is that there are a lot of problems and, if you listen to her actual policies, there is not a lot of content and not many good solutions. In that situation, politicians like Takaichi have given up on solutions and instead provide scapegoats.”
www.ft.com/content/b9fb...
www.ft.com/content/b9fb...
Can Sanae Takaichi govern Japan on star power alone?
The new prime minister has revived the LDP, which had looked as if it might collapse. But if she wins this week’s elections, she will face harsh realities
www.ft.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:42 AM
“The danger is that there are a lot of problems and, if you listen to her actual policies, there is not a lot of content and not many good solutions. In that situation, politicians like Takaichi have given up on solutions and instead provide scapegoats.”
www.ft.com/content/b9fb...
www.ft.com/content/b9fb...
"Her desire for political stability is a desire to make the opposition irrelevant, to limit its opportunities to ask questions or challenge her vision for the country."
Takaichi was already like this when she was Abe's home minister.
observingjapan.substack.com/p/between-pa...
Takaichi was already like this when she was Abe's home minister.
observingjapan.substack.com/p/between-pa...
Between past and future
The meaning of what Takaichi, Noda, and Saitō said in their final night rallies
observingjapan.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:28 AM
"Her desire for political stability is a desire to make the opposition irrelevant, to limit its opportunities to ask questions or challenge her vision for the country."
Takaichi was already like this when she was Abe's home minister.
observingjapan.substack.com/p/between-pa...
Takaichi was already like this when she was Abe's home minister.
observingjapan.substack.com/p/between-pa...
Now she's arrived with hardly any concrete policy promises to keep, we need to watch out for what Takaichi actually does.
Takaichi's 'Japan First' is a retreat from Abe's vision of openness - Nikkei Asia asia.nikkei.com/opinion/taka...
Takaichi's 'Japan First' is a retreat from Abe's vision of openness - Nikkei Asia asia.nikkei.com/opinion/taka...
Takaichi's 'Japan First' is a retreat from Abe's vision of openness
Nation's inward turn risks weakening the foundations of its security and growth
asia.nikkei.com
February 9, 2026 at 2:19 AM
Now she's arrived with hardly any concrete policy promises to keep, we need to watch out for what Takaichi actually does.
Takaichi's 'Japan First' is a retreat from Abe's vision of openness - Nikkei Asia asia.nikkei.com/opinion/taka...
Takaichi's 'Japan First' is a retreat from Abe's vision of openness - Nikkei Asia asia.nikkei.com/opinion/taka...
"That’s the thing with China: there’s ‘rules’, and there’s ‘the rules’. Half of China life is knowing which are which. Half the fun, too."
China: Quieter, more fretful than I remember - by Whipling toosimple.substack.com/p/china-retu...
China: Quieter, more fretful than I remember - by Whipling toosimple.substack.com/p/china-retu...
China: Quieter, more fretful than I remember
After four years away, it's time to meet old friends and see what's changed.
toosimple.substack.com
February 9, 2026 at 1:22 AM
"That’s the thing with China: there’s ‘rules’, and there’s ‘the rules’. Half of China life is knowing which are which. Half the fun, too."
China: Quieter, more fretful than I remember - by Whipling toosimple.substack.com/p/china-retu...
China: Quieter, more fretful than I remember - by Whipling toosimple.substack.com/p/china-retu...
Reposted by johnraff
Elon Musk’s net worth is now just $0.14 trillion shy of $1 trillion.
To put that in perspective, his personal wealth is higher than the entire annual GDP of countries like Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Norway, Israel, Singapore, Chile & dozens more.
And they say inequality isn’t a problem.
To put that in perspective, his personal wealth is higher than the entire annual GDP of countries like Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Norway, Israel, Singapore, Chile & dozens more.
And they say inequality isn’t a problem.
February 5, 2026 at 10:42 PM
Elon Musk’s net worth is now just $0.14 trillion shy of $1 trillion.
To put that in perspective, his personal wealth is higher than the entire annual GDP of countries like Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Norway, Israel, Singapore, Chile & dozens more.
And they say inequality isn’t a problem.
To put that in perspective, his personal wealth is higher than the entire annual GDP of countries like Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Norway, Israel, Singapore, Chile & dozens more.
And they say inequality isn’t a problem.
Reposted by johnraff
This is who Jeff Bezos is. While he just spent $75 million bribing Trump with a Melania movie, he also fired all the Washington Post correspondents, including Lizzie Johnson who reported from Ukraine.
Make a difference — boycott Bezos’ Amazon and Prime Video today.
Make a difference — boycott Bezos’ Amazon and Prime Video today.
February 6, 2026 at 7:08 AM
This is who Jeff Bezos is. While he just spent $75 million bribing Trump with a Melania movie, he also fired all the Washington Post correspondents, including Lizzie Johnson who reported from Ukraine.
Make a difference — boycott Bezos’ Amazon and Prime Video today.
Make a difference — boycott Bezos’ Amazon and Prime Video today.
Reposted by johnraff
Bernie, this is great!
At this difficult moment in American history, we must be honest with ourselves:
Our nation, once the envy of the world, is now in profound decline.
For the sake of our children and future generations, we must reverse course.
Our nation, once the envy of the world, is now in profound decline.
For the sake of our children and future generations, we must reverse course.
We can reverse America’s decline | Bernie Sanders
It is not good enough just to criticize Trump. We must offer a positive vision that will improve the lives of Americans
www.theguardian.com
February 6, 2026 at 1:46 AM
Bernie, this is great!
Reposted by johnraff
Why be so coy about it? Just say it out loud.
Bezos is killing WaPo for the same reason Musk killed Twitter: to control the narrative.
Bezos is killing WaPo for the same reason Musk killed Twitter: to control the narrative.
February 5, 2026 at 12:44 AM
Why be so coy about it? Just say it out loud.
Bezos is killing WaPo for the same reason Musk killed Twitter: to control the narrative.
Bezos is killing WaPo for the same reason Musk killed Twitter: to control the narrative.
Reposted by johnraff
China & Russia continue to push narrative that Japan is turning militarist. PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian says “China & Russia maintain very similar positions on issues related to Japan. Japan’s accelerated remilitarisation threatens regional peace and stability.”
February 4, 2026 at 7:52 AM
China & Russia continue to push narrative that Japan is turning militarist. PRC Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian says “China & Russia maintain very similar positions on issues related to Japan. Japan’s accelerated remilitarisation threatens regional peace and stability.”
Reposted by johnraff
This is what oligarchy looks like:
Elon Musk, the wealthiest man alive, spent $290 million to elect Trump.
Since Election Day, Musk became $548 billion richer while his companies (SpaceX & Tesla) paid $0 in federal income taxes last year after making $13.7 billion in profits.
Elon Musk, the wealthiest man alive, spent $290 million to elect Trump.
Since Election Day, Musk became $548 billion richer while his companies (SpaceX & Tesla) paid $0 in federal income taxes last year after making $13.7 billion in profits.
February 3, 2026 at 10:55 PM
This is what oligarchy looks like:
Elon Musk, the wealthiest man alive, spent $290 million to elect Trump.
Since Election Day, Musk became $548 billion richer while his companies (SpaceX & Tesla) paid $0 in federal income taxes last year after making $13.7 billion in profits.
Elon Musk, the wealthiest man alive, spent $290 million to elect Trump.
Since Election Day, Musk became $548 billion richer while his companies (SpaceX & Tesla) paid $0 in federal income taxes last year after making $13.7 billion in profits.
Reposted by johnraff
When we talk about authoritarianism, it’s not just Donald Trump.
Musk owns X
Bezos owns Twitch
Zuckerberg owns Instagram and Facebook
Larry Ellison controls TikTok
Billionaires increasingly control what we see, hear and read.
Musk owns X
Bezos owns Twitch
Zuckerberg owns Instagram and Facebook
Larry Ellison controls TikTok
Billionaires increasingly control what we see, hear and read.
February 3, 2026 at 5:58 PM
When we talk about authoritarianism, it’s not just Donald Trump.
Musk owns X
Bezos owns Twitch
Zuckerberg owns Instagram and Facebook
Larry Ellison controls TikTok
Billionaires increasingly control what we see, hear and read.
Musk owns X
Bezos owns Twitch
Zuckerberg owns Instagram and Facebook
Larry Ellison controls TikTok
Billionaires increasingly control what we see, hear and read.
The Burmese military have a history of atrocities going back decades. They're one of the most evil regimes in the world.
February 2, 2026 at 1:01 PM
The Burmese military have a history of atrocities going back decades. They're one of the most evil regimes in the world.
But:
“For folks in Taiwan, they have to assume that they need to do what they need to do for their own national defense and not tie it to political developments out of Zhongnanhai”
“For folks in Taiwan, they have to assume that they need to do what they need to do for their own national defense and not tie it to political developments out of Zhongnanhai”
February 2, 2026 at 8:23 AM
But:
“For folks in Taiwan, they have to assume that they need to do what they need to do for their own national defense and not tie it to political developments out of Zhongnanhai”
“For folks in Taiwan, they have to assume that they need to do what they need to do for their own national defense and not tie it to political developments out of Zhongnanhai”
Reposted by johnraff
Hot source: Does the Japanese press play fast and loose with off-the-record comments? bit.ly/4kc6RUA #官邸記者クラブ #オフレコ
You don't say | FCCJ
February 2026 | Japan Media Review A controversial ‘nuclear deterrent’ remark has sparked a debate over the Japanese media’s coverage of off-the-record comments Artwork by Julio Shiiki On December 18,
bit.ly
February 2, 2026 at 2:40 AM
Hot source: Does the Japanese press play fast and loose with off-the-record comments? bit.ly/4kc6RUA #官邸記者クラブ #オフレコ
Reposted by johnraff
Another performer withdraws from the Kennedy Center.
January 27, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Another performer withdraws from the Kennedy Center.
Reposted by johnraff
As Mark Winchester @archerknewsmit.bsky.social has noted, “foreigner problem” and “foreigner policy” are terms that have come into currency only in the past year
Nakano Kōichi ran a search on Asahi Shimbun database and saw such terms had no or only single digit hits until 2024, but 3 digits in 2025
Nakano Kōichi ran a search on Asahi Shimbun database and saw such terms had no or only single digit hits until 2024, but 3 digits in 2025
January 27, 2026 at 8:25 AM
As Mark Winchester @archerknewsmit.bsky.social has noted, “foreigner problem” and “foreigner policy” are terms that have come into currency only in the past year
Nakano Kōichi ran a search on Asahi Shimbun database and saw such terms had no or only single digit hits until 2024, but 3 digits in 2025
Nakano Kōichi ran a search on Asahi Shimbun database and saw such terms had no or only single digit hits until 2024, but 3 digits in 2025
Maybe the "serious security threats" facing Chinese citizens who visit Japan would come into effect after they return to China...
China has warned its citizens against traveling to Japan during the Lunar New Year, as Beijing's anger over a comment Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi made shows no signs of abating. 👉 ebx.sh/wFalxV
February 1, 2026 at 4:43 AM
Maybe the "serious security threats" facing Chinese citizens who visit Japan would come into effect after they return to China...