Topics for this episode: Looking at China-Japan relations through the popularity of Chinese language classrooms Lectures on Heisei History vs. Heisei History Is the "Heisei Recession" fate or construction? Involution within Japanese academia is exceptionally severe What about the "Yutori Generation"?
Topics for this episode: Japan stops pretending and decides to discharge nuclear-contaminated water How South Korea views the discharge decision this time What national character the discharge reflects in Japan How we can 'utilize' this wastewater Prime Minister Suga begins his trip to the US to 'seek instructions'
Topics for this episode: A review of the Seoul and Busan mayoral by-elections The shifting power dynamics between local and capital cities in Japan and South Korea Both lost elections, but the reasons for Busan and Seoul are different The failure of real estate reform is the primary cause of the election defeat Observing four key figures in the Korean political scene: Oh Se-hoon
Topics for this episode: Recommended a domestic game by Japanese netizens Japan once greatly loved Chinese folk music Why doesn't Japan "steal" much Chinese culture? "Youth With You 4" actually had over a dozen Japanese trainees Why are Japanese talent agencies so "laid-back"?
Topics for this episode: The director of the Tokyo Olympics opening ceremony faces further accusations of discriminatory language The chaos within the Tokyo Olympics organizing committee as described by Bungeishunjū The PyeongChang Winter Olympics also faced a bumpy road Fukuhara Ai’s divorce controversy: starkly different attitudes in China and Japan Why didn’t the divorce of the 'Double Song' couple turn into a public feud?
Topics in this episode: Quan Xiaoxing's interview notes from outside the imperial capital Where is the knot in the South Korean National Assembly? The past and present of the Japanese Diet The significance of seating arrangements for Japanese and South Korean legislators Most arguments occur in committees
Topics in this episode: Suga Yoshihide was "screwed by his dad" The succession path of Japanese political dynasties Unwritten rules between Nagatacho and Kasumigaseki Two scenarios for the future of the Suga administration Are the LDP bigwigs playing a long game?
Topics for this episode: Where were you on that day? What were you doing? The shock of the disaster broadcast footage In another ten years, who will remember today’s disaster? Still unforgettable are those faces of panic The collapse of Japan’s governance system
Topics for this episode: Discussing Tokyo on the 85th anniversary of the February 26 Incident The spatiotemporal background of Ikebukuro West Gate Park The imagination of Tokyo in Detective Chinatown 3 Post-WWII urban development in Tokyo Edo: An 18th-century East Asian metropolis
Topics for this episode: Where should you go to camp out if you want to become an idol? Tracing the origins and flow of K-pop idols From Mikou Hibari to AKB48 The historical status of H.O.T. The Akina faction vs. the Seiko faction
Topics for this episode: Why did Teacher Sha cancel his Xiaoyuzhou account? For some reason, we start complaining about a certain four-character platform Traditional skill—reading popular comments Time management master teaches you what to do during the Spring Festival Hosts recommend must-visit places in Magic City
Topics for this episode: Opening remarks Sha Qingqing: The Writing of Showa Wind, Heisei Rain and Changes in Contemporary Japanese Society Quan Xiaoxing: From the "Korea-Japan War" to the Current Survival Status of South Korean Youth Fan Yiru: Looking at Japanese Social Mentality Through One Wedding and Two Funerals Question 1: Youth voter turnout in Japan
Topics in this episode: What do people in Japan and South Korea eat during the New Year? The experience of traveling to Japan for New Year's Eve was somewhat poor The Japanese custom of visiting shrines and temples for the first prayer of the year In South Korea, watching the sunrise on New Year's Day and traffic jams during the Lunar New Year The survival status of young South Koreans during the New Year holidays
Topics for this episode: Opening remarks Introduction to the event flow The origins of A History of the Heisei Era Quan Xiaoxing: The 30-year rise of the Korean Wave Sha Qingqing: The Heisei Slump and Ezra Vogel
The recording time for this podcast episode was December 12. On December 14, the Japanese government announced the suspension of the Go to Travel subsidy program.
Topics in this episode: The "Cherry Blossom Viewing" crisis erupts again Was Suga Yoshihide really the mastermind behind the scenes? The "prosecutorial dispute" between Cho Mi-ae and Yoon Suk-yeol Is the South Korean version of the "Independent Commission Against Corruption" a trump card? Yoon Suk-yeol's path to running for president
PS: The book Japan’s March to Militarism by host Sha Qingqing, mentioned in this episode, is also available for purchase on major book platforms.
Topics in this episode: Boss Qian's evolution from a student who loved drinking to a podcast host who talks about alcohol Even when Xiaoxing is absent, his roasting of Korean liquor is never missing Korean soju reigns supreme, Japanese beer is the top-tier choice Suntory acquires Jim Beam whiskey to increase supply The reasons behind the sudden popularity of Japanese whiskey
Topics of this episode: The modern Japanese construction of the Sengoku period began in the Edo period The image of Cao Cao in the eyes of the Japanese and South Korean people The ancient Chinese hero in the hearts of Koreans is Zhan Zhao Yi Sun-sin is equivalent to an upgraded Yue Fei in South Korea The inspiration for some Taiga dramas comes from the gaps in history
Topics for this episode: Osaka's proposal to "abolish the city and establish a metropolis" is rejected Taro Kōsaka and the New Komeito's ten-year dream The "noble" citizens of Osaka are unwilling to become metropolis residents Is the "metropolis proposal" just a bid for attention? Gangnam style also wants to play at independence
Topics in this episode: Korean public sentiment regarding the death of Lee Kun-hee Is third-generation heir Lee Jae-yong reliable? The differing personalities of Korean and Japanese conglomerates The complex feelings Koreans have toward chaebols How China, Japan, and South Korea can avoid involution
Topics for this episode: The "Science Council of Japan" suddenly in the spotlight Suga Yoshihide's miscalculation or masterstroke? A replica of the blacklist of "Miss Park" Controversies in the South Korean and Japanese medical circles have continued in recent years Female college students and housewives
Topics for this episode: South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha's "backyard fire" The awkward position of the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs What was Kang Kyung-wha's husband really thinking? "Baby Wife" Akie Abe Park Geun-hye during her time as First Lady
Topics in this episode: Yoshihide Suga's grassroots rise? Abe steps down but doesn't exit the stage The best script for a long-term regime Taro Kono struggles to hide his ambition Jiro, tainted by a 'dirty' vote