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Military Lockdown in the Philippines

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The Philippines is taking an aggressive approach to the spread of coronavirus, especially within the urban cities. President Duterte has implemented a military- heavy approach to the containment and enforcement of the countries quarantine restrictions. While quarantine is something the globe is now familiar with, the enforcement style of Duterte has so far resulted in the imprisonment of people leaving their houses in the search for food, homeless left to fend for themselves without government aid or places to shelter, and hundreds of thousands of poor urban communities waiting on government aid tied up in bureaucracy which has yet to reach their households. Similar to outcries from within the US and in places like Japan, apparently the Philippines is keeping the rate of testing low to reflect a low number of positive tests giving the illusion that the Philippines has yet to be crippled by the coronavirus. The lack of transparency from the Filipino government regarding this
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Transparency in Troubling Times

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I swear this is the last time I’m going to write about this for Asian Studies since I’m going to focus my Capstone paper on this from here on out. But it is essential to analyze how an industrialized and advanced nation such as Japan can have such a direct hand in the cover-up and poor maintenance of the Coronavirus epidemic striking their country. Similar to their administration style during the Fukushima nuclear fallout, the Japanese government is staying tight-lipped regarding the hard facts on the ground in terms of positive cases and people tested to maintain a low number of reported cases. While this may paint Japan as having record low cases of COVID-19 within their country, these numbers are false as the Japanese government only allows for people with serious symptoms to be tested and receive treatment for the virus. It is also CRUCIAL to understand that Japan sees the coronavirus epidemic as an economic issue, not a global health pandemic that will sooner rather than later
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New and Improved Shelter-in-Place

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I am sure we are all aware of the extension of the shelter-in-place quarantine implemented statewide starting this Monday at midnight. While these rules essentially reiterate the same point, which is, for the love of GOD stay in your homes - some of the new restrictions were laid into the fine print. So what is the difference between the first shelter in place and the newly implemented one? The idea of “social distancing” has now been firmly implemented within food establishments as restaurants are now mandated to mark 6 feet distances outside of their establishments to try and minimize corona exposure. You know what would really minimize it? Staying in your home. Regardless, another newly concocted rule states that all playgrounds or high-use surfaces are now prohibited. It’s definitely a sight to see when a child’s playground is wrapped up with Caution tape like a murder scene. While these restrictions seem to get tighter and tighter, it is necessary to carry out our individ
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Out with the Olympics; It's Corona Time

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As The Corona continues to permeate throughout countries disrupting entire societies and economies, it comes as no surprise that the virus has affected the 2020 Olympics set in Tokyo for the summer. As of this week the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and the International Olympic Committee President, Thomas Bach, agreed to postpone the events. One Olympic official stated, “the celebratory mood of the Olympics had already been fading due to the coronavirus. Perhaps it would not have been fully welcomed if the Games had gone on as scheduled. We just need to start afresh”. While it seems only logical to postpone to games this uncharted territory for the IOC could lead to the ultimate detriment of the Japanese economy. With six-years of planning already being implemented, buildings constructed, and nuclear waste sites SUPPOSEDLY being decontaminated enough to be safe to compete near, it is clear that Japan has invested heavily into the 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games. The pos
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Marinate in the Magic of Studio Ghibli

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Guess what we’re DEFINITELY not talking about this week. Coronavirus. In much happier news that sparks much joy, the Japanese production company Studio Ghibli, famous for their movies such as My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away, and Princess Mononoke, has agreed to distribute their movies and soundtracks globally, well almost. According to the Japan Times, the company has recently made agreements with Netflix and HBO streaming services to make their glorious and captivating animated films available, everywhere except the US, Canada, and Japan, through their subscriptions. There is nothing to complain about with this recent development as audiences worldwide will have access to a distinctly eastern animation style in addition to the cultural themes ubiquitous throughout the movies.   Part of the magic within these films is the peaceful melodies interlaced throughout composed by Joe Hisaishi.   The soundtracks for the Studio Ghibli movies will be available everywhere on streaming se
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The Disheartening Development of the Coronavirus

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Now I told myself that I do NOT want to address anything regarding the coronavirus since that’s all the media wants to discuss nationally and globally. Much to my dismay, the overhyping and fear-mongering projected onto the civilian population has ignited severely racist attitudes against the Asian community across a multitude of countries. In France, a Japanese restaurant, Yuki, was vandalized with paint with the word “coronavirus” graffitied onto the side of the eatery. The most disappointing aspect in regards to the vandalism is the issue that “Asian French, or Japanese, are being targeted for racial discrimination because of the coronavirus!”. Racist attitudes projected against those of Asian descent happens within the Asian culture itself as “Japanese candy shops banned any and all Chinese people from entering the premises”. At this point in time, the coronavirus has 1. Spread to other parts of the world - so anyone can be infected at this point, not just Chinese or for th
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Duterte's Decision

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In breaking news from the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has dismissed the Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA) between his country and the US as of February 12. The VFA is defined as a “legal mechanism to promote defense cooperation between the two countries, enhancing the preparedness of the Armed Forces of the Philippines against external threats”.   This decision is met with trepidation from local political figures in the Philippines as the Vice President   Robredo and Senator de Lima both voiced concern over the hasty abrogation. Lima states, “Duterte’s termination of the VFA is epically wrong. It is a geopolitical blunder and a previous misstep that may further unsettle the functioning of our very own government - one that is supposedly built on the constitutionalism and principle of checks and balances”. The Filipino President firmly stands behind his decision claiming he was considering “national interests” but a lack of national security undermines any type of i
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