Latest news with #Ueda
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Summer Wars review – Mamoru Hosoda's birthday party anime puts the world at risk from AI baddie
This virtual reality thriller-cum-family drama from 2009 was an early solo success for Mamoru Hosoda, who along with Your Name's Makoto Shinkai is one of the leading new-school anime auteurs. Made after he withdrew from directing Howl's Moving Castle for Studio Ghibli, it flits between a fraught, soap-operaish saga about a family reunion near the city of Ueda and the metaverse of Oz. It isn't as sophisticated perhaps in its understanding of the online/real-world interface as his 2021 film Belle, but the multilayered storytelling still shows plenty of panache, especially on the visual front. Maths boffin Kenji (voiced by Michael Sinterniklaas in the English-language dub) is browbeaten by schoolmate Natsuki (Brina Palencia) into attending her great-grandmother Sanae's (Pam Dougherty) 90th birthday on her family estate; she needs a willing victim to pose as her boyfriend to impress the matriarch. Fending off his new in-laws, the teenager – also a part-time moderator for Oz – solves an encrypted math problem that opens a backdoor for a malevolent AI called Love Machine to corrupt the network. With much of the world dependent on the services hosted by Oz, much more than the birthday party is at stake. Hosoda shows a novelistic attention to detail that puts Summer Wars a cut above genre anime: from the sense of history underpinning the sprawling Jinnouchi family, always harping on about being descending from famously uncowable samurai, to the baseball game that is a meta-commentary on the unfolding online catastrophe. The deep texturing also extends to the images: not only the translucent and, from a 2025 perspective, somewhat utopian-looking online realm, but also piercing touches of IRL beauty. Sanae's flowers blooming by night as Kenji solves his maths puzzle is a particularly delicate touch. Insisting, via Sanae, on family solidarity and civic spirit in the face of existential challenges, Hosoda also shows something of a moralistic streak. But in the case of Summer Wars, this conviction dissipates somewhat in a gabbled finale that leans into the film's frantic tempo and assigns every Jinnouchi a supposedly key role in defeating Love Machine. Battling an apparently motiveless AI – whose link to bad boy prodigal son Wabisuke (J Michael Tatum) is underexploited – it feels increasingly consequenceless, as virtual action often does. But the narrative complexity and bravura imagery still impress. Summer Wars is in UK cinemas from 3 August.
Mint
14-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
BOJ Finishes Offloading Bank Stocks, Bringing Attention to ETFs
(Bloomberg) -- The Bank of Japan finished selling millions of dollars of stocks it bought from besieged banks during a domestic banking crisis in the early 2000s and the later Lehman Shock, ending a nearly two decade process and bringing closer market attention to the fate of its much bigger pile of exchange-traded funds. The BOJ's holdings of the shares purchased from banks hit zero as of July 10, falling from ¥2.5 billion ($17.4 million) 10 days ago, according to its balance sheet report Monday. It's well ahead of a self-imposed deadline of March next year, although the milestone was expected to happen around this time after a steady drop of roughly ¥10 billion per month in recent years. The offloading of the shares suggest that the BOJ's normalization process more broadly could be accomplished without disrupting financial markets, although it would take a considerable amount of time. The assets were originally bought as a crisis response measure, years before the introduction of the massive monetary easing program that Governor Kazuo Ueda's board is now in the process of unwinding. Between 2002 and 2010, the BOJ acquired about ¥2.4 trillion ($16.3 billion) of stocks from private banks in two separate periods to help stabilize the financial system at the time — initially seen as extraordinary steps to take for a major central bank. The BOJ's actions in the years following have ultimately made those steps less shocking. The central bank became the biggest holder of Japanese stocks around 2020 and the size of the central bank's ETF holdings are now 15 times larger than the shares it obtained from beleaguered banks. In a report Friday, Goldman Sachs economists noted that it's reasonable to expect the bank to start gradually selling ETFs in fiscal 2026 to minimize its loss and the impact on the stock market. The BOJ began buying stocks held by banks in November 2002, after a severe banking crisis that saw bank shares tumbling for about three years. The central bank kept buying for about two years in a bid to help banks address their dire non-performing loan problem. In the wake of the global financial crisis, the BOJ bought again between February 2009 and April 2010. It's taken the central bank nearly 18 years to offload the shares completely, after it first began selling in October 2007. At the end of 2015, the BOJ said it would extend the selling duration by a decade, through to March 2026. If the BOJ applies the same selling pace it did for the bank stocks, it would take more than 200 years to completely offload the far larger ETF holdings from its balance sheet. 'It fulfilled the intended objective,' Ueda said at a press conference last month, referring to the bank stocks buying initiative. 'Offloading them isn't completely finished yet but so far it's been proceeding without negative market impact or financial loss for us.' Getting rid of the bank stocks entirely helps lower the hurdle to consider ETFs, as the simultaneous sale of both asset types could risk a overly large negative impact on the markets. Starting with the end of negative interest rates and expansionary asset purchases in March last year, the BOJ has been cautiously normalizing policy, with the latest updated government bond buying plan in June, illustrating its caution. Ueda's board decided to slow the pace of tapering the bond buying from the next fiscal year given recent heightened volatility in the bond market. One BOJ policy board member said in April last year that the bank should reduce the ETF holdings to zero even if it takes time. At the same time, Ueda has kept his options open — in March he didn't rule out holding ETFs indefinitely. From the perspective of the BOJ's financial health, there is little need to rush to dispose of its stock fund assets. The bank earned ¥1.4 trillion in revenue from ETF dividends in the fiscal year ended in March 2025. That's offering sizable support for the bank's finances at a time when the cost of paying interest to banks is bound to rise further in tandem with rate hikes. The sizable ETF profits have drawn attention from investors and politicians. Some opposition party lawmakers are already calling for using the BOJ's ETFs to fund government finances. Some analysts say that the BOJ could hand out the ETFs to the public. 'As I have said many times, there is no change in our stance to take time to consider what to do with the ETF holdings,' Ueda told reporters last month. More stories like this are available on
The Star
10-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Rugby-Japan make five changes to team despite win over Wales last week
(Reuters) -Japan coach Eddie Jones made five changes to his side to take on Wales in the second test at Kobe on Saturday despite their 24-19 win over the tourists last weekend. Two changes in the pack and three in the backline were announced on Thursday with Faulua Makisi replacing Amato Fakatava at the base of the scrum and Keijiro Tamefusa taking over from Shuhei Takeuchi in the front row. Naoto Saito is back at scrumhalf after helping Toulouse win France's Top 14 competition, which means Shinobu Fujiwara drops to the bench. Halatoa Vailea, who came on and scored a try in Kitakyushu in the first test, gets a start on the wing and Ichigo Nakakusu, another try scorer at the weekend, replaces the injured Takuro Matsunaga at fullback. The uncapped duo of Kazuma Ueda and Australian-born Sam Greene were named among the replacements as Jones continues to bolster his squad with an eye on the next World Cup. Last week he named eight uncapped players in his match-day 23. Wing Ueda was in Japan's sevens team at last year's Olympic Games while 30-year-old Greene is a former Queensland Reds flyhalf. Team: 15-Ichigo Nakakusu, 14-Kippei Ishida, 13-Dylan Riley, 12-Shogo Nakano, 11-Halatoa Vailea, 10-Lee Seungsin, 9-Naoto Saito, 8-Faulua Makisi, 7-Jack Cornelsen, 6-Michael Leitch (captain), 5-Warner Dearns, 4-Epineri Uluiviti, 3-Keijiro Tamefusa, 2-Mamoru Harada, 1-Yota Kamimori Replacements: 16-Hayate Era, 17-Sena Kimura, 18-Shuhei Takeuchi, 19-Waisake Raratubua, 20-Ben Gunter, 21-Shinobu Fujiwara, 22-Sam Greene, 23-Kazuma Ueda. (Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
The Mainichi
09-07-2025
- General
- The Mainichi
Japan's 'hikikomori' finding voice through self-determination
FUKUOKA (Kyodo) -- Japan is home to some 1.5 million "hikikomori," the Japanese term for individuals who withdraw from society and self-isolate, often in their elderly parents' homes. A new quarterly Japanese magazine, called "SHIP!" -- planned, edited and published by people who have experience either as or with hikikomori -- was launched in April. The publication seeks to shake up society to allow social recluses to live happily, by giving voice to those who have previously suffered in silence. The national government, meanwhile, has also established new support guidelines that emphasize the "autonomy" of hikikomori and encourage dialogue that respects their choices. Rika Ueda, 53, a member of the quarterly's publishing team, went through a spell as a hikikomori in her 20s. "I took refuge away from society," she said of that time. After graduating from college, Ueda changed jobs two dozen times. She was a part of Japan's "Employment Ice Age" generation consisting of those who struggled to enter the workforce in a decade-long period from the mid-1990s. Young graduates as well as those who lost their jobs due to the collapse of the "bubble economy" suffered economic and societal hardship when they were unable to secure stable employment. Adding to the difficult environment, discrimination against women was also rampant, characterized by overwork, power harassment and the reduction of part-time and temporary staff. Given these challenges, Ueda's inclination toward social withdrawal deepened. Ueda said each time she became unable to move forward, she felt like "a nobody in this society." Her mother blamed herself for "not being able to put her daughter on the right track in life," and both shut themselves off from the outside world. One day, at a family gathering in Tokyo, Ueda was shocked to hear a man who was also a shut-in talk about his experiences of feeling like society had become his enemy. Similarly, Ueda had suppressed her feelings while harboring distrust for anyone outside those close to her. "I wasn't the only one," she thought, and the understanding that she was among others facing the same struggles gave her a feeling of redemption. The quarterly is edited by people affected by hikikomori, parents and supporters who met at hikikomori-related events and family meetings around the country. SHIP is an acronym for Social, Human Rights, Inclusive, Peer -- a reflection of the group's values. The special feature of its inaugural April issue was "Breaking Down Preconceived Notions." The content included personal stories from individuals and their families, as well as interviews with experts, and explored the background of the difficulties people face in life, such as prejudice, lack of understanding and peer pressure. According to a Cabinet Office survey published in 2023, there are an estimated 1.46 million people between the ages of 15 and 64 who are socially withdrawn in Japan. Despite various triggers and circumstances, government support has until recently emphasized "independence" through employment and other means, and there have been many cases where individuals have been driven into a corner by a uniform response to the problem. Feeling like there is no way out, some, particularly those who fall under the banner of the "8050 problem" -- referring to a situation where parents in their 80s are financially and emotionally supporting hikikomori adult children in their 50s -- have turned to shady businesses that remove shut-ins from their homes, often by force, at the request of parents. These operators are known as "hikidashi-ya" -- translating literally to "one who pulls (someone) out." It is believed they purport to take social recluses to "rehabilitation centers" and charge exorbitant fees for the service. There have been a number of civil court decisions in various parts of the country that have gone against them. In January, seven men in their 20s to 40s who lived in the Kanto region among other areas successfully claimed in a class action suit that they were forcibly taken from their homes and confined in a facility in Kanagawa Prefecture by a firm purporting to support the "independence of social recluses." The same month, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced a new guideline for use at local government offices, called "The Hikikomori Support Handbook: A Compass for Supporting Hikikomori." It states that employment and social participation are merely a means to an end, and that the goal should be "autonomy" to allow people to decide how they want to live their lives focused on dialogue, including with family members. The Tokyo-based network that publishes SHIP! held a series of events in May -- a total of 10 lectures introducing the perspective of shut-ins -- featuring specific examples from the newly published support handbook. "Dialogue means not forcing the 'right' answer on the other person," SHIP!'s Ueda said. "I want to make it possible for everyone to feel that it is okay to value their own voice in the rough and tumble of society, and not have their voices silenced." "SHIP! is a vessel that will continue to spread this message, think together, and ask questions," she added. (By Haruo Nagasawa)
Japan Today
04-07-2025
- General
- Japan Today
Japan's 'hikikomori' finding voice through self-determination
By Haruo Nagasawa Japan is home to some 1.5 million hikikomori, the Japanese term for individuals who withdraw from society and self-isolate, often in their elderly parents' homes. A new quarterly Japanese magazine, called "SHIP!" -- planned, edited and published by people who have experience either as or with hikikomori -- was launched in April. The publication seeks to shake up society to allow social recluses to live happily, by giving voice to those who have previously suffered in silence. The national government, meanwhile, has also established new support guidelines that emphasize the "autonomy" of hikikomori and encourage dialogue that respects their choices. Rika Ueda, 53, a member of the quarterly's publishing team, went through a spell as a hikikomori in her 20s. "I took refuge away from society," she said of that time. After graduating from college, Ueda changed jobs two dozen times. She was a part of Japan's "Employment Ice Age" generation consisting of those who struggled to enter the workforce in a decade-long period from the mid-1990s. Young graduates as well as those who lost their jobs due to the collapse of the "bubble economy" suffered economic and societal hardship when they were unable to secure stable employment. Adding to the difficult environment, discrimination against women was also rampant, characterized by overwork, power harassment and the reduction of part-time and temporary staff. Given these challenges, Ueda's inclination toward social withdrawal deepened. Ueda said each time she became unable to move forward, she felt like "a nobody in this society." Her mother blamed herself for "not being able to put her daughter on the right track in life," and both shut themselves off from the outside world. One day, at a family gathering in Tokyo, Ueda was shocked to hear a man who was also a shut-in talk about his experiences of feeling like society had become his enemy. Similarly, Ueda had suppressed her feelings while harboring distrust for anyone outside those close to her. "I wasn't the only one," she thought, and the understanding that she was among others facing the same struggles gave her a feeling of redemption. The quarterly is edited by people affected by hikikomori, parents and supporters who met at hikikomori-related events and family meetings around the country. SHIP is an acronym for Social, Human Rights, Inclusive, Peer -- a reflection of the group's values. The special feature of its inaugural April issue was "Breaking Down Preconceived Notions." The content included personal stories from individuals and their families, as well as interviews with experts, and explored the background of the difficulties people face in life, such as prejudice, lack of understanding and peer pressure. According to a Cabinet Office survey published in 2023, there are an estimated 1.46 million people between the ages of 15 and 64 who are socially withdrawn in Japan. Despite various triggers and circumstances, government support has until recently emphasized "independence" through employment and other means, and there have been many cases where individuals have been driven into a corner by a uniform response to the problem. Feeling like there is no way out, some, particularly those who fall under the banner of the "8050 problem" -- referring to a situation where parents in their 80s are financially and emotionally supporting hikikomori adult children in their 50s -- have turned to shady businesses that remove shut-ins from their homes, often by force, at the request of parents. These operators are known as "hikidashi-ya" -- translating literally to "one who pulls (someone) out." It is believed they purport to take social recluses to "rehabilitation centers" and charge exorbitant fees for the service. There have been a number of civil court decisions in various parts of the country that have gone against them. In January, seven men in their 20s to 40s who lived in the Kanto region among other areas successfully claimed in a class action suit that they were forcibly taken from their homes and confined in a facility in Kanagawa Prefecture by a firm purporting to support the "independence of social recluses." The same month, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare announced a new guideline for use at local government offices, called "The Hikikomori Support Handbook: A Compass for Supporting Hikikomori." It states that employment and social participation are merely a means to an end, and that the goal should be "autonomy" to allow people to decide how they want to live their lives focused on dialogue, including with family members. The Tokyo-based network that publishes SHIP! held a series of events in May -- a total of 10 lectures introducing the perspective of shut-ins -- featuring specific examples from the newly published support handbook. "Dialogue means not forcing the 'right' answer on the other person," SHIP!'s Ueda said. "I want to make it possible for everyone to feel that it is okay to value their own voice in the rough and tumble of society, and not have their voices silenced." "SHIP! is a vessel that will continue to spread this message, think together, and ask questions," she added. © KYODO
