Military Comic Books Not So Novel

A comic book created by the US Navy to educate Japanese teens and young adults about one of it’s nuclear powered aircraft carriers is ready for distribution in Yokosuka. The city is home to the Yokosuka Naval Base US installation. The USS George Washington is scheduled to arrive in August 2008, to replace the 47-year-old non-nuclear propelled USS Kitty Hawk.

Stars and Stripes reports 30,000 copies of the 200-page Japanese language manga have been published. The comic book, titled “CVN-73″ follows sailor Jack Ohara , an American of Japanese descent, as he gets into all kinds of comic situations all over the ship. He’s mentored by Petty Officer 1st Class Elly Benton. full story

update june 10, 2008: The Navy released the comic June 8. Stars and Stripes reports sailors handed out about 800 copies of “CVN 73″ in three hours in the manga’s first day of distribution. full story. Free download of “CVN 73” in English and Japanese.

The Japan Ministry of Defense published it’s 2007 Ballistic Missile Defense White Paper in a manga version in addition to a standard text document. Read the MOD comic in Japanese about Japan’s Anti-Ballistic Missile capability, or download the MOD pdf version of the manga.

Pickles The Military Mascot

“Prince Pickles is our image character because he’s very endearing, which is what Japan’s military stands for,” said Shotaro Yanagi, a Japan Defense Agency official. “He’s our mascot and appears in our pamphlets and stationery.” full story: AP/IHT

Download the Prince Pickles series from the Japan Ministry of Defense.

Pentagon Uses Its Spidey Sense For the Troops

US psychological operations comic book in the southern Philippines: “Barbargsa — Blood of the Honorable.”

Psychological comic operations

One man. One beautiful woman. One Vulcan, a demon and a peon.

This is a two-part story by the creators of Shin Angyo Onshi: Youn In-Wan and Yang Kyung-Il.
Vulcan Markovic lives in a small fishing village in Croatia. He has only two things on his mind–designer goods and losing his virginity. When an indescribably beautiful girl shows up asking for directions to Heaven’s Gate, Vulcan takes his first step into “thrilling world-salvation action!!”
Synopsis from MyAnimeList:

Let’s Bible forum discussion: ChristianComics.net. Two chapters can be downloaded here
Let’s Bible-part1[ETC].zip and here Let’s Bible-part2[ETC].zip. Download links via: Anizeen.com

“I Survived a Japanese Game Show“, has begun taping in Japan. US broadcaster ABC-TV says the new, unscripted program features “10 Americans — many of whom have never traveled outside the United States — who are whisked away to Japan and compete in the ultimate Japanese game show … with hilarious results.”

Tony Sano, a U.S. actor fluent in Japanese hosts the show, with his “Mamasan” sidekick. A third host, Rome Kanda focuses on the events.

ABC says the results and prizing will be determined by “who best adapts to Japanese culture and the challenges in each episode.” The surviving stunt contestant wins USD $250,000. The program debuts in Prime Time (9-10 p.m. EDT) June 24, 2008.

Some of the games/challenges will include:

Why is this food so hard to eat? – Why? Because the food is attached to the head of a teammate who must run in place on a fast-moving treadmill, while the first teammate leans over a platform and tries to eat from the moving dish.

Crazy Crane Finds Fluffy Bear – This takes the American arcade game to the next level, as blindfolded teammates must operate a moving crane while another teammate precariously dangles trying to collect as many stuffed animals as he/she can.

Chicken Butt Scramble — The contestants create their own version of Japanese scrambled eggs as they attempt to smash goo-filled oversized eggs with only their butts… while wearing chicken suits.

source: abc Press release 1 ; press release 2
Learn more: TV In Japan

“Sports Injuries Around the World” MAD Magazine #490, June 2008

Is Former 1960’s TV Cartoon Character Sento-kun?

Alien and former TV star The Great Gazoo seems to have been the inspiration for Nara city’s new mascot Sento-kun.

Gazoo appeared as himself in a minor role on the popular American TV cartoon The Flintstones final season in 1965. Except for the occasional cameo in recent years, Gazoo has shunned media attention.

The Sento-kun character was revealed in February this year. Sento-kun was created for the 1,300th anniversary of the Nara Heijo-kyo capital. The mascot was widely criticized as being “not cute”.

But the negative response has resulted in extensive free publicity. The value of the free coverage is estimated at 13 million yen, according to a report from Osaka Prefectural University’s School of Economics.

other mascots in the news

Tama-chan promoted to Super Station Chief after one year as regular Station Chief. Gets new house.

interview

LetsJapan: What did you do before you were appointed Stationmaster?
Tama-chan : I was being taken care of by an old lady who owned a shop next to Kishikawa station.

LJ: She provided for you.
Tc: Yeah. She tried to keep me in a cat house in the street.

LJ: How did you get this job?
Tc: Well, the government told her my house had to be moved off the road, so she got this wacky idea and suggested putting the kitty hut in the station.

LJ: And the stationmaster agreed.
Tc: He saw my potential. Be the mascot, get some attention, improve the decreasing usage of this route. He made me Station Chief.

LJ: That’s a nice hat.
Tc: I hate it.

LJ: Why?
Tc: I have to wear it all day. I can’t lay down on my right side. Dogs and birds can sneak up on me from the right. And half the time they can’t even put it on straight.

LJ: You’ve posed for a photo book, you have a poster, postcards.
Tc: I earned it! I lived in that stupid pink cage for a year.

LJ: What’s next for Tama Chan?
Tc: Get me out of here. This is humiliating.

Photos: top, right Photozou/Tama-chan album

Video YouTube ; story, video TBS ; story, photo Petwalker

Photos: left Kishigawa-sen blog, right Photozou/Tama-chan album
Tama-chan goods, book; Wakayama line; Ryobi Holdings PR

A suspect in a crime is identified by name, and employer or occupation, but other people arrested for similar crimes are called only “company employees”( whatever that means.)

In Japan, it seems the employer and occupation are revealed for anyone in a media-related occupation, who is caught driving while intoxicated, or peeping under skirts, or for similar crimes, while the employers of others (excluding celebrities or well-known figures) are not.

Nihon Shinbun Kyokai Canon of Journalism states in part:

Member newspapers should pay utmost respect to the dignity of human beings, put a high value on individuals’ honor and give serious consideration to their right to privacy.

Media outlets in Japan are quick to point out crimes allegedly committed by employees of competing media outlets.

In my opinion, the occupation or employer of people alleged to have committed a crime, should not be reported, unless there is a direct connection to the alleged crime, such as someone accused of embezzlement. In most cases, naming the employer or the occupation of a person who has allegedly committed a crime, is irrelevant.

Some examples for comparison (from English-language media)

(more…)