Yasushi Akimoto poses for photographers in 2013 during JASRAC (Japanese Society for Rights of Authors, Composers and Publishers) music award in Tokyo. Photo: Shizuo Kambayashi / Associated Press
TOKYO — The producer for a Japanese all-girl “idol” group has joined Sony Music in apologizing after the popular act performed in outfits resembling Nazi-era German military uniforms.
Keyakizaka46, a group of about 20 mostly teenage girls who sing and dance in synch, appeared at an Oct. 22 concert in black knee-length dresses that look like military overcoats, and black capes and officer caps with a Nazi-like eagle emblem. Sony Music is the group’s label.
Producer Yasushi Akimoto, a songwriter who is also an executive board member of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizing committee, apologized in a note posted late Tuesday on the group’s website. He said he was unaware of the outfits before the performance, and blamed his “lack of oversight.”
He also said he doesn’t think the designers were trying to make something reminiscent of the Nazis, but he would like to prevent a recurrence through staff education and having everything checked in advance.
Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) said in a statement on its website: “We express our heartfelt apology for causing offense … because of our lack of understanding. We take the incident seriously and will make efforts to prevent a recurrence of a similar incident in the future.”
The U.S.-based Simon Wiesenthal Center, a human rights group focused on anti-Semitism and hate speech, issued a statement Monday saying it was disgusted by the uniforms and calling on Sony Music and Akimoto to apologize.
“Watching young teens on the stage and in the audience dancing in Nazi-style uniforms causes great distress to the victims of the Nazi genocide,” Rabbi Abraham Cooper, associate dean of the Wiesenthal Center, said in the statement.
It’s not the first time that Sony has said it’s sorry after a complaint from the Wiesenthal Center. In 2011, Sony Music Artists Inc. apologized for a rock band under its management that dressed up like Nazis on a national TV broadcast. The Wiesenthal Center had expressed “shock and dismay” at the appearance by the band, Kishidan, on MTV Networks Japan.
Much of Asia is less sensitive about the use of Nazi themes than the West. The Wiesenthal Center has also protested incidents in South Korea and Thailand.
Keyakizaka46, formed by Akimoto in August 2015, is a spinoff of Nogizaka46. They both follow the model of the hugely popular all-girl group AKB48, and Akimoto described Nogizaka46 as a rival to AKB48 when he launched it in 2011.
The English-language Japan Times newspaper described Keyakizaka46 as a group on the rise, noting its first single, “Silent Majority,” was No. 1 on Japanese charts after selling about 260,000 copies within a week of its April 6 release.
Farmers dry rice grains Monday in Buriram province.
BANGKOK — The interim cabinet on Tuesday approved a higher-than-expected agricultural subsidy under which the government will spend at least 20 billion baht to guarantee prices for struggling rice farmers.
Responding to the some of worst market conditions in years, Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Tuesday said his cabinet approved the subsidy to slow the flow of rice onto the market and help farmers with the policy, which is nearly identical to that of the former civilian government.
Under the structure approved today, the government will pay 13,000 baht per metric ton of jasmine rice, a figure about 1,500 baht over what was proposed by the country’s rice management committee that Prayuth chairs.
“I hope the farmers are satisfied,” Prayuth said Tuesday. “There is news about those who are still unsatisfied. I want to ask for their understanding and sympathy for the government, as there are currently many challenges, such as the effect from the rains.”
The idea is that farmers effectively sell their rice to the government. In practice, the authorities consider the subsidy as a loan the farmers secure with their rice. The rice will be kept in storage in hope the reduced supply will drive up market prices. Farmers who join the program can reclaim their rice months later when, theoretically, market conditions improve, and repay the loan.
It’s the same scheme for which ousted Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra is currently being tried for malfeasance due to losses it sustained. The military government last week announced it would personally fine her 35 billion baht for the program’s failure.
Unlike Yingluck’s subsidy, the junta is capping the amount of rice per household. It’s expected that two million farmers will sign up for the program, which is in effect now through February.
The subsidy is managed by the Bank of Agriculture and Agricultural Co-Operatives. Farmers will be paid 90 percent of current market price at 9,500 per metric ton, plus 2,000 baht for harvesting costs and 1,500 baht for storage. Those who don’t have barns to store rice will not receive the storage cost.
Prayuth ordered the market be monitored for any attempted disruption or manipulation.
The program comes as many have been campaigning for help for the farmers, who are suffering dire losses due to plummeting prices for rice. Commerce Minister Apiradi Tantraporn on Monday encouraged farmers to reach their consumers online for direct sales.
Cars pass under the Ratchayothin overpass on Phahonyothin Road with the iconic Elephant Building in the background. Image: Google
BANGKOK — One of Bangkok’s busiest traffic flyovers will be shut down later this month for demolition to make way for a new elevated rail line.
The Ratchayothin intersection overpass will be closed at 10am on Nov. 22 for demolition to begin four days later, according to the Mass Rapid Transport Authority, or MRTA.
The operation is expected to severely impact traffic in the vicinity; the bridge allows the ringroad of Ratchadapisek Road to pass over the ever-clogged Phahonyothin Road and connects downtown Bangkok with the suburbs.
The work is expected to take three years.
In place of the overpass, the MRTA will build a tunnel under Phahonyothin Road. A new bridge for autos will also be built parallel to the new Green Line extension along Phahonyothin Road.
The Green Line will run from Mo Chit north to Pathum Thani province.
The MRTA has advised motorists to cross Ratchayothin intersection through side alleys such as sois Phahonyothin 30 and Ratchadapisek 48.
Fireworks greet the arrival of the year 2015 after the clock strikes midnight on Jan. 1, 2015, at Central World shopping mall in Bangkok
BANGKOK — Parties, festivals, and other forms of public entertainment may resume Nov. 14, a government spokeswoman announced Tuesday.
That’s the day the month-long ban on such events was imposed by the military government after the Oct. 13 death of King Bhumibol at 88.
Regime spokeswoman Taksada Sangchan confirmed that public festivities may resume in two weeks when the ban is lifted, but encouraged organizers to be respectful of the ongoing mourning period to be observed through October 2017.
“All sectors can organize all the activities, but organizers must consider they are appropriate and in accordance with existing laws and regulations,” Col. Taksada said at a news conference.
Taksada said permitted events fall into nine categories:
1 .National events such as Songkran, Loy Krathong, Christmas and New Year’s Day
2. Provincial festivals such as Phi Ta Khon, Boon Bang Fai and Red Cross fairs
3. Street markets and other fairs that boost local economies
4. Upcountry cultural events such as Likay, Lam Tad and beauty contests
5. Entertainment events in nightclubs, pubs and bars
6. Private functions such as hotel conferences, seminars and banquets
7. Commercial music concerts
8. Spiritual events such as weddings, ordinations and the Kathin Festival
9. Sporting events and tournaments
State buildings will also return the national flag to full mast from Nov. 14 onwards, the colonel said.
However organizers of a number of upcoming events already canceled them prior to today’s announcement.
Sukhotai city government called off its Loy Krathong festival, stripping the event down to only floating krathong in the river. Bangkok was expected to follow suit.
February’s annual football match between Chulalongkorn and Thammasat universities has also been canceled.
ISIS flag, adapted by Abu Sayyaf for personal use. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
MANILA — The Philippine military says it has killed 70 Abu Sayyaf militants and captured 32 others in a major offensive that began in July against the group, which is accused of kidnapping sailors from neighboring countries for ransom.
Military spokesman Col. Edgard Arevalo said Tuesday that 34 other militants surrendered under pressure from military assaults in the southern provinces of Sulu and Basilan.
President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the military to destroy the Abu Sayyaf, which is accused of kidnapping Malaysian and Indonesian tugboat crewmen in a series of attacks that prompted the three countries to map out a joint strategy to strengthen sea border security.
Duterte plans to discuss the Abu Sayyaf threat when he visits Malaysia next week.
TOKYO — A popular teenage all-girls band in Japan is under fire for performing in outfits resembling Nazi-era German military uniforms.
The members of Keyakizaka46 appeared recently in dark gray capes and knee-length dresses that look like military overcoats, and wore officer caps with a Nazi-like eagle emblem.
The U.S.-based Simon Wiesenthal Center says it is disgusted by the uniforms and is calling on Sony Music and the group’s producer to apologize. The center is a human rights group focused on anti-Semitism and hate speech.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yazz-6K6Xg4
The Wiesenthal Center’s Rabbi Abraham Cooper said in a statement Monday that “Watching young teens on the stage and in the audience dancing in Nazi-style uniforms causes great distress to the victims of the Nazi genocide.”
Sony officials were not immediately available for comment.
ZHUHAI, China — China’s J-20 stealth fighter made its public debut at an air show on Tuesday, in the latest sign of the growing sophistication of the country’s military technology.
The fifth-generation warplane, which outwardly resembles the Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor in service with the U.S. military, performed a series of maneuvers under overcast skies at Airshow China in the southern city of Zhuhai.
The long-range J-20, armed with air-to-air missiles, performed its first test flight in 2011 and has been the object of feverish attention by the nation’s aviation buffs. At least six prototypes have been produced, according to an annual report on the Chinese military issued by the Pentagon this year.
The Pentagon says a second Chinese stealth fighter under development, the FC-31, is intended for export as a competitor to the U.S. F-35. The FC-31 first flew in 2012 and debuted at Zhuhai in 2014. China is the only country apart from the U.S. to have two concurrent stealth aircraft development programs.
While the planes’ stealth capabilities remain a secret, the Pentagon said that China views the technology as key to its transformation from a “predominantly territorial air force to one capable of conducting both offensive and defensive operations.”
Air force leaders “believe stealth aircraft provide an offensive operational advantage that denies an adversary the time to mobilize and to conduct defensive operations,” said the report, which estimated the two Chinese planes could enter service as early as 2018 and would “significantly improve China’s existing fleet of fourth-generation aircraft … to support regional air superiority and strike operations.”
Among other recently developed Chinese aircraft appearing at the weeklong air show is the Y-20 large transport aircraft, with a maximum takeoff weight of around 200 tons. The plane is being introduced into the People’s Liberation Army to carry out aerial command-and-control operations and parachute drops.
Also featured is the CH-5 unmanned aerial vehicle, China’s largest combat drone, which made its first flight last year and appears to be based on the U.S. MQ-9 reaper.
BANGKOK— It’s never too late for a fright-fueled adrenaline rush and good scream.
A postponed scary movie marathon all-nighter featuring four horror films will take place at the end of November.
The spooky lineup includes 2015 baroque fantasy drama “Tale of Tales” and horror-comedy anthology “The ABCs of Death 2” (2014) which consists of 26 alphabetically arranged shorts on on all the ways to die, from accidents to murder.
The third and fourth films? The Horror Club, who is organizing the event aren’t telling but for these hints: one is a 1989 slasher film (good money’s on “Intruder” with Evil Dead alums Bruce Campbell and the Raimi bros.) and a haunted house flick which pays homage to Lucio Fulci’s “City of the Living Dead.”
All films will show in English with Thai subtitles. Tickets are 250 baht if online purchased in advance online. Tickets at the door are 350 baht.
The first film starts at 10pm on Nov. 26 and the event will run until 5am of Nov. 27 at the Knowledge Exchange Center. The 20-floor multi-purpose building is a short walk from BTS Wongwian Yai.
Horror Club is a community of horror movie buffs who share and discuss their favorite films. The group became well-known seven years ago for its popular Pantip forums dedicated to collections of thriller, gore, horror and supernatural films take place.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton shake hands after a presidential debate in September at Hofstra University in Hempstead, New York. Photo: David Goldman / Associated Press
BANGKOK — With the outcome of next week’s U.S. elections far from certain, Thai political experts predict a win by Donald Trump would lead to more erratic relations with Washington while a Clinton administration would mean continuity.
While most said a Trump presidency might herald closer relations with Thailand’s military regime due to his seeming ambivalence toward human rights and authoritarianism, they agreed less is known of what specific policies he would pursue compared to Clinton on matters of trade and geopolitical alignment.
“The challenge of assessing a Trump presidency is that he is so much of an outsider as to be an unknown quantity. We don’t even know who his Asia team is likely to be, should he win,” said Chulalongkorn University political science professor Thitinan Pongsudhirak. “For Hillary Clinton, we can sense continuity from Obama on Asia policy, including the role of people like Kurt Campbell, who was assistant secretary for East Asia and [the] Pacific.”
Thitinan noted Trump’s rise from outsider to de facto leader of the Republican Party has caused a schism between his party’s centrists and more extreme elements. Clinton, he said, is a through-and-through establishment figure.
“She represents the sleaze and privilege associated with old-style U.S. politicians,” he said. “But Trump is hardly better as a rambunctious representative of Americans who have been left out by runaway globalization and internationalization.”
A Trump presidency could upend the world order and prove unpredictable for Thailand, said professor Thanet Aphornsuvan, an expert on ASEAN and U.S. affairs at Thammasat University.
“If Trump wins, everything will shift. He may be able to negotiate with Putin and the Chinese. The old balance of powers may be discontinued under Trump. I think it will affect Thailand as Trump is likely to become more friendly with China and the relationship with the National Council for Peace and Order may be good,” Thanet said, using the ruling junta’s formal name.
On the other hand, a President Clinton would mean continuity to existing U.S. foreign policy with an emphasis on human rights, Thanet said.
“Trump doesn’t talk about human rights,” the Thammasat lecturer said.
The dean of Ubon Ratchathani University’s political science faculty predicted the election of Trump would mean issues of democracy and human rights, which have been sticking points in relations between Washington and Bangkok, would become less so.
“If Trump wins, Trump may not care about these issues, and it may be in line with those who do not want democracy in Asia,” Titipol Phakdeewanich said. “Hillary would likely be more beneficial in terms of strengthening democracy in Thailand and the rest of Asia.”
Trump has steadfastly refused to criticize Russian President Vladimir Putin, whose leadership has long been criticized by U.S. officials for its authoritarianism and human rights abuses. Instead Trump has suggested the U.S. government should find common cause with Moscow, while his critics have accused him of being too receptive toward dictators.
“The government under the National Council for Peace and Order is likely to get along better with Trump than Hillary due to Hillary’s stance on human rights,” Titipol said. “Trump may get along well with the military regime.”
U.S. marines take part in an amphibious assault joint military exercise as part of Cobra Gold 2014 at a military base in Chonburi province on Feb. 14, 2014. Photo: Narong Sangnak / EPA
Thitinan, director of Chulalongkorn’s Institute of Security and International Studies, is less sure. He said there were several reasons Trump was unlikely to forge closer ties to the junta, the primary of which being strong existing military ties.
“First, Thai-U.S. military relations are still very good under Obama. So it’s not like military-military ties are on the rocks and Trump would bring them more in line,” he said, describing ties between the two nation’s militaries as “the bedrock of what’s left.”
He also pointed to Trump’s isolationist posturing and claims he wants to bring U.S. firms and jobs back home.
“He wants to disengage to save costs and reduce international burdens. He wants to stand up to China,” he said. “Trump does not talk of democracy and human rights, and his authoritarian ways have not endorsed authoritarian rule as such. He has expressed some support for Putin on a bilateral basis, but that is far from being supportive of despotic rule.”
U.S. Ambassador Glyn Davies speaks to the media on Nov. 30, 2015, about Thailand’s possible inclusion in the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
Trade
On economic ties, both candidates have signaled opposition to a trade deal between Pacific Rim nations that Bangkok has expressed interest in joining. Washington has made it clear Thailand would need to institute an array of reforms and standards to join the Trans-Pacific Partnership, or TPP, which neighbors Vietnam and Singapore endorsed with in February.
Trump has steadfastly opposed it; Clinton originally supported the agreement but now says it is flawed.
A one-time activist opposed to such agreements pointed to Trump’s daily declarations to dismantle the existing North American Free Trade Agreement and opposition to TPP as evidence he would likely pull the United States back from it.
“Trump has clearly declared that he will not support TPP,” Jacques’chai Chomthongdi said.
He noted Clinton was leaning the same way under pressure by strong populist sentiments.
“Hillary has been forced to have a clear stance on TPP, and she said the matter must be put under review,” said the anti-free-trade activist who predicted that no matter who becomes president of the United States, Thailand could face growing trade barriers as issues of labor rights and the environment could be used as a tool for protectionism.
Thammasat’s Thanet warned Trump’s protectionism would adversely affect Thailand.
“Trade negotiations will become more difficult, and the Thai economy may face greater hardship as a result,” he said.
BANGKOK — The Grand Palace re-opened Tuesday for tourists for the first time since the death of King Bhumibol last month.
Tourists can enter through the Viset Chaisri Gate, the gate normally used by visitors on the north side of the palace grounds. Mourners paying condolences to the King will use the Mani Noppharat Gate, which is also located in the north wall.
Mourners and tourists alike are encouraged to dress modestly in black, white or shades of gray when visiting the Grand Palace and Wat Phra Keaw, which is located inside the same complex.
