Asia Blog: China, Japan, Korea, Vietnam

Tomohiro Kato from Shizuoka, a man the media first incorrectly reported as a Yakuza gang member, drove a mid-sized truck into pedestrians in Akihabara, the main electronics shopping district of Tokyo on Sunday. The New York Times reports that seven people died from the stabbing rampage, while another 11 were injured.

The truck used by Tomohiro Kato

The man who committed the “stabbing rampage” was Tomohiro Kato. He lived by himself in a small apartment, and had grown tired of life. Kato told police that he had grown “tired” of life, “hated the world” and had gone to Akihabara to kill random people. “Anyone was O.K., I came to Akihabara to kill people. It didn’t matter whom I’d kill,” he said. Kato wore a beige suit and black-and-white sneakers, and was armed with a 12″ survival knife.

Tomohiro Kato being captured by police

There is more coverage at Japan Probe, who’ve compiled a good list of links and news stories about this incident. It goes to show that even in countries that ban guns–like England and Japan–crimes, killing sprees, and murders can still be committed. And if knives are banned, only criminals will carry knives…

Update: Mashable reveals that the killer “twittered” his attack plan on a Japanese forum:

“I’m going to Akihabara to kill people. If my car is destroyed I’ll use a knife. Goodbye everyone.”
“I’m tired.”
“It’s time, I’m leaving.”
“I’ve entered Kanagawa [prefecture, en-route to Tokyo], I’m taking a rest.”
“I’ve reached Akihabara. Today it’s a pedestrian area, I think.”
“It’s time.”

He most likely decided in 2007 to stop dying his hair black and let the gray show through. The last photo is much larger and shows his face more clearly so the comparison to the others should be made with caution.

This is one part cute and one part sad to watch this Japanese newscaster go from black hair to grey. It’s amazing how much older he looks accented by that hair; note his face changes very little.

Our favorite singer Koda Kumi (倖田來未) has a new album coming out on January 30, 2008, according to JpopCD Art. The album is called Kingdom and will feature the following tracks:

01. Introduction For Kingdom
02. LAST ANGEL feat. Tohoshinki
03. Amai Wana
04. Himitsu
05. Ai No Uta
06. anytime
07. Under
08. BUT
09. Koi No Mahou
10. Aishou
11. Anata Ga Shite Kureta Koto
12. Wonderland
13. FREAKY
14. MORE
15. Black Cherry

Early reviews of the album are positive; there are four reviews on YesAsia already, with comments like, “this is truly amazing. I wasn’t expecting this from Kumi Koda. Completely unexpected, original, and refreshing.” The reviewers are judging based off of samples, but they sound hyped!

Someone paid me to take a look at Japanese Friend Finder and write a review. I was initially going to reject the request, but after looking at the site, I feel writing a review is justified. For, as you will soon see, Japanese Friend Finder is not affiliated with the famous Various Inc. Adult Friend Finder brand, but rather is simply a copycat site with a similar name.

There are a few things which immediately spark warning bells:

• The title tag reads “Japanese Women for Chat Dating …”
• It’s powered by “WorldFriends Networks” not “FriendFinder Network, Inc.”
• It boasts a dithered 8-bit image in its header
• The “featured members” don’t change on refresh (just once a day)

However, I can’t find anything bad about it online. And, it features convincing personal endorsements that suggest that it’s legit, even if it’s a second-rate dating site. Looking at the CEO Dominic Penaloza’s LinkedIn profile adds either legitimacy or caution, depending on how you look at it. After graduating from the University of Ontario in 1992, he worked a brief 8-month smith for Smith Barney IBD in 1994, spent a year at Greenwich Street Capital Partners, then 4 years at Prudential Asset Management Asia. To me, this sounds like the quest of a relatively young man to find his passion–although my cynical side wonders about his two short stints on wall street. Now he’s been managing Meta4 Group for 8 years now, lending strength to the legitimacy of Japanese Friend Finder.

Technically, they boast “1 million members” and their profile asks you to register your racial preferences. Do you like Thai girls, or Vietnamese? Chinese or Korean? The question is appalling, but central to Japanese Friend Finder’s mission–hooking you up with the girl from the country of your fancy. I like the language preferences section better, as learning Urdu or Tagalog appeals to me.

But somehow, I think sites like this are more for casual hookups or the desperate. I’d rather meet women serendipitously. And introduction from a friend, a drink bought at a bar, or picking up something she dropped in the street are all more romantic, satisfying ways to get to know someone. Or a dating site that tried to align your interests with other members’ interests holistically, comparing preferences in body type, nationality, language, and interests.

Ne-Yo is collaborating with Utada Hikaru on a song called Do You. It was released on Nov 21 to digital outlets in Japan. This is part of Ne-Yo’s worldwide initiative; other collaborators include Natasha Bedingfield (UK), Sarah Connor (Germany), and Mary J. Blige (U.S). Ne Yo sez, “She has great voice and I’m sure it will work perfectly.”

I was originally quite excited; now you can hear the full song on Youtube, still no downloads in US iTunes or anywhere else I looked:

I just wonder, do you ever
think of me, anymore? Do you?

The song turns out to be pretty boring. They’ve done something horrible to Utada to make her sound less like herself and more like a generic female voice. Also, her breathing comes out very harshly on the track. Ne-yo is stilted and unispiring. Well, listen to yourself–I give it a 1/5.