April 2024
Turning 60 feels like 40 in Japan’s certain age crisis
Japan’s ageing population means you’re still young at 60. That’s great if you’ve just celebrated that birthday. For the country, it’s a problem.
October 2023
From afar, the Voice debate is not our finest hour
Australia could lose the moral high ground to speak out on issues on the global stage if the Voice referendum is defeated.
August 2023
Why we need a bit of Matildas magic in Japan
The Japanese women’s team were undefeated in the heats and played beautifully. But support for them, and women’s sport more generally, still leaves a lot to be desired in Japan.
June 2023
Japan seeks to end ‘missing women’ in boardrooms
Postcard from Tokyo. Japan is a laggard and the lowest-ranking G7 country in terms of gender equality, but Prime Minister Fumio Kishida wants to turn that around.
December 2022
Snow in winter, hammer bans in summer: How to go bush in Japan
How hard can it be to build your dream mountain home to escape Tokyo’s summer heat? Long-time expat Melanie Brock got a little more than she bargained for when she set out to do just that.
May 2022
Australia’s new-look leadership plays well in Japan
The change of government in Australia presents the perfect opportunity to work on making our relationship with the land of the rising sun deeper and richer.
Expats deserve their democracy sausage too
Campaigning can be a noisy affair in Japan, while in Australia the electoral commission may end up quietening a few expatriate voices.
March 2022
Return to Oz an eye-opening reality check
An extended visit to her birthplace gave this Tokyo resident much to ponder on the pandemic’s lingering impact on the Australian psyche.
October 2021
Contenders stifle smiles as Japan tiptoes around gender issues
Candidates are largely masked and have been instructed not to smile too much in campaign posters, in deference to pandemic suffering. Aside from that, it’s tough enlisting change as Japan votes.
September 2021
Will Japan’s new optimism survive PM choice?
Japan is on the mend and the vibe is upbeat. Who knows – the country’s governing party may even elect a new leader who is prepared to tackle desperately needed reforms.
August 2021
Japan deserves a medal for the games
One of the strangest games in history is nearing a close and the successful delivery of the world’s major sporting event through the pandemic is a remarkable achievement.
A social media fracas left me a little stunned
A social media fracas left me a little stunned and concerned about my own part in these most unusual of Games.
July 2021
Olympic Games are a welcome distraction for Japan
While the country celebrates its success in the medal tally, it is also dealing with an unwelcome rise in the number of COVID-19 case, writes Melanie Brock.
Strangest Olympics takes Tokyo’s joy behind closed doors
Japanese people, like Australians, love sport. Yes this Olympics will be ‘like no other’, but the joy will still be there when a Japanese athlete does well and gets a medal.
June 2021
Beware the hubris of a holier-than-thou virus stance
Notwithstanding a few outbreaks, Australia may have been too successful at keeping the virus at bay. Here’s hoping our leaders work to shift fear into understanding, and our true outward-looking spirit prevails.
March 2021
The joy, guilt and anger of a returned Australian
There is one case of coronavirus’ news flash makes me want to buy a truckload of perspective and hand it out when I am released from quarantine.
Postcard from Tohoku: lessons to learn 10 years after tsunami
In my quest to find a way to help the communities of the tsunami-ravished north-east of Japan, I discover a lot about community and perseverance.
February 2021
Mori is simply the latest face of Japanese sexism
The former prime minister’s comments about women have stirred up passions around the world. But will the controversy bring meaningful change in Japan where social progress rarely comes easily?
December 2020
Virus has last laugh as end-of-year party pooper
The final cruel irony in 2020 is that a rotten third wave of virus infection means we cannot even have the forget-the-year parties we desperately need.
November 2020
Santa ScoMo could learn a lot in Japan this week
Sometimes Australians are so busy telling our stories that we forget to pay attention to our neighbours. And at the moment, Japan has plenty of interesting stories to tell.