Latest news with #Ichikawa
The Mainichi
6 days ago
- Business
- The Mainichi
Nikkei snaps 3-day losses as chip shares sought on firm AI demand
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Tokyo stocks rose Wednesday with the Nikkei index snapping a three-day losing streak, as semiconductor-related shares were sought on expectations for continued growth in demand for artificial intelligence. The 225-issue Nikkei Stock Average ended up 300.64 points, or 0.80 percent, from Tuesday at 37,747.45. The broader Topix index finished 14.02 points, or 0.51 percent, higher at 2,785.13. On the top-tier Prime Market, gainers were led by pulp and paper, oil and coal product and securities house issues. In the foreign exchange market, the U.S. dollar briefly strengthened to the lower 144 yen range in Tokyo, lifted by receding concern over a U.S. economic slowdown following stronger-than-expected job openings data, dealers said. Heavyweight chip shares tracked overnight gains by their U.S. counterparts after U.S. technology giant Meta Platforms Inc. announced it signed a deal to secure electricity from a nuclear plant to meet growing power demand from AI and data centers, brokers said. "Firm AI demand is one of the factors needed for a stock market recovery, and hopes for a reviewing of U.S. export curbs on chips to China would grow if tensions between the two largest economies recede," said Masahiro Ichikawa, chief market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Co. "The outlook for U.S.-China relations is a significant factor for semiconductors," Ichikawa added. The yen's depreciation also helped lift some export-oriented auto and machinery issues as the weaker yen increases exporters' overseas profits when repatriated. Market sentiment was supported by hopes for progress in U.S.-China tariff negotiations with the two leaders expected to talk soon, while the doubling of U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 50 percent, which took effect Wednesday, had little impact on the market, brokers said.
The Star
29-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Star
Disabled Japanese writer makes literary history
When Saou Ichikawa was named the winner of the Akutagawa Prize in 2023, one of Japan's oldest and most prestigious literary awards, she flashed a thumbs-up to her parents and editor before going onstage to receive it in front of a gold screen. While the 45-year-old novelist was the 181st winner of the prize, she was the first to require a ramp to ascend the stage. Ichikawa has congenital myopathy, a muscle disorder that requires her to use a wheelchair for mobility and a ventilator to breathe, and was the first author with a severe physical disability to win. She used her moment in the national spotlight to highlight how people with disabilities face isolation and are invisible in society, a theme she took up in her prize-winning novel, Hunchback . 'I wrote this novel thinking that it is a problem that there were few authors with disabilities,' she told reporters, pressing a button on her larynx to speak. 'Why did the first winner not appear until 2023? I want everyone to think about that.' It was a long journey for Ichikawa, who was removed from school after being put on the ventilator at age 13. But she refused to disappear, becoming an author in her 20s in an effort to reclaim a voice in society. For two decades, she wrote more than 30 pulp romance and fantasy stories meant for young readers. But all of her manuscripts were rejected. Hunchback draws heavily from Ichikawa's personal experiences as a woman living with a severe physical disability in Instagram/ Whilereadingandwalking In 2019, when she enrolled in an online degree program at Tokyo's Waseda University, one of Japan's top schools, she began thinking about how people with disabilities are rarely represented in literature. She resolved to change that by telling the story of a character like herself, reliant on a wheelchair and a ventilator because of a major disability. Hunchback , her first work in which she said she took up a serious topic, bared a part of her experience for readers to see. 'There were only very stereotyped representations of the disabled, and I wanted to break that,' Ichikawa said in an interview at the home of her parents, with whom she lives. 'I wanted to show that we are people, too, with a diverse range of personalities and desires.' These include sexual desires, which her main character, a woman named Shaka who has a similar muscle disorder, uses to assert control over her own life and to seek revenge on a society that tries to deny her humanity. 'Through Japan's history, disabilities and illnesses were seen as something shameful to be kept hidden,' Ichikawa said. 'When pregnant women passed by people with severe disabilities, they were told to show a mirror to ward off evil spirits.' She stuck with writing, despite many setbacks, because she had no other way to be heard. Still, Ichikawa, who writes on an iPad, never imagined that her first work of 'pure literature' would win a top prize. 'When I heard, my mind froze,' she said. 'I think I was accepted because of my novelty, but I hope I can open the way for others to write more freely.' Ableism and social inclusion Ichikawa's breakthrough comes as Japan is becoming more aware of what is called ableism, the assumption that society belongs to the able-bodied. In 2019, two people with severe disabilities won the election to Japan's parliament, where renovations were required to accommodate their wheelchairs. An inclusive society begins by recognising and meeting the needs of the disabled community. Photo: 123rf 'Her winning the Akutagawa Prize has made a lot of people suddenly see the invisible barriers,' said Yuki Arai, a professor of literature at Nishogakusha University in Tokyo. Hunchback is a shout of anger at a society that doesn't realise it's denying them participation.' The most frequently cited passage of Ichikawa's book is a rant by the main character, who wants to read but cannot grasp a book in her hands. In a burst of angry self-loathing, Shaka blames an 'ableist machismo' that blinds most people to the barriers shutting out those with disabilities. 'Able-bodied Japanese people have likely never even imagined a hunchback monster struggling to read a physical book,' Shaka says. Although born with her illness, Ichikawa was healthy as a young child, enjoying dance and gymnastics in elementary school. Knowing that her condition could worsen, her parents took her on trips to Thailand and Canada. After Ichikawa started requiring a wheelchair and ventilator, her parents built a home by the coast so she could still see the ocean. She said this was nevertheless a dark time when she was plagued by nightmares, including one in which her floor was littered with the carcasses of dead bugs. Later, she read in a book on dreams that this reflected a fear of being left behind. Despite multiple book rejections, Ichikawa didn't give up, saying she had 'nothing else to do.' Hunchback has exceeded her dreams, with an English translation recently released. Now that she has ascended to a bigger stage, Ichikawa has no intention of leaving it. 'I plan to go on a rapid-fire spree of writing spontaneous novels for the next few years,' she said. 'I want to break preconceptions and prejudices.' – ©2025 The New York Times Company
New York Times
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
An Undaunted Writer Who Broke an Invisible Barrier in Japan
When Saou Ichikawa was named the winner of the Akutagawa Prize in July 2023, one of Japan's oldest and most prestigious literary awards, she flashed a thumbs-up to her parents and editor before going onstage to receive it in front of a gold screen. While the 45-year-old novelist was the 181st winner of the prize, she was the first to require a ramp to ascend the stage. Ms. Ichikawa has congenital myopathy, a muscle disorder that requires her to use a wheelchair for mobility and a ventilator to breath, and was the first author with a severe physical disability to win. She used her moment in the national spotlight to highlight how people with disabilities face isolation and are invisible in society, a theme she took up in her prizewinning novel, 'Hunchback.' 'I wrote this novel thinking that it is a problem that there were few authors with disabilities,' she told reporters, pressing a button on her larynx to speak. 'Why did the first winner not appear until 2023? I want everyone to think about that.' It was a long journey for Ms. Ichikawa, who was removed from school after being put on the ventilator at age 13. But she refused to disappear, becoming an author in her 20s in an effort to reclaim a voice in society. For two decades, she wrote more than 30 pulp romance and fantasy stories meant for young readers. But all of her manuscripts were rejected. In 2019, when she enrolled in an online degree program at Waseda University, one of Japan's top schools, she began thinking about how people with disabilities are rarely represented in literature. She resolved to change that by telling the story of a character like herself, reliant on a wheelchair and a ventilator because of a major disability. 'Hunchback,' her first work in which she said she took up a serious topic, bared a part of her experience for readers to see. 'There were only very stereotyped representations of the disabled, and I wanted to break that,' Ms. Ichikawa said in an interview at the home of her parents, with whom she lives. 'I wanted to show that we are people, too, with a diverse range of personalities and desires.' These include sexual desires, which her main character, a woman named Shaka who has a similar muscle disorder, uses to assert control over her own life and to seek revenge on a society that tries to deny her humanity. 'Through Japan's history, disabilities and illnesses were seen as something shameful to be kept hidden,' Ms. Ichikawa said. 'When pregnant women passed by people with severe disabilities, they were told to show a mirror to ward off evil spirits.' She stuck with writing, despite many setbacks, because she had no other way to be heard. Still, Ms. Ichikawa, who writes on an iPad, never imagined that her first work of 'pure literature' would win a top prize. 'When I heard, my mind froze,' she said. 'I think I was accepted because of my novelty, but I hope I can open the way for others to write more freely.' Ms. Ichikawa's breakthrough comes as Japan is becoming more aware of what is called ableism, the assumption that society belongs to the able-bodied. In 2019, two people with severe disabilities won election to Japan's Parliament, where renovations were required to accommodate their wheelchairs. 'Her winning the Akutagawa Prize has made a lot of people suddenly see the invisible barriers,' said Yuki Arai, a professor of literature at Nishogakusha University. ''Hunchback' is a shout of anger at a society that doesn't realize it's denying them participation.' The most frequently cited passage of Ms. Ichikawa's book is a rant by the main character, who wants to read but cannot grasp a book in her hands. In a burst of angry self-loathing, Shaka blames an 'ableist machismo' that blinds most people to the barriers shutting out those with disabilities. 'Able-bodied Japanese people have likely never even imagined a hunchback monster struggling to read a physical book,' Shaka says. Although she born with her illness, Ms. Ichikawa was healthy as a young child, enjoying dance and gymnastics in elementary school. Knowing that her condition could worsen, her parents took her on trips to Thailand and Canada. After Ms. Ichikawa started requiring a wheelchair and ventilator, her parents built a home by the coast so she could still see the ocean. She said this was nevertheless a dark time when she was plagued by nightmares, including one in which her floor was littered with the carcasses of dead bugs. Later, she read in a book on dreams that this reflected a fear of being left behind. Despite multiple book rejections, Ms. Ichikawa didn't give up, saying she had 'nothing else to do.' 'Hunchback' has exceeded her dreams, with an English translation recently released. Now that she has ascended to a bigger stage, Ms. Ichikawa has no intention of leaving it. 'I plan to go on a rapid-fire spree of writing spontaneous novels for the next few years,' she said. 'I want to break preconceptions and prejudices.'
The Hindu
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
Review of International Booker-longlisted Hunchback by Saou Ichikawa
'My Steamy Threesome …' — that's how the International Booker Prize-longlisted novel Hunchback begins, enticing readers with a scene in a three-storey swingers' club. But the moment this raunchy segment is over, readers are left to marvel at how Saou Ichikawa — who created history by becoming the first author with disability to win Japan's prestigious Akutagawa Prize in 2023 — deftly steers the narrative engine, making Hunchback a revenge story: a pushback against ableism, that is. Polly Barton, who has exceptionally translated Ichikawa's debut novel from Japanese to English, has done a great service to world literature by offering this work new visibility and acclaim. What readers worldwide must do, however, is to not reduce Ichikawa's artistic brilliance to her disability — congenital myopathy. Though the author has used her experiences, as writers often do, Hunchback is immensely layered. The protagonist is a 40-something Shaka Izawa, who calls herself a 'hunchbacked monster' — a reflection at the intersection of self-image and others' gaze — for she has a severe muscular disorder and an S-shaped spine, and writes on sex. Not a sad story Note Shaka is also the Japanese name for the Buddha Śākyamuni. Our heroine's WordPress account name too is Buddha — a way to humour herself. It's satirical, too, for she knows that she isn't like the Enlightened One who left his family in search of nirvana, because she can never leave. She lives in a group home, owned by her family, where she is cared for. But Shaka's isn't a sad story for ableist audiences. The protagonist knows how to take control. She talks about how assistive technology can make a noticeable difference in one's life. Societal norms, on the other hand, continue to be respected; Shaka is provided with gendered care. Her parents never miss any chance to remind her to be grateful for all they've done for her. But Shaka is not looking for sympathy. Nor is she accepting a form of oppression passed off as tradition. Personal is political When COVID-19 hits, she accepts the services of a male caregiver, Tanaka, who self-identifies as a beta male. 'He's probably an incel,' Shaka wonders. It's during a conversation between the two that Tanaka shares that he has read all the provocative content Shaka posts online. Things such as: 'I want to get pregnant, then have an abortion.' Or: 'In another life, I'd like to work as a high-class prostitute.' Tanaka is an embodiment of someone who can exact harm on Shaka with this knowledge, but Shaka learns he needs money. She propositions something, making this story take a sharp turn and illuminating what it is to exercise power — its relative nature and exploits. Through Shaka's private thoughts, author Ichikawa reminds one of Tomoko Yonezu, the disability rights activist who threw red paint at the Mona Lisa on display in the National Museum in Tokyo in 1974 to protest against the museum's inaccessibility. No detail is rendered useless in this slim novel. Everything is exploited to its full potential. During her exchange with Tanaka, Shaka wonders if the latter's piercing words were the 'red spray paint' and she, Mona Lisa? It seems that a lot of what isn't thought of as political is deliberately politicised in this book, including the storytelling (especially the way it ends), making Hunchback a powerful, highly original novel. The reviewer is a Delhi-based queer writer and cultural critic. Instagram/X: @writerly_life. Hunchback Saou Ichikawa, trs Polly Barton Viking ₹599
Japan Times
04-04-2025
- Business
- Japan Times
Tokyo stocks fall for another day as reality of Trump tariffs sets in
Japanese stocks continued to decline and the yen remained strong for another day as the world processed a sudden and unexpected upending of the global trade order. The 225-issue Nikkei stock average fell 2.75% on Friday — following a 2.77% loss the previous day — slipping below the 34,000 level for the first time since August last year. The benchmark index had been moving between 38,000 to 39,000 up until February, but has lost more than 10% since then. Global financial markets have been rattled by sweeping tariffs announced Wednesday in Washington by U.S. President Donald Trump, in which new duties were placed on nearly every country, with some hit particularly hard. Given that Japan is a close ally of the U.S., the expectation was that Trump might go easy on it. But the U.S. levied a surprising 24% rate on the country. This followed new 25% tariffs on vehicles and auto parts. Auto stocks have been hit hard, with Toyota, Honda and Nissan now trading at their lowest so far this year. As the possibility of a recession in the United States increases and as investors seek a haven from the global turmoil, the yen rallied into the ¥145-to-the-dollar range and to levels not seen in six months. Some analysts said financial markets would likely be volatile in the short term, but their longer-term outlook remains optimistic. "Markets tend to quickly price in negative scenarios, but I believe there is no need for excessive pessimism," Masahiro Ichikawa, chief market strategist at Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management, wrote in a report released on Thursday. 'It is unlikely that this scale of increases in tariffs will be imposed for a long period of time.' It seems Trump's intention is to set a strict policy at the outset to secure an advantage in upcoming negotiations, Ichikawa said. 'It is conceivable that the United States will ease the tariffs depending on negotiations with other countries. Thus, the focus is expected to be on the moves of the trading partners,' he said. 'If other nations choose to introduce retaliatory tariffs, President Trump could further escalate tariff increases, which would worsen the situation. But if negotiations between the United States and other countries progress, the tariffs may be adjusted.' When market chaos is caused by man-made policies, not by phenomena such as a financial meltdown, it can be calmed down by man-made policies, Ichikawa added. If the tariff issue persists for an extended period of time, the Japanese economy would face a tough time, said Shotaro Kugo, a senior economist at the Daiwa Institute of Research. "A major bottleneck is that there's limited room for rate cuts by the Bank of Japan," he said. Japan's current rate is set at 0.5%, which is much lower than other developed nations, so it's unlikely that the BOJ could deliver sufficient monetary easing to stimulate the economy, Kugo said. The Japanese economy tends to be vulnerable to downturns in the global economy. In addition to limited policy response options, it is likely to face a double whammy of declining overseas demand and a stronger yen, Kugo said. 'Resolving the issue through negotiations will be the key going forward,' he added.
