A small island nation?
Gloria Goodale, in an otherwise interesting article in the Christian Science Monitor newspaper based in Boston, reported recently from Tokyo about how the anime phenomenon is taking over the world.
But in the very first paragraph of the article (which has been reprinted in over 200 newspapers worldwide), Goodale refers to Japan as a “small island nation.”
While a grown man reading a comic book might seem unusual in other parts of the world, in this small island nation Mr. Nozawa is only one of millions of consumers of anime (as animation is known here). “I’ve been an anime fan since I was a child,” says Nozawa with a laugh as he navigates the busy midday traffic. “So is everyone I know.”
Since when is 125 million people a small island nation?
Japan is NOT a small island nation anymore! From the northern coast of Hokkaido to the southern islands of Okinawa, Japan can hardly be considered to be a Small Island Nation (SIN).
Taiwan is a small island nation. Japan is not. Enough already!
Japan is an island nation located off the east coast of the Asian continent. The archipelago of about 7,000 islands runs almost 3,000km northeast to southwest. The total land area is just under 388,000 square kilometers, roughly equal in size to the US state of Montana
From here.
Small Island Nation sounds about right. Of course, being offended by that is even more laughable.
June 29th, 2005 at 12:14 amLast I checked Montana was anything but “small”.
June 29th, 2005 at 1:10 amHere’s a partial list of countries smaller than Japan, that small island country:
1. Germany, that puny nation in the middle of Europe
2. The Congo, that small country in Africa
3. Pint-sized Poland
4. Italy, just a mere slip of a thing.
5. The Philippines, all those teeny-tiny tropical isles in the small island nation of the Pacific
6. The United Kingdom, that small island nation off the coast of Europe.
7. And no doubt some will be chagrined to hear that Japan is even larger than North and South Korea put together, by a significant margin.
I guess some might say the Koreans just don’t measure up, but we can always console them by reminding them that size doesn’t matter.
Perhaps in Korea they would feel insulted about being called small, but knowing JP, I think he was more irritated at yet another example of the parade of ignorance published under journalists’ bylines 24/7 all around the world.
Found on Google in about 45 seconds:
http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/List-of-countries-by-area
June 29th, 2005 at 9:58 amknowing JP
Thanks, Amp… But this piece is by Danny Bloom.
June 29th, 2005 at 10:51 amBwa ha ha. Useful info from Amp - who would have thought Japan was larger than the Congo?
June 29th, 2005 at 2:18 pm125 million people does not a small island nation make. that’s half the population of the USA. more than the population of France, or Australia, or ….
Let’s face it, the reporter blew it. Good stats from Amp.
You want a small island nation? Try Tuvulu or… Tahiti.
June 29th, 2005 at 5:18 pmIt’s all a matter of viewpoint. Looking at it from the US, Japan is just that, a Small Island Nation.
But hey, if your so disturbed by your ’small size’ no problem. I hear there are some used ‘vettes for sale for a ’small’ price.
June 30th, 2005 at 4:49 amSo by your logic, Joe, Germany would be a small country too from the US viewpoint. Please show us some examples of a US journalist calling Germany a small country.
Either that, or be a man and admit that you were wrong.
June 30th, 2005 at 1:18 pm