Japan Women Play Canada in 1st Match of Olympics

Call it kismet.

Regular readers know that I am a proud Canadian who lived in Japan for three years.

I also enjoyed playing soccer. I also coached it for about seven years with my buddy Rob Jones.

We coached women's soccer.

Oh... and did I mention that I was born in London, England?

So... how appropriate is it that Canadian Women's soccer team plays the Japanese women's soccer team to open up the London 2012 Olympics this year?

Very, I dare say.

On July 25, 2012, those two teams will play each other at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena, two days before the actual opening ceremonies. Make no mistake... this is the first game of the Olympic soccer tournament, and the very first event of the Olympics.

Ookay, perhaps I am getting ahead of myself. The actual first game will be between Great Britain and New Zealand at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.

They are starting early to ensure all the games will fit into the schedule.

Canada is no slouch in soccer - at least when it comes to women's soccer. Rob and I will gladly attest that women soccer players are tough. Tougher than the men, I think. They may not have the same speed or skill as their male counterparts (a free observation for which you may all tell me I am full of it), but I firmly believe they more than make-up for those short-coming with more heart, desire and verve, and dare I say it - more passion.

Sorry... this blog actually celebrates women's soccer.

According to FIFA rankings, Canada is #7, Japan #3 - and they are grouped together in what can only be a group of death with the 5th ranked Swedes and the 65th ranked South Africans.  

Fans of soccer should keep an eye on this bracket.
 
“There is a bit of clarity now and that is exciting,” says Canadian coach John Herdman. “We can now start to focus on the technical blueprints and draw the route back from the gold-medal game.”

There are 12 teams in total for the women, in this year's Olympic tourney, encompassing 216 talented female players.  

In the other two groups, reigning Olympic champion (2008) United States was drawn with France, Colombia and North Korea in Group G.

While the 2012 host team of Great Britain was drawn in Group E to face New Zealand as well as Cameroon and Brazil.


The top two teams from each group plus two of the three third-place teams advance to the quarter-final phase.

The quarter-finals are scheduled for August 3, the semi-finals are August 6, and the medal games August 9, 2012.

I believe that the women's tournament will take place in six fields in Wales, Scotland and England. No Ireland, unfortunately in such venues as: City of Coventry Stadium, (Coventry); Hampden Park (Glasgow, Scotland); Millennium Stadium (Cardiff, Wales); Old Trafford (Manchester, England); St James' Park (Newcastle, England); Wembley Stadium (London, England).

Japan - It's A Wonderful Rife will keep you up to date on the scores with write-ups on some of the games.

Cheers,
Andrew Joseph

U.S. To Blow-up Japanese Squid Boat

Spooky...

That's the best way to describe this story.

Following the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, many people, animals and things were swept out to sea.

Just hours ago on April 5, 2012, the U.S. Coast Guard fired its guns on a derelict Japanese fishing boat, sinking it to the bottom of the ocean. The boat was a Japanese squid ship floating about 190 miles south-west of Sitka in the Gulf of Alaska... drifting at a speed of about one (1) mile per hour.

It's was ghost ship... with no crew onboard.

According to reports, the ship contained in its fuel tanks over 2,000 gallons of diesel which is constantly evaporating, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency believe is an environmental hazard.

So much so, that they believed it was safer to actually sink the derelict ship than to continue to let it spew its evaporated fuel into the air.

As well, there was also the fear that as the ship got closer to shipping lanes in the Alaska area, it could pose a hazard as it drifts.

Because of the threats, a U.S. Coast Guard cutter ship left port on Thursday, April 5 with the intent to blast the crap out of the Japanese ship—the Ryuo-Un Maru—with high explosive ammunition.

Why do I have visions of the WWII Pacific theater whipping around my head when I wasn't old enough to be there?

According to U.S. Coast Guard spokesperson Petty Officer Charley Hengen, that drifting ship would eventually run aground somewhere, "So it is safer to mitigate the risks now before there's an accident or environmental impact."

The U.S. Coast Guard warned other ships to avoid the danger zone, and observed the sinking of the Ryou-Un Maru from the cutter and an HC-130 Hercules airplane.

The Ryou-Un Maru is believed to be 200 feet long. It had been adrift from Hokkaido, Japan, since it was ripped from its moorings by the tsunami.

The vessel belonged to a fishing company in Hokkaido, Japan’s northernmost island. It had been used for squid fishing before being put up for sale because of its advanced age. It has no lights or communication systems.

Now... call me ignorant (without fervor, please), but why exactly does the U.S. Coast Guard have to blow up the Ryou-Un Maru shrimping vessel?

The boat lacks lights and communications... but it's floating and does not appear to be in any danger of sinking - except when it gets hit by the cannon fire... so why isn't it being towed into port? Which port? Any port!

As well... is it not possible to have someone go aboard the ship and, if they still do such things, weigh anchor and halt it? Then bring over a tanker of some kind to pump the diesel fuel from it and then tow it someplace safe?

Or... what about the fact that this is just a boat adrift. If there were still a crew, and if they were running her on the sea, would the ship not still be putting 'harmful' diesel gases into the atmosphere or water? Is it really an environmental disaster simply because the boat is adrift and not actually working?

If it were working, wouldn't the squid ship be affecting the environment even more - what with its diesel fuel AND it's killing of marine life (squid)?!

This just in.... a Canadian ship decided it wasn’t worth towing for salvage.

The U.S. Coast Guard’s plans to sink the ship, were initially put off when the Canadian fishing ship Bernice C claimed salvage rights. But... those rights were abandoned after an inspection showed the ship was not worth saving.

By Andrew Joseph

History Of The Japanese Automobile

I never had a car while I lived in Japan, though I often wished I did - especially after I was hit twice by cars while riding my bicycle - within a few weeks of each other, within a few month of arriving in Japan.
My family has owned a Nissan Stanza, and I have owned a Madza 323 and a Toyota Camry wagon - all of which were fine dependable cars. My father has another Camry wagon, and I currently have a Mazda Tribute. So... I like Japanese cars. I've also had many fine American cars, though my recent experience with the Swedish SAAB left me less than impressed.

Regardless... let's look at Japan and the automobile.  


There are a few things one needs to know about Japanese cars nowadays.... Number 1: white is the most popular color. Not only is it easier to see at night, but it also represents purity which is something all Japanese men strive for while they cheat on their wives with a mistress. Hey... ya gotta start somewhere.
Number 2: the Japanese word for car is kuruma ((車). Now... a brief history lesson in Japanese language. The car was invented ... well... depending on what one believes, in 1860 in France, but I'm betting the Japanese did not see one until much, much later.   
I could be wrong, but if the automobile is a foreign invention - IE not a Japanese one - then the word created to describe it should have been a katakana alphabet word. Not kanji,which was used for words to describe amongst other things, things that are Japanese.
Whatever.
Let's take a look at the automobile in Japan... a brief history of it just to get your going hmmm. 
In Japan, the first inventors of a Japanese automobile were guys working in bicycle repair shops or at bicycle manufacturing shops... you know... those 1,000s of little bicycle repair shops that dot every single city, town, village and hamlet of Japan.
Why not... in the USA, bicycle manufacturers the Wright brothers were trying to create an aeroplane (archaic spelling of airplane) from their bike shop.

Panhard et Levassor

First Cars in Japan:
In 1898, the Panhard et Levassor from France was the first car shipped to Japan. 

Locomobile

The first automobile dealer in Japan was the Locomobile Company of America Agency, specializing in the import and sales of America's Locomobile steam cars. In 1901, this agency set up a sales showroom in Tokyo which gave Japan its first look at the automobile... and it liked it.
 
The Locomobile had a sandwiched leaf spring-style suspension, a steel chassis, wooden body and over 300 connecting pipes making up its boiler for a two-cylinder engine that was driven by steam pressure.

1902 to 1913

Takuri

The first automobile made in Japan was done so in 1902 by 21-year-old Uchiyama Komanosuke (surname first) in Ginza, Tokyo after Yoshida Shintaro (surname first), a manager at Sorinshokai Bicycle, had brought back a gasoline engine from the United States. Uchiyama was working for the Sorinshokai dealership when he created this car, designing and manufacturing a chassis and body himself. 

Uchiyama then built the first entirely Japanese-made gas-powered car in 1907 known as the Takuri.

1904 Yamaba Omnibus

Also in 1907, Hatsudoki Seizo Co. was established (in 1951 it was renamed the Daihatsu Motor Car Co., Ltd.).  

1905 Yoshida Omnibus

Strangely enough, someone built a bus before the car. In 1904, Yamaba Torao (surname first) of Okayama-shi built the first Japanese-made bus - the Yamaba Omnibus powered by a steam engine - that could hold 10 passengers. This may have been Japan's first "car".

In 1905, the Yoshida Omnibus debuted - a gas engine vehicle. This may have indeed been Japan's first gas-powered vehicle. 

In 1911, Kaishinsha Motorcar Works (later to evolve into Nissan Motors) was established in Tokyo under the guidance of Hashimoto Masujiro (surname first).

1914 to 1917
After its experience in the Russo-Japanese War (1904-1905), the Japanese army became interested in the automobile importing in 1907 military trucks from Germany and France. In May 1911, it produced its first domestic military truck at the Osaka Artillery Factory under the orders of the Military Agency.

1919 Mitsubishi Model A

In 1914, Kaishinsha Motor Works began importing, assembling and selling British cars while also manufactured seven all-Japanese cars called the Dattogo (or DAT, for short) featuring a two-cylinder, ten horsepower engine.

In 1917, the Mitsubishi Zosen (Mitsubishi Shipbuilding) Co., Ltd. was established and over the next four years until 1921, it built the Model A, Japan's first series-production vehicle. Hand-built, the seven-seat sedan was based on the Fiat A3-3 (or Fiat Tipo 3) design... but it was more expensive than rival manufacturers and was discontinued after only 22 models were built.

1918-1929
In March 1918, the Military Vehicle Subsidy Law was enacted whereby the military granted subsidies to car manufacturers to produce automobiles to be used by civilians during peaceful times and converted to military use in times of war. This was in effect Japan's first automobile industry policy.

Wolseley A-9

In 1918, Isuzu formed two years earlier, joined with British manufacturer Wolseley Motor Company and by 1922 the first Isuzu Wolseley model A-9 car is domestically produced.

Between 1920-1925, Gorham/Lila's auto production was established, and is only important as it was many years later merged into Datsun - the company that would become Nissan.

The Great Kanto Earthquake of September 1, 1923, created an urgent need for motor vehicles to service the inhabitants of the devastated capital. As a temporary measure until Tokyo's transportation network could be fully restored, 800 Ford Model T truck chassis were immediately imported and converted to what were known as the Entaro bus that would serve the city's transport system for a long time thereafter.

Entaro Bus

In 1924, the Otomo Japanese car was built by Toyokawa Junya (surname first) until 1927 at the Hakuyosha Ironworks in Tokyo. Otomo offered an air-cooled 944 cc four-cylinder light car, available as two- or four-seat touring car saloon (sedan) or as a van. This was joined in 1926 by a water-cooled 24 hp (horsepower) model.

Both the Gorham/Lila and Otomo companies were at this time the only two Japanese car manufacturers - though Gorham was financed by US aircraft engineer William R. Gorham (hence the non-Japanese-sounding company name).

The fall-out from the Great Kanto Earthquake was that the Ford Motor Company saw Japan as a lucrative market and set up a subsidiary in 1925 called the Ford Motors Japan, and then set up a production plant was set up in Yokohama. Model T cars were produced General Motors established operations in Osaka in 1927 and began selling Japan Chevrolets, while Chrysler set up Kyoritsu Motors.

Ford and GM showed Japan the importance of mass production technology, quality control of subcontracting parts manufacturers, and how to establish a national sales network.

Between 1925 and 1936, these three US automakers Japanese subsidiaries manufactured 208,967 vehicles, compared to the domestic Japanese producers who built only 12,127 vehicles.

1930 to 1945
American car manufacturers had begun building cars in Japan for the Japanese market and were, by 1930, producing nearly 20,000 units per year. Japanese domestic manufacturers were producing fewer than 500 units. By 1935, industrialization was well underway in Japan with as many as 16 companies producing cars.

1931 Mazdago

In 1936, the Japanese government passed the Automobile Manufacturing Industries Act, which was designed to break the American car monopoly in Japan and promote the domestic auto industry (while of course, reducing the competition from the foreigners). Companies formed under this act included Toyota and Datsun.

It should be noted that by the time Japan became involved in the Second Sino-Japanese War (1937-1945), vehicle production had shifted to trucks - for the military. 

By 1939, the foreign manufacturers had been forced out of Japan.

Ohta OD 1937

1931 saw Mazda build the Mazdago - a three-wheeled open truck that looked like a motorcycle with an open truck bed. Steered via handlebars and powered by an air-cooled one-cylinder engine/transmission combo unit, it was built by Mazda and sold by Mistusubishi. It was considered to be the first auto-rickshaw.

Toyota AA 1936

Other note-worth data includes Ohta Jidosha Seizosho Co., Ltd. of Tokyo beginning auto production in 1934 through 1957. The company was established in 1922, and produced cars from 1934 beginning with the Ohta Model OS powered by a 736 cc 4-cylinder engine. In 1957 it was acquired by the Kurogane truck company and ceased auto production.

In 1936, Toyota released its first car - the Toyota AA.

In 1937, Tokyo Gas & Electric merged its car division with Automobile Industry Co., Ltd. and Kyodo Kokusan K.K., to form Tokyo Automobile Industry Co., Ltd. By 1941, the company changed its name to Diesel Motor Industry Co., Ltd., which would eventually become Isuzu Motors Limited.
1946-1954

1946 Tama electric car.

World War II brought the requirement that Japanese zaibatsu, or industrial conglomerates, disband.

However, Fuji Precision Industries (later the Prince Motor Company) built the Tama in 1946 - an electric car! Despite its clunky look, it still looks a damn side better than most electric cars out on the road today in 2012. The car was created because after the war there was a shortage of gasoline. As such, the electric car was an important introduction. The Tama was used in Japan primarily as a taxi until 1950. It could drive for 65 kilometers on a single charge using its 65 volt motor. It used a lead-acid 40 volt battery - but a speed demon it was not, having a top speed of only 35 kilometers per hour.

1955 to 1965

The Japanese government saw the importance of restarting the domestic car market and took steps to stimulate innovation.
Prince Motor Company started up in 1952  and would become integrated into Nissan by 1966. Hino Motors began auto production in 1953 before merging with Toyota in 1967.

1963 Honda S500

Subaru released its first car, the Subaru P-1 in 1954. In 1955, Suzuki began production of the 360cc Suzlite. Mitsubishi introduced its Mitsubishi 500, a small, fuel-efficient 500cc cheaply-priced car. 1960 saw the introduction by Toyo Kogyo, who would eventually become Mazda, of a 360cc coupe. Toyota's 700cc couple was introduced in 1961. All of these cars were the result of a government program urging car makers to produce small, highly fuel-efficient vehicles at an affordable price for the domestic market.
In 1963, Honda released its first car, the Honda S500 - which looks awesome!

1965 to 1975

Rotary Engine

The Japanese Automotive Manufacturer's Association (JAMA) was established in 1967. JAMA was formed to help auto manufacturers deal with changes in Japan's economy, such as liberalized automotive imports, that resulted from Japan's entry into the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Japan's auto manufacturers realized they would need more automation in automobile production and began using advanced digital manufacturing technologies and robotics in the early 1970s. Management structures were changed to match newer manufacturing technologies and techniques.

Between the mid-1960s and mid-1970s, Japanese car purchasing exploded. In 1962, 14 per cent of households owned cars. By 1975 it had increased to more than 50 percent. This influx of cash allowed Japanese car manufacturers to innovate in areas of manufacturing technology and engine design, resulting in the development of the rotary engine by Toyo Kogyo.

1975 to 1985

1982 Honda Accord

The global oil crisis of 1973 created a demand for more fuel-efficient cars. With American car manufacturers having focused for years on high-power, large engines, Japan was in a good position, with its lineup of smaller engines designed for fuel efficiency, to enter many global markets, especially the U.S. Because Japanese cars were already small and light, they were one of the first to use innovative materials, such as plastics and high tension steel sheeting, to further reduce weight.

In 1981, the Voluntary Export Restraints limited Japanese car exports to the U.S. to a mere 1.68 million cars a year. However, while it was done so that more people would buy American, what it did instead was force Japan to become even more competitive with its American cousins. The Japanese continued to make better, safer, more fuel-efficient vehicles that also looked good and were inexpensive to purchase.    


In 1982 the Honda Accord became the first Japanese automobile manufactured in the U.S.

In 1984 Toyota opened NUMMI (New United Motor Manufacturing Inc.) in Fremont, California, the first joint venture automobile manufacturing plant in the U.S. with its partner General Motors.

In 1983, Jumpin' John Goldsmith releases his widely popular song: You're Still Not Safe In A Japanese Car. Nice try, America.

1985 to present By 1985, Japanese automakers had been established as world-class operations.

Innovations in manufacturing systems, management systems, and automotive materials were at levels that wouldn't be matched by other nations until the mid-1990s. Japanese manufacturers focused on product improvement, including technological innovations. One area of focus was making cars recyclable. By 1985, 75 percent of a Japanese car, by weight, could be recycled. Japanese manufacturers also focused on safety improvements. Japan began manufacturing cars in local markets, such as the United States, as a response to protectionist sentiments. By the mid-1990s, Japanese manufacturers had entered the luxury car markets with high-end co-brands, such as Acura and Lexus, being produced to compete with European manufacturers like BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Here's a list of some important auto makers and their entries: 

• 1986 - Acura is launched in the US by Honda
• 1988 - Daihatsu enters the US making it the first time all nine Japanese manufacturers are present
• 1989 - Lexus is launched in the US by Toyota
• 1989 - Infiniti is launched in the US by Nissan
• 1989 - United Australian Automobile Industries (UAAI) founded in Australia as a joint venture between Toyota and Aussie's Holden
• 1996 - UAAI joint venture dissolved
• 2003 - Scion is launched by Toyota
• 2008 - Toyota surpasses General Motors to become the world's largest car manufacturer
• 2010 - 2009–2010 Toyota vehicle recalls
• 2011 - Tohoku earthquake affects production of Japanese auto manufacturers and parts.

Passenger cars
Manufacturer 2007 2008 2009 Toyota 3,849,353  3,631,146  2,277,426 Honda 1,288,577 1,230,621 729,804 Nissan 982,870 1,095,661 702,071 Suzuki 1,061,767 1,059,456 691,435 Mazda 952,290 1,038,725 627,517 Daihatsu 648,289 641,322 507,638 Mitsubishi 758,038 770,667 320,690 Subaru 403,428 460,515 318,714 Other 25 30 0 Total 9,944,637 9,928,143 6,175,295

Trucks

Manufacturer	2007	2008	2009
Toyota	291,008	271,544	163,092
Suzuki	156,530	158,779	135,724
Daihatsu	138,312	151,935	121,291
Isuzu	236,619	250,692	104,387
Nissan	188,788	189,005	100,507
Mitsubishi	88,045	83,276	56,895
Hino	101,909	101,037	55,295
Subaru	72,422	64,401	46,098
Mitsubishi Fuso	131,055	115,573	44,462
Honda	43,268	33,760	24,803
Mazda	43,221	39,965	22,119
Nissan Diesel	44,398	45,983	16,738
Other	2,445	2,449	489
Total	1,538,020	1,508,399	891,900

Buses

Manufacturer	2007	2008	2009
Toyota	85,776	109,698	63,178
Mitsubishi Fuso	10,225	10,611	4,619
Nissan	7,422	8,416	4,130
Hino	4,984	5,179	4,044
Isuzu	3,668	3,221	1,804
Nissan Diesel	1,595	1,977	1,479
Total	113,670	139,102	79,254

Files compiled by Andrew Joseph
Thank you Wikipedia for the charts and the last two three yearly data dumps. The later bits of information were well researched... but I had to do a fair amount of research in all of the other earlier stuff because I suppose I love pioneer history.

American Propaganda Cartoons Vs Japan

The first thing you have to understand is that Japan bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii on December 7, 1941.

Hawaii at the time was not a U.S. state. It was a protectorate, much like Puerto Rico, Guam, Saipan, U.S. Virgin Islands, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. I've been to Saipan, of all places. Nice place!

In 1893, a group of American expatriates and sugar planters supported by a division of U.S. Marines deposed The Kingdom of Hawaii's Queen Liliuokalani, the last reigning monarch of Hawaii. One year later, the Republic of Hawaii was established as a U.S. protectorate with Hawaiian-born Sanford B. Dole as president.

And... just so you know, Dole's cousin, once-removed was James Dole who arrived in Hawaii in 1899 and established the Hawaiian Pineapple Company on the island of Oahu which later became the Dole Food Company (everyone heard of Dole pineapples?).

Statehood for Hawaii was proposed in 1937 and was shot down by the U.S. Congress, citing it's distance from the US mainland and the fact that it had a mixed and diverse population... which sounds like they meant it wasn't White enough.
 
But what really made the U.S. mad was the fact that Japan bombed the crap out of a US military base. If that was an act of war, nothing was.

So... with the U.S. really ticked off at Japan in 1941 (by the way... just what was the U.S. doing to help fight the Nazi's in WWII, a war that officially began in September of 1939?), the propaganda machine was started up.

I'm not going to bore you with tales of Japanese internship camps in this blog today, rather let's take a look at the American animation industry, and how it attempted to enlighten the youth of the day into believing Japan consisted of some really stupid bastards. I'm not saying the U.S. was correct in that statement, and I'm not saying they weren't, but let's watch some cartoons--none of which you will ever see on television.

• We'll start with the classic Warner Brother's cartoon from 1944 starring Bugs Bunny, in Bugs Bunny Nips The Nips. Nips, is a racial slur denoting the Japanese, as Nippon is Japanese for Japan. As well, I should clarify that this particular cartoon was not part of the official Censored Eleven cartoons that were banned from public television syndication in 1968.... so it may have made its way onto television in your neighborhood.. though I recall seeing and knowing about it as a kid. In this cartoon, Bugs is castaway on a Pacific island that he finds is crawling with Japanese soldiers... he then single-handedly defeats the enemy.

• Let's now look at Tokio Jokio, another Warner Brother's cartoon made in 1943. This one is pure propaganda, done in the form of a US news reel that purports to show how Japan is running its war, and how everyone is definitely incompetent, so cheer up, we'll kick their ass soon. It's actually a funny cartoon if one removes the stereotypes and instead concentrates on the gags themselves. It is about Japan, despite the picture below which makes it look like its about Nazi Germany.

One of the more vicious cartoon characters to partake in the bash Japan propaganda during the war was Popeye The Sailor Man... perhaps not too surprising considering he's a sailor, and a lot of seamen lost their lives in the attack on the naval base at Pearl Harbor. 

• Here's Popeye The Sailor Man in the classic 1942 short: You're A Sap Mr. Jap, as released by Paramount Pictures, produced by Famous Studios. In it, Popeye single-handily defeats the crew of a Japanese battleship.

• Popeye's at it again, in the 1942 short: Scrap The Japs, in which the squinty-eyed sailor with the muscle problems (wrong muscles are overly large) defeats a Japanese scrap repair ship.

• Last up for Popeye was his epic Seeing' Red, White & Blue, made in 1943, in which Popeye is in charge of the military draft, and arch-nemesis Bluto has just been drafted... after a lot of monkeying around they happen to break up a Japanese plot actually being plotted on American soil. 

• A cartoon character and cartoon I had never heard about was Cap'n Cub. In this 1945 cartoon the Japanese are portrayed as monkeys - perhaps a tip of the hat and a spit in the face to the Japanese wartime cartoons of the 1930s in which the monkeys in the Japanese propaganda cartoons represented the Chinese. The Yanks are led by a cute character named Cap'n Cub... but in all cartoons I've ever seen when nations are involved, bears are the Soviets. Whatever. This cartoon starts off all cute but turns kind of nasty near the end. 

•  Let's now take a look at Superman... rocketed to Earth as a baby from the dying planet Krypton, DC Comics' Superman became the superheroic ideal for America... despite Nazi Germany trying to create their own supermen. Superman (first appeared in Action Comics #1), as you all know was created by an American, (writer Jerry Siegel)  and a Canadian (Joe Shuster). Shuster, born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, supposedly came up with the concept of a hero from another planet with super powers. Just so you know, in the early decades of Superman's existence, his alter ego Clark Kent worked as a reporter for the The Daily Star... with Shuster channeling the Toronto Star newspaper for reference. Just so you all know, your humble author Andrew Joseph was a reporter for the Toronto Star (along with alumnus Ernest Hemingway). DC Comics, by the way, actually stands for Detective Comics Comics... from the Department of Redundancy Department.... Detective Comics #27 was where Batman made his first appearance. In this first flick called Japoteurs starring Superman as drawn by Famous Studios back in 1942, the Japanese are the bad guys, with Supes stopping spies from stealing a bomber plane and taking it back to Tokyo. excluding Disney, the art on these cartoons is fantastic - perhaps only second to the black and white Popeye cartoons of the 1930s, and not surpassed until Who Framed Roger Rabbit? some 50 years later. Enjoy.

• Here's one more from Superman in 1942 called The Eleventh Hour, when our hero becomes a saboteur in Japan at the Yokohama Navy Shipyard. Hey, while the US and Japan were at war, the Superman cartoons are not racist, and are merely a sensible sign of the times. plot-wise, these Superman cartoon are a bit thin, but they are still an enjoyable view.

There may be more... but this was all I was able to find at the moment. Anyone with more information on American propaganda mainstream cartoon against the Japanese, feel free to contact me and teach me.

By the way... for all fans of cartoons, let me direct you to the excellent book Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animation by Leonard  Maltin (the movie reviewer of Entertainment Tonight fame). This one has a ton of history, and is my cartoon bible. Buy it!