It's a new year, so it's time for our New Year's tradition of taking a look at movies that tried to predict the future. This year, we're traveling to the year 2019 with Akira! Join us as we learn about the Tokyo Olympics, biker gangs, technical schools, riots, and more!

Sources: 2020 Host City Election Announcement: https://www.olympics.com/ioc/2020-host-city-election Image of the Stadium: https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1087204/olympic-stadium-for-tokyo-2020-completed' January 2019 image, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Kokuritsu_Kasumigaoka_Rikujo_Kyogijo-23a.jpg

Education Senmon Gakko: Japanese Vocational Education. Available at https://cordmagazine.com/education/education-senmon-gakko-japanese-vocational-education/ A Complete Guide to Senmon Gakkou in Japan: https://studyinjapan.org/a-complete-guide-to-senmon-gakkou-in-japan/

Rikkyo University Institute of Peace and Community Studies, "Local Responses to Prime Minister Abe's Attack on Article Nine and the Constitution," translated by Saito Yuriko,The Asia-Pacific Journal Vol. 14, issue 3, no. 5 (2016). David Slater, Robin O'Day, Satsuki Uno, Love Kindstrand and Chiharu Takano, "SEALDs (Students Emergency Action for Liberal Democracy): Research Note on Contemporary Youth Politics in Japan," The Asia-Pacific Journal, Vol. 13, Issue 37, No. 1, September 14, 2015. Obe Mitsuro, "World News: Students Protest Japan Military Shift," The Wall Street Journal (2015). Simon Denyer, "Japanese tennis player Naomi Osaka speaks out for Black Lives Matter, faces backlash: Protests in Japan have reignited a debate over racism and policing. Osaka has also won support for speaking out," Washington Post (June 8, 2020). Motoko Rich and Hikari Hida, "In Japan, the Message of Anti-Racism Protests Fails to Hit Home," New York Times (July 1, 2020). Anna Fifield, "Fierce opponent of U.S. military bases in Okinawa detained for three months: A protest leader's continued detention without trial has triggered accusations that Japanese authorities are trying to silence him." Washington Post (2017). "1969: Student Protestors Paralyze Tokyo in Anti-War Demonstrations," New York Times (reprinted October 22, 2019) Alastair Gale, "Japan Pushes Ahead with Antiterrorism Bill; Government says legislation is needed as part of counterterrorism preparations for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo," Wall Street Journal (May 23, 2017). Mariko Tamura, "Flower Demo: Fighting Sexual Violence in Japan," https://english.kyodonews.net/articles/-/16387

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Akira_(1988_film) Tom Usher, "How Akira has Influenced All of Your Favorite Film, TV, and Music," Vice, available at https://www.vice.com/en/article/how-akira-has-influenced-modern-culture/ https://akira.fandom.com/wiki/Akira_(anime)

https://www.yokogaomag.com/editorial/bosozoku-biker-gangs-of-japan https://medium.com/@essie.angelica/the-rise-and-fall-of-japans-notorious-motorcycle-gang-ee31464c2406 https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20251017/p2a/00m/0na/053000c https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/30-years-akira-teenage-kicks-anime-style Christopher Gerteis, "Cold War Warriors," in Mobilizing Japanese Youth: The Cold War and the Making of the Sixties Generation (Cornell University Press, 2021), 100-120.