Cities in Fukushima prefecture struggle to cope with the stigma of becoming as synonymous with nuclear crisis as Chernobyl. Even areas that have lower radiation readings than many of the world’s major cities, are finding everything from their goods to their tourist spots — and even their people — shunned.

IF you thought that the East Japan earthquake and tsunami would shake the cute off this country's young hipsters, think again. Harajuku, Tokyo's mecca for youth culture and fashion, is as cute and colorful as ever. That's the message of the Mighty Harajuku Project, started by Sebastian Masuda three days after the disaster.

It’s official, at least as far as a Japanese government survey is concerned: Americans see China, rather than Japan, as their most important partner in Asia. The opinion leaders’ view offers even more emphatic confirmation that trade relations are increasingly carrying more weight than political or general ties with the U.S., usually cited as a reason for choosing Japan.

By now it's no secret to anyone with a high-speed Internet connection: The gap between the popularity of contemporary Japanese culture overseas and its anemic industries at home has become a chasm. Anime conventions in the United States continue to proliferate..

Tokyo and Yokohama jointly host the Short Shorts Film Festival in mid-June. First held in 1999, the festival has grown rapidly and became an official qualifying festival for the Academy Awards in 2004. When it began, the event was the only short film festival of its kind in Japan and was looking to emulate the popularity of similar events around the world.

Australia will launch a new initiative to attract more visitors from China, as tourists from the U.S. and Japan stay put in the face of uncertain economies and the strong Aussie dollar. The campaign will focus on collecting research on China's emerging middle class and its main cities.

The ubiquitous Housing Board flat, home to the majority of the population in Singapore, has become part of the art of a contemporary Japanese artist. In Akira Yamaguchi's book, Singa-planet, HDB blocks are seen as historical monuments sprouting out of their green natural setting.

LinkedIn Corp. has established its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore and plans to set up a Japan office later this year, as the company seeks to grow its regional footprint. The headquarters will serve as a gateway for regional expansion, and support LindkedIn's existing operations in Australia and India.