The Loneliest Job in the World

www.ozy.com [OZY]( [OZY]() Your World. Bold & Bright [Daily Dose]( Sponsored by [Cariuma]( The newsletter to fuel — and thrill — your mind. Read for deep dives into the unmissable ideas and topics shaping our world. Sep 26, 2022 Today “[What’s in a name](?” Juliet famously asked in the Shakespeare classic. Plenty, it turns out, when it comes to unconventional-sounding government departments that seem to be surfacing around the world in recent years. Today, OZY takes a look at some of the more offbeat government jobs — from Japan’s minister of loneliness, to the Taliban’s minister of virtue — to figure out what they’re really about, and whether they were created merely for political reasons or for genuine public good. – with reporting by Sonia Sarkar from Singapore [Make Your Feet Famous]( [Cariuma]( The celeb fave – Oca Low Canvas by [Cariuma]( is BACK IN STOCK! You heard us. These kicks are back and are finally off their mile-long waitlist. 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With more than[85%]( of the population living in poverty, the new coffee minister, Joe Kuli, wants to[use the industry]( to bring in more export revenue. The [classic sweetness]( of the country’s coffee, complemented by an exotic, complex and fruity aroma, has won over many coffee aficionados across Australia, Japan and the U.S. The rest of the world could be next. Kiwis love racing There is an old saying in New Zealand that “[racing, rugby, and beer](” are the favorite hobbies of its people. Hence, they now have a new ministry for the[$1.6 billion]( racing industry, which employs over 50,000 people as trainers, breeders and owners. Racing minister Kieran McAnulty has said that the industry contributes as much to the New Zealand economy as fishing. But with recent scandals over [drugging]( horses and animal [cruelty](, there’s also a[mounting backlash]( from animal rights groups seeking restrictions — or even an outright ban — on greyhound racing. 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As loneliness became a major [cause of concern]( during the pandemic, the U.K. government launched a [chatbot]( service on WhatsApp to connect with lonely people.  Meanwhile, another nation across the world is grappling with the same challenge.  Although [28%]( of Japanese people are over the age of 65 — the oldest population in the world — the government in Tokyo last year appointed a minister of loneliness to [tackle]( the issue of increasing suicides ([especially among women]() and alleviate [social isolation]( among younger people. The ministry aims to deal with the mental health crisis of people [furloughed from their jobs]( or those who feel isolated. Vickie Skorji, the director of Japanese nonprofit TELL, which helps people with mental illness, told OZY that many COVD-19 restrictions “exacerbated feelings of isolation and loneliness and increased mental health issues.” Skorji said that the Ministry of Loneliness funded new initiatives to reach those who are lonely and feeling suicidal, particularly the younger generation. In June, the National Police Agency stated the suicide rate had dropped by 3.7% and such initiatives had helped save 338 lives. Flush it with style! There’s one place, though, where you want to be lonely: the toilet. Doctors say a good poo in the morning is an indication of [good health]( too. And Japan takes this morning chore very seriously. It has created a separate toilet ministry to improve and [beautify]( public bathrooms. It’s no secret, of course, that Japan pays special attention to its toilets that are famous for their [high-tech offerings]( — from self-raising toilet seat-lids activated by a motion sensor and pulsating water sprays to a range of dials, levers, and buttons, almost like a [fighter jet cockpit](. Japan also presents “[Toilet Awards Japan](” to municipalities and businesses for promoting clean, safe and comfortable public toilets. Bend it like an Indian! With an emphasis on yoga and ayurveda — a traditional form of Indian medicine — India’s Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in 2014, converted what was a department under the country’s health ministry and gave it the powers of an autonomous ministry. It’s called the[AYUSH ministry]( — the acronym standing for ayurveda, yoga and naturopathy, unani, siddha and homeopathy. But according to political analyst [Nilanjan Mukhopadhyay](, the “thrust” of the Modi government’s efforts has been to promote yoga and ayurveda, which have “Hindu connotations.” By contrast, little has been done to raise the profiles of unani, a form of medicine introduced in India by [Arab and Persian]( settlers, and [siddha](, another medicine system traditionally linked with southern India. “Unani and siddha don’t fall into a very comfortable political zone of being labeled as India’s heritage as far as this government is concerned,” Mukhopadhyay told OZY. In 2014, on his first visit to the United Nations General Assembly, Modi even urged member states to declare June 21 as International Day of Yoga. His pitch worked, but in 2015, the AYUSH ministry chose [not to invite]( or select Muslims to serve as trainers abroad for yoga day. Modi’s political intent is to present India’s rich and diverse heritage as “exclusively Hindu,” Mukhopadhyay said. Yoga has been an easy diplomatic sell, because it already had a huge following in the West. “Though Modi espouses unity through yoga, he has arguably been one of the most divisive Indian leaders in recent memory,” Anusha Kedhar, associate professor at University of California, Riverside,[argued in a 2020 essay](. “Modi’s yoga agenda has further entrenched the binary of the tolerant, ‘civilized’ Hindu and the intolerant, ‘irrational’ Muslim other.” WATCH GEORGE WALLACE on [The Carlos Watson Show](! Pure politics To preserve our own Modi’s tryst with yoga might still yield some public good if more people take to the practice. Meanwhile, Bolivia, the South American country with the [largest proportion of Indigenous]( people, has set up a[Ministry]( of Cultures, Decolonization and Depatriarchalization. The idea is to preserve and protect the cultures and artistic expressions of Indigenous communities and descendants of slaves brought from Africa, and to “[reverse](” inequality and racism. The ministry claims it has taken [disciplinary]( action against police officers for acts of racism and discrimination. However, “no people have been brought to justice for racism so far,” Bolivian sociologist Pablo Mamani Ramirez told OZY, adding though that it’s very difficult to talk so soon about the ministry’s “achievements” on an issue as deep as [racism against Indigenous people](. This ministry also claims to address [patriarchal ideologies]( and gender disparity in [employment and pay](. But even as female political representation has [risen](, especially among[young women](, so have attacks. Between January and September 2020,[20,000 cases]( of violence against women were reported. Taliban moral policing Soon after the [Taliban reclaimed Afghanistan]( last August, they abolished the Women’s Affairs Ministry and replaced it with the [Ministry]( for Propagation of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, which existed during the [previous]( rule between 1996 and 2001. Afghan politician and rights activist [Shinkai Karokhail](, who fled the country after the Taliban takeover, told OZY from Canada that the Taliban accused the previous democratic government of turning the country “un-Islamic” under the influence of the West. “This ministry has taken away all the rights of women to study, work and travel alone,” Karokhail said. “It normalizes the illiteracy and silence of women, their confinement at home and complete male control on their movement.” The Taliban “is justifying the imposition of the sharia law on women through this ministry.” Blow your own trumpet No points for guessing why a Propagation and Agitation Department was created in a country like North Korea. Headed by leader Kim Jong Un’s closest aide (his younger sister, Kim Yo Jong), this department sets guidelines for government [propaganda]( materials and coverage by the entirely state-controlled media. Above all, the department takes a special interest in making movies, a medium once considered the [best form of propaganda]( by Kim Jong Un’s father, Kim Jong Il. Nobel Prize winner’s ‘authoritarian’ ways to make peace Ethiopia’s government is currently waging a war against its northern province of [Tigray]( that has killed more than[half a million people]( and pushed[5.2 million]( people toward starvation. Here, conflict often seems to overlap with Orwellian rhetoric. In 2018, the country[established]( a Ministry of Peace to prevent and resolve conflict. Ironically, Ethiopian Prime Minister and [Nobel Peace Prize]( winner Abiy Ahmed’s peace ministry is[dominated by the security services](, and he continues to use [authoritarian]( measures against his opponents and to [block]( humanitarian aid for the needy. Meanwhile, Tigray has battled famine and increasing [violence against women and girls](. Community Corner Are there any government departments in your city, state or country with names or tasks that people elsewhere would find unconventional, surprising — or even bizarre? Do share! [SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS]( ABOUT OZY OZY is a diverse, global and forward-looking media and entertainment company focused on “the New and the Next.” OZY creates space for fresh perspectives, and offers new takes on everything from news and culture to technology, business, learning and entertainment. [www.ozy.com]( / #OZY Curiosity. Enthusiasm. Action. That’s OZY! [TV]( | [PODCASTS]( | [NEWS]( | [FESTIVALS]( A Modern Media Company OZY Media, 800 West El Camino Mountain View, California 94040 This email was sent to {EMAIL} [Manage Subscriptions]( | [Privacy Policy]( | [Read Online](