Posted in: Massive sinkhole in Saitama highlights risk of old pipes See in context
Perhaps local or prefectural governments could periodically go out and use ground penetrating radar to survey roads and identify possible sinkholes before they collapse.
5 ( +7 / -2 )
Posted in: Japan to allow schools to exclusively use digital textbooks from 2030 See in context
Students can write notes to annotate their digital books - this is ability is not exclusive to paper books. And looking at screens does not in and of itself cause nearsightedness; a lack of UV exposure and subsequent low levels of melatonin are the main driver of the myopia epidemic (which could be largely cured with more time spent outdoors). That all said, tablets are a great distraction as children open other apps, or simply enjoy zooming in and out instead of focusing on their work.
1 ( +2 / -1 )
Posted in: Japan gasoline price hits 17-month high of ¥185.10 on subsidy cut See in context
Wait until war with Iran kicks off, then we'll be seeing unprecedented oil prices!
2 ( +6 / -4 )
Posted in: No more fact-checking for Meta. How will this change media — and the pursuit of truth? See in context
Basic fact checking is just proper due diligence that should be done by all reporters who wish to maintain credibility. However, declaring some anonymous fact-checker with a bachelor’s degree at an Agency cutout funded organization to be the unfailing arbitrator of truth on contentious subjects, with the power to de-amplify, shadow-ban or outright censor those with non-concordant views -- especially on subjects where experts themselves are not in agreement, as happened during the pandemic (wet market or lab leak?) -- undermines the quest for the truth. The best solution is to allow an open public clash of ideas.
-1 ( +2 / -3 )
Posted in: Japan to cut 60% of emissions by FY2035, but experts call for more See in context
@Meiyouwenti - No need to destroy forests or farmland to install solar panels. It would be better to make use of parking lots (providing the additional benefit of shade in summer and protection from rain) and shopping mall and factory roofs. As for nuclear power, newer designs (such as SMRs) are much safer and, if you believe announcements from groups like Commonwealth Fusion Systems, commercially viable nuclear fusion (the real game changer) is just around the corner. My concern is Japan crippling herself like Germany by focusing on CO2 at the cost of all else.
8 ( +8 / -0 )
Posted in: Japanese team launches research to make living on moon reality See in context
While the effects of mesogravity (the moon being roughly 1/6th that of Earth, so not really 'micro'gravity, then why not 'meso' or 'middle'gravity?) are a long term concern, I'd first be more worried about the dangers from micrometeoroid impacts, cosmic radiation, and accidentally bringing electrostatically charged lunar regolith into the lunarnauts' living quarters.
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: Japanese government will check and judge new baby name pronunciations See in context
This is beyond ridiculous. I'm no fan of kirakira names generally, but what gives the government the right to police citizens' names? Will they start regulating haircuts and bedtimes too? kwatt makes a good point about the difficulties some names present for the My Number Card and other administrative systems, but let people deal with those self-inflicted troubles when the time comes.
-1 ( +8 / -9 )
Posted in: Nippon Steel slams 'inappropriate' politics in U.S. Steel deal See in context
Hiring Mike Pompeo to advise them on the accusation doesn't seem to have been a good investment.
2 ( +2 / -0 )
Posted in: Ousted Syrian leader Assad flees to Moscow after fall of Damascus See in context
Well, US neocons seem to be proceeding with the list given General Wesley Clarke back in 2007, but at a slightly slower pace than the original overly-optimistic 5 year plan: Iraq (done), Syria (done), Lebanon (in-progress), Libya (done), Sudan (in-progress), Somalia (in-progress) and Iran (pending).
3 ( +5 / -2 )
Posted in: Police considering undercover work to fight 'dark job' crime wave See in context
For internet service providers, the committee proposed a system in which illegal or harmful online posts are mandatorily deleted.
This could end up being a Trojan horse to allow more internet censorship. It will be interesting to see how vague the wording is of any proposed legislation.
8 ( +8 / -0 )
Posted in: Over 3,000 Toshiba group staff apply for early retirement program See in context
Although called "early retirement" such programs are available to all employees, and not limited to senior staff. Through repeated interviews, management usually encourage low performers to take the package, although anyone is free to do so.
6 ( +6 / -0 )
Posted in: Japan to obligate up to 400 major firms to join CO2 emissions trading See in context
It's worth noting that emissions trading began as a policy under the Republican administration of George Bush Sr. The policy was designed as a market-based approach to environmental regulation, allowing companies to trade emissions allowances to meet pollution reduction targets.
Richard Sandor is credited as the key architect of emissions trading. Sandor was previously an executive at Drexel Burnham Lambert, a financial firm infamous for its role in the financial scandals of the 1980s, including the Savings & Loans crisis. The firm collapsed in 1990 amid allegations of corruption and illegal activities. Sandor is also the father financial derivatives, and helped draft the cap-and-trade system incorporated into the Kyoto Protocol.
1 ( +1 / -0 )
Posted in: WHO OKs emergency use of Japanese mpox vaccine See in context
The ECDC Factsheet for health professionals on mpox states that, *"In May 2022, a multi-country outbreak of mpox was declared, with all EU/EEA countries (except for Liechtenstein) eventually reporting locally acquired cases. The outbreak was driven by human-to-human MPXV transmission via close contact with infected individuals. The majority of cases were men-who-have-sex-with-men."* From this, perhaps one may be forgiven for surmising that in Japan, Europe, and the US (where I assume most readers reside) there is little risk for most individuals. However, in areas such as the DRC where mpox is endemic, the risk profile is indeed different as wallace and Fighto! helpfully point out.
-2 ( +1 / -3 )
Posted in: WHO OKs emergency use of Japanese mpox vaccine See in context
I'm relieved to see that LC16m8 vaccine is a traditional live attenuated vaccine rather than a relying on the deeply flawed LNP/mRNA platform. Still this vaccine is not necessary for most people, since the group most at risk from mpox are those who engage in promiscuous gay sex.
-7 ( +5 / -12 )
Posted in: Spy world vexed by Trump choice of Gabbard as U.S. intelligence chief See in context
How rich that there are "concerns that the sprawling intelligence community will become increasingly politicized" and that "the new administration could deploy intelligence for political ends" considering the infamous letter signed by 51 former US intelligence officials and repeated lies by the FBI to the FISA court (eg Carter Page) so they could spy on the Trump campaign. The only real concerns are that (1) the extent of the intelligence agencies' domestic political interference may be more fully revealed and (2) some of their pet projects may be somewhat curtailed.
3 ( +6 / -3 )
Posted in: As Trump picks his cabinet, Musk suggests he let the public weigh in on who should lead Treasury See in context
A lot of elitist, anti-democratic sentiment in this thread. If one is worried about the quality of input from the plebs, perhaps the solution is to improve the quality of compulsory education, and not stifling democracy. Or just be upfront and admit you prefer an orderly technocracy over a rowdy and contentious democracy.
1 ( +3 / -2 )
Posted in: Australia's plan to ban children from social media proves popular and problematic See in context
The only way that this works is for everyone who goes on line to verify their age, so a de facto national digital ID, completely voluntary of course, but you won't be able to go online and use sns without one. This will bring an end to online anonymity but, don't fret your pretty little head, Big Brother will be watching over us all and keep us safe from online harms.
3 ( +6 / -3 )
Posted in: 5 siblings, some of them deaf, among those killed in Israeli strikes in Lebanon See in context
Is the fact that some of the children were deaf and mute or that one had autism of significance to the story? I don't understand why these random details were included, especially in the headline. Is it a clumsy attempt to heighten readers' sense of pathos or does it have some greater salience? Is it not tragedy enough that innocent children were killed?
7 ( +9 / -2 )
Posted in: One Direction star took cocaine, alcohol, antidepressant before death See in context
Hmmmm.... still no toxicology report on Crooks.
-4 ( +0 / -4 )
Posted in: A man's world: Japan makes tepid push on gender gap in politics as election nears See in context
Many people are not interested in politics. Is it possible that even fewer women than men have political ambitions? Is every discrepancy in representation a result of discrimination? Some 36% of Japanese men have male pattern baldness? Is this equitably reflected in our politicians? Why the discrimination against baldness?!? Perhaps we need bolder action, such as a quota system.
0 ( +2 / -2 )
Posted in: Diet enacts aid law on forced sterilization victims See in context
Under the 'forced sterilization' compensation law, "if the victim or his or her spouse has died, their relatives, including children, grandchildren, or siblings can receive the compensation." Presumably those would be adopted children?
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: More than 95,000 Japanese aged over 100; most of them women See in context
Interestingly, homogametic individuals (eggs XX females in (most) mammals, and ZZ males in birds) tend to outlive their heterogametic counterparts. So it’s not surprising then, for our species, that most centenarians are women.
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Takaichi tops Kyodo poll of LDP supporters as most fit to be Japan PM See in context
Back in 2016, she threatened that the government could suspend network operations or even revoke broadcast licenses if programing did not remain "politically neutral", which many interpreted to mean "not too critical of government policy". She seems the perfect candidate in this age of increasingly heavy handed government censorship of online speech. Can't have the plebs talking freely amongst themselves, potentially spreading malinformation.
4 ( +13 / -9 )
Posted in: Japan's revised laws criminalizing cannabis use to take effect Dec 12 See in context
The government may have the tools of the state to enforce laws but has no moral authority to tell adult citizens what they can and cannot willingly choose to ingest within the privacy of their own home. Adults should have the right to do as they see fit, provided they are not infringing on the rights of anyone else.
12 ( +22 / -10 )
Posted in: Musk calls Australian gov't 'fascists' after move to fine tech giants See in context
What's with all the "What Aboutism" in the comments? "What about China?" I thought that was a dirty Russian rhetorical technique. We all know what kind of government China has, no need to comment. The "West", including Australia, were ostensibly democracies and supporters of free speech. Their slide into technocratic-fascism is worthy of lament.
-7 ( +1 / -8 )
Posted in: Now that mpox is a global health emergency, will it trigger another pandemic? See in context
An odd line from the article comparing mpox and COVID-19 that jumped out at me says, "And unlike COVID-19, there are vaccines and treatments available for mpox."
6 ( +8 / -2 )
Posted in: China arrests woman suspected of 'defaming' Olympic table tennis players See in context
Yes, all we really know is that China has an oppressive government that controls the media, meaning that no Chinese media can ever be trusted to give accurate information; only the CCP spin on any information.
Such is the case with any authoritarian dictatorship like Russia and China.
Noam Chomsky would argue, and rather persuasively I'd say, that there are other nations where the media can never be trusted to give accurate/impartial information; only elite spin on any information. In countries like Russia and China the propaganda is often rather heavy handed, making it somewhat transparent, so locals often know they're being propagandized too. In certain other countries #ahem# the propaganda is more subtle and organic, and the public are often unaware of the machinations that are constantly at work manufacturing consent. However, thanks to the internet, like the Gutenberg press before it, the powers that be are losing their monopoly on the dissemination of information. But, to be sure, 'they' are fighting back and even gaining new powers through increased digital monitoring and newly developed financial choke-holds, so who knows how this will all end? A dystopian digital panopticon is my best guess, but I'm always happy to be proved wrong : )
-3 ( +0 / -3 )
Posted in: China arrests woman suspected of 'defaming' Olympic table tennis players See in context
Without knowing exactly what was posted it's impossible to have an informed opinion on this specific case. Falling back then on generalities, I support free speech (even hateful speech) over state or corporate censorship (but do draw a line at incitement to imminent violence).
If senior members of the government or media defames someone that's one thing, as their proclamations still carry much weight; whereas, if some rando with a few hundred followers post disparaging comments that's quite another matter altogether. Thus charges of defamation should have to meet a high burden of proof.
Sadly, with regards to free speech, countries like Japan, Canada, and the UK, seem to be sliding towards an authoritarian model and away from a more liberal one.
-3 ( +1 / -4 )
Posted in: Judoka Abe calls for fans to be kind; expects rule changes See in context
No one objects to a moderate display of emotions, but athletes should display dignity (品格) commensurate with their position as Olympians and representatives of their nations — humble in victory, gracious in defeat. Takanori Nagase is a good example, always cool as a cucumber.
7 ( +9 / -2 )
Posted in: Musk, UK govt spar over far-right riots See in context
These most peaceful demonstrations are not because of any one incident or misinformation spread online, but are the culmination of many years of frustration over growing illegal immigration, resources diverted to housing illegal immigrants, gaslighting from the media, two-tiered policing, increased knife crime, and the cover up of foreign grooming gangs.
-2 ( +5 / -7 )
Posted in: Saudi Arabia to showcase kingdom's transformation at Osaka Expo 2025
Welcome to the USA Canada! What a great idea. Very beneficial for both countries.
Posted in: Trump says he is serious about Canada becoming 51st state
Posted in: Vance and Musk question authority of the courts as Trump's agenda faces legal pushback
Posted in: Trump plan to end Ukraine war must prevent new Russian aggression, Zelenskyy says