Onlooker comments

UAE will sell oil and gas in side meetings, and Israel will justify "one state solution". Alas, are we going to see the most disastrous international gathering?

I imagine PM won't publicly mention the summit meeting in a vacuum. So, I am curious what diplomatic efforts, how much, have been exerted. Or is there any sign from N Korea? All Japanese are praying for return of all abductees yesterday.

Let him enjoy his new toy while it lasts.

50-150 exchange is the best the World can do for the two peoples? The world leaders have given up any efforts to seek sustainable stability and peace, and kicked the can down the road, God knows, for how long. Hopefully, the world won't agree with the Israel's (ultra) right on their solution to the long standing issue to eliminate Palestinians from the territories by killing or pushing out. However, since the world has allowed Israel to expand the settlements in the Palestinian territories over the years, I am afraid that things are moving that direction.

In the midst of Brexit, the Government major concern must have been to keep economy going. Be it politicians, be it bureaucrats, those elites were looking at figures and data only, not human beings. Maybe, that's not precise: they cared primarily about human beings belonging to certain social class. Braverman's remark, "Sleeping on the street is lifestyle choice" is a sign of the deep rooted prejudice or discriminatory attitudes of some elites, which led to the most serious consequences of the pandemic in Europe.

"Better than nothing", I cannot say more than that. No leader in the West, of course, led by US, are pushing enough for cease fire and for advocating sustainable stability and peace in the area. At the end of the day, people including myself have figured out that Palestinians' blood is on the hands of the Western leaders as much as Ukrainians' blood is Putin's hand.

Good idea to bypass the red tape upon arrival. However, the huge obstacle for Japanese, at the moment, is weak Yen and outrageously high price of everything in Hawaii.

So far, the PM's office has not issued any statement strongly denying the allegation, has it? This is an episode that matches a stereotype of the British society, i.e. a class society governed by privileged and often wealthy few. I feel truly sorry for those people who died with COVID due to Government's fatal negligence.

Be it the scandal in Jonny & Associates, be it that in Takarazuka, what's interesting to me is those entertainers including hugely popular ones, are managed, or living, in closed circles although their popularity or survival depends on exposure to general public. I can well imagine the harassment at Takarazuka, like Jonny's case, is an open secret in the closed community.

Musk is falling into a category of "useful idiots" with his narcissism exploited.

I am puzzled. It's much easier to find a common denominator, called patriotism, between Japanese (ultra) right and the current Israeli (ultra) right Government. Looking at the crashed "mini van", I associated the action with "Cosplay" - Costume Play as I don't see any serious intention for causing substantial damages although some efforts were made to secure the "look" of terrorism. Being high with a drug or drunken?

How elitist it is to declare "homeless is a lifestyle choice"! The fact that Braverman was not kicked out from the party means that Tory is a party for 1% of the population??

Maybe, North Korea knows no one in the West seriously take what they say. Thus, this banal criticism. If they want to say something stinging at this point in time, they should be more "trendy" to point out G7's impotence in securing sufficient humanitarian assistance to people in Gaza, to praise Russia for its successful military operations despite the West's support to Ukraine, and to remind G7 of BRICS' gaining more power in the international elations. I imagine North Korea's leader is too busy with scheming for his survival.

From the beginning, I have enjoyed the series full of interesting episodes including Queen vs. Churchill, Queen vs. Jacky Kennedy, Queen rebuking Charles on his relations with Camilla, German and Russian spies within the Palace, Queen vs. Diana, etc., etc. I know, I know, it's a fiction...

I will give my government the benefit of doubt as I wish for sustainable stability and peace in the territories. Although I agree on the two states solution, the reality is that not much territories are left for the Palestinian governance alone due to the Israel's expansion of settlements over the years. I imagine this is only one of thousands of treacherous issues in seeking two states solutions. I hope Japanese government has guts, stamina, competence, allies in exerting its diplomacy on this issue for the next 50(?) years.

And a Jewish woman was stubbed in France about a week ago. My take is that anti Jew sentiment is always there and dormant most of the time, and that some haters woke up to take advantage of the current situation. All the efforts should be exerted not to allow them to prevail and to marginalize them in the society.

"Power city #3"!? No wonder it's a stressful place. Good luck for those who are addicted to adrenaline.

Humanitarian pauses may be only slightly better nothing. But in a nutshell, G7 allows Israel to continue its military operations for "self defense", which could include wiping out Palestinian people from the territories. It is regrettable that G7 has failed to call for a cease fire and for dialogues to seek sustainable stability and peace.

Suppose the world accepts Israel's military action as is since the country was attacked by terrorists, what would be its consequences? Are the world leaders OK with the result that Hamas' military capabilities be significantly reduced together with the collateral damages including death of tens of thousands ordinary citizens in Gaza? Since it was a terrorist attack, should we close our eyes on causes of hatred displayed by Hamas? If we are to wish for sustainable stability and peace in the territories, we have to keep on questioning Israel's action and reaction bearing in mind that Palestinian's territories have been occupied over 50 years and the occupied areas are expanding.

No matter what history has, no matter how much comfort people have been getting from, the place is at the primary location in Tokyo for business and profit making. Apart from the threat to the greenery which has been nurtured and admired over so many years, I wonder if the shrine management, whose primary consideration is providing the general public with a place for worship and praying, is comfortable with seeking (huge) revenues and profits by letting neo liberal economy destroy the public good or taking advantage of the private ownership and exclusivity. No to this redevelopment plan.

As "Belt and Road" is expanding wide and fast in spite of the debt issues in the countries involved, Kishida's declaration pales by comparison, alas... China's economy is larger than Japan's, and Indonesia and India will soon surpass Japan. Japan need a grand design for its international relations in the Asia and Pacific region without economic influences matching these countries and those growing rapidly.

Isn't it just a "brand worship", like collecting Luis Vuitton bags? My take is: those companies give priority to risk aversion through safe choice of new recruits.

It may be only my perception, but I have been annoyingly feeling plutocracy is been enhanced as the wealth gap widens. As a consequence, political agenda, national priorities, specific policies, etc. are established under strong influences of a handful of wealthy people/groups to leave an only tiny room for ordinary citizens' voices. As "I scratch your back and you scratch mine" system is too visible, I am losing trust in democracy.

I have no objection to this measure. At the same time, I wonder if the Japanese government has ever condemned Israel's expansion of settlements over the years. I did not check how the Japanese government announced this decision, but its humanitarian assistance to people in Gaza should be emphasized if Japan is to contribute to the post war phase of reconstruction and peace building. I am afraid, intuitively, that Zionist lobby strongly influences the elite class in the West in seeking the solution.

This conflict could have been contained in the Palestine-Israel sub-region if the leaders in the West did not characterize it primarily as a war against terrorism. Israel's occupation, which has been feeding oxygen to the radical groups, is neglected and the scope of the war is becoming exploding to good vs. evil, darkness vs. light. Alas... I completely agree with Guterres when he said the conflict did not start with a vacuum.

"Seeking growth at the cost of the future generations", which has been repeatedly brought up in Japan, comes to my mind once again. It's due to the fiscal deficits which are already monstrous and could get worse because of the planned tax cut. In short, the "bold economic measures" lack the long term perspective. Where is the "new capitalism" that Kishida launched at the beginning of his term?

This is a trivial topic for Japanese general public so much so that it took me one minute to figure out who "Former PM Kan" is. No wonder, Kan became PM in January 2011, and was forced to resign eight months. I imagine the party itself wants to erase this history.

Countries in Asia had better assume US military and political power will not last forever as we are witnessing its internal division and messy political process. So, those countries should seek, based on their own aspiration, a common strategy to deal with China's hegemonic behavior. Don't tell me it's too late since China has already consolidated significant economic and political influences in the region.

I am a Japanese male, a few years younger than Murakami, and an avid reader of his books since my 50s. It never came to my mind before, but seeing the photos in this article, now I've got an idea that I resemble him. Form now on, I will say to my non-Japanese friends in particular I am a estranged brother of Murakami, thus living in a parallel world, his typical plot. It's a day dream...

As already done for humanitarian assistance, I am sure Japan will also foot part of the bill for reconstruction of Gaza. So, the government should make sure that Japan's contributions be highly visible. Also, advocating the two state solution for sustainable stability and peace is an appropriate diplomacy for Japan, I think. What I am not sure is whether or not Japan has the required diplomatic capacities and visions.