Aaron Wright comments

Massive sinkhole in Saitama highlights risk of old pipes

It also highlights the risk of poor construction, poor oversight, and poor rescue plans.

Was this statutory rape or rape?

Both. The same committed by a 25-year-old U.S. serviceman last summer, drawing outrage in Okinawa and resulting in a 5-year sentence handed down in December.

*A *suspended sentence for the rape of a 12-year-old girl

Can only imagine the public outrage if this absurd sentence was given to a 58-year-old foreigner for raping a 12-year-old Japanese girl.

Japan is becoming notorious for the double standards endemic to its justice system.

Proof in point right here.

Good idea for an article.

Love the sarcasm!

Mostly half-naked men with just white loincloth around their hips and several women in white robes …

I wonder whether women in white loincloths (and bikini tops), or men in white robes, would be welcomed by the shrine elders?

Greed!

A crook who had already made plenty of yen in her lifetime as a doctor was willing to sell her family’s reputation for just a little more.

Her Iwamoto family should be ashamed and return all ill-gotten gains.

Children raised with such baggage generally perform much better with some form of adult coaching/guidance.

Can’t agree more! Virtually every university these days has a program to support first-generation young adults, who are more likely to come from marginalized groups. The military might need benefit from something similar.

A future society might include implants that regulate hormonal surges that likely stimulate such behavior.

which is owned by the Chinese Communist Party.

Communist Party propaganda published by JT? Hmm?

Looking more like her mother Masako everyday, of course without the depression and other stress-induced symptoms that characterize her mother’s “adjustment disorder.”

But the full service to accomodate postal mail service must remain in place to accomodate those who still rely on postal mail

No it doesn’t!

But Kishida's grip on power gradually weakened, as his ties with LDP kingmakers who had enabled a stable government -- Taro Aso, a former prime minister who leads the only remaining faction, and Toshimitsu Motegi, the No. 2 of the LDP -- apparently cooled toward the final days of his tenure.

Despite the disbandment of the powerful factions, their influence lingered. Both Ishiba and Koizumi, who were not members of such groups, sought support from Aso and Yoshihide Suga, another former premier who still wields influence within the ruling party.

Aso, Motegi, and Suga — the three true powerbrokers in the Japanese government, as indicated in the above two paragraphs.

Detractors argue that Ishiba’s proposals fail to adequately tackle issues like an aging population and stagnant growth. Additionally, some of his plans have been viewed as overly reliant on traditional methods rather than embracing innovation or sustainability. This reluctance to adapt to changing global economic dynamics raises concerns about Japan's competitiveness in the long term. Overall, critics contend that his economic vision needs greater clarity and ambition to effectively guide the nation toward recovery and growth.