Japan Today

Abe234 comments

Posted in: Sony hikes profit forecast on strong gaming business See in context

And who said the weak yen was always a bad thing. Good on you Sony.

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Posted in: Japanese man acquitted of 1966 murders to sue state for defamation See in context

grcToday  10:54 am JST

I don’t understand why JT doesn’t put Hakamata’s name in the headline. We all know who he is, and referring to him as a ‘Japanese man’ kind of adds insult to injury

Totally. He has a name, and it shows respect if you use his name. Mr Hakamata!

Yesterday another man also found guilty for rape and jailed for 17 years was found innocent, released and won his case winning a 6 figure payout. We probably called him a beast, called for him to be strung up, castrated, etc etc. and yet, I can't imagine how many men/women have been sent to the gallows or jailed for years, never to get that time back. and no money in the world can ever correct it.

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Posted in: Japanese man acquitted of 1966 murders to sue state for defamation See in context

The guy and his family should sue the Police organisation.

Then the specific officers.

The government.

The whole lot. However, If i know Japan, they will allow the sands of justice and time to move slowly. So it will become a SHOGANAI, he passed away, and so any further proceedings will be mute.

I will say, this for all those who clamour for the rope, electric chair, etc, etc, there were people just like you, calling for him to be strung up. because A) he did it. B) he confessed, C) the police did their job. D) because the press had a juicy story.

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Posted in: 800 cabbages stolen from Aichi field See in context

grcToday  05:37 pm JST

Perhaps if they were less expensive to buy?

Get real. Sometimes the weather damages crops, and the farmers have a business to run and a family to feed. Not just you.

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Posted in: Woman, boyfriend arrested after threatening to gouge out her son’s eyes See in context

justaskingToday  10:05 am JST

Find this young boy a loving home and not the group homes they have.

Well, he will need a place of safety/group home/grandparents until they find someone, and secondly, it also means the mother would have to give up her parental rights.

But there is another possible option. Can the biological father be contacted? Here the article says "BOYFRIEND", and not FATHER. So I am left to assume the biological father has no contact. I hope the police or social services consider this option first.

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Posted in: Japan's total debt hits record ¥1,317 tril in 2024 See in context

JeffLeeToday  04:37 pm JST

the money in their postal savings accounts and bank accounts is tied up in the debt.

That's their choice. It's got nothing to do with Japan's macro situation. Individuals in Japan can easily invest in the S&P500, Nasdaq or anything else if they want in tax-advantaged accounts promoted by the government.

that only works if and only if you earn enough. And 1100 yen an hour isn’t a lot. And you can’t touch that money for 40 or 50 years because you’re actually (supposed to) save for your pension. Reducing the government burden. Sadly the government just shift that debt onto something else, eg education, defence, health care.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: Japan's total debt hits record ¥1,317 tril in 2024 See in context

owzerToday  03:01 pm JST

Look - if we each pitch in just 10.5 million yen, we can nip this thing in the bud! Of course, families with 3 children are in for 52.5 million, but we all gotta do our part!

Stop spending money you don't f'n have! Why is this SO HARD for governments to do!?

cause they borrow it to invest in roads, railways, infrastructure, schools sewer systems, water systems power stations., etc etc and to pay for things and subsidies services and things many enjoy but may not make a profit it can bring value to society. Then they allow inflation to reduce the amount. Then the sell them off to private companies. Then they rinse and repeat this . That why they sell bonds and we hold them for twenty or thirty or forty years.

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Posted in: Japan's total debt hits record ¥1,317 tril in 2024 See in context

If the weak yen could improve our exports, and investors then we could bring those dollars etc back, and get more yen, putting more in the treasuries coffers and more for investors But a weak yen means we’d pay more for imports. And if trumps drill baby drill bring down the cost of gas etc that may help. I guess you choose your poison.

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Posted in: Japan's total debt hits record ¥1,317 tril in 2024 See in context

well we can expect further sales tax hikes. Give it time! It’ll come! The second arrow in dealing with this is “inflation “ they’ll want that to continue to deflate the value of that debt by using inflation. Finally a tad more immigration to bring in younger tax payers and consumers. MMT is interesting but if my brother borrows money from me he still has to pay it back. If the JPN gov borrows money from its residents, they’ll still want to back. But those BoJ interest rates can’t go up too high either. Hence inflation is needed to reduce the amount as a percentage of GDP. But never listen to any politician who tell us “we mustn’t have debt” for the next generation. They’ve had debt for centuries. That’s just rubbish. In 20, 30 years they’ll print more, to cover the debt from 2010, allow inflation to do the work, and rinse and repeat. That’s one advantage of such poor returns on Japanese bonds.

didouToday  09:23 am JST

But nothing is done to reduce the debt

They are! It’s called inflation! People thought inflation on worked for their salary , their mortgage and price hikes. They never see national debt as part of that “equation”. I wonder if all the moaners about deflation and no wage rises are the very same people moaning about inflation andnot getting a wage raise. I expect sales tax to increase further or widened.

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Posted in: Deep-fried 'Let’s just be friends' chocolate tempura appears in Japan for Valentine’s Day See in context

No no no. It’s just wrong Mr kippling. Deep fried mars bars, deep fried Snickers/Marathons, and deep fried pizza is just plain wrong. I won’t even bring up the calorie bombshell of PIZZA KEBAB. One thing we can truly say about Scot’s food. Just gonae no day that! How?…. Just gonnae no. Now black pudding and a decent fry up? Now your talking!

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Posted in: Trump pressure to boost Japan defense spending could strain alliance See in context

Boost defence spending by all means…. But Trump thinks we will buy stuff off the shelf from the U.S. be smart and spend and develop our own skills, workforce and industry and still say “We’ve increased defence spending Mr president. You can even compete with some American defence companies. The French have been doing that for decades and they can maintain their own independence, politicaly, militarily and economically. Buy stuff off the shelf when it makes sense.

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Posted in: Crypto investors brace for bumpy ride under Trump See in context

He’s gonna pump this, sell it, and walk away. There is no way he’s gonna allow the fed, to give up control of the dollar for 1s&0s that is so volatile it makes inflation look tame. It doesn’t produce anything. At least with gold I could make a ring out of it. Even with tulips we could plant them and have some flowers. Some will no doubt get rich. And some will lose. I’ll stick with buying apple, Google, Etc etc. if I could I’d take punt, but it would be like going to the horse track for me.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Tesla sales fall in Germany as Musk backs far right See in context

He doesn’t care any more because he’s got the money to NOT CARE. Personally I still think Tesla shares are way overpriced in its P/E. He could sell it all and still be a very rich dar right fan boy.

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Posted in: Trump's tariff threat sends crypto prices falling, including his own meme coin See in context

oooh please.His own coin. He's probably pumped that and dumped it. and left it to the idiots to hold the digital 1s and 0s.

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Posted in: Ex-lawmaker gets suspended sentence for raping junior high school girl See in context

I can’t imagine what on earth the parents must be thinking about this pathetic sentence. I think an appeal should be made against this sentence.

I know people sent to jail for punching a sandwich from a convenience store.

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Posted in: Starbucks to introduce location-based pricing at some stores nationwide See in context

Prepare to see those coffees getting jacked up in the big cities, and high tourist areas. I'll stick with Komeda. better seating, better menu, and tad cheaper.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Taiwan actress Barbie Hsu dies in Japan after contracting pneumonia triggered by flu See in context

JayToday  07:54 pm JST

That is why the influenza shots are important every winter. Please get all the important shots.

No. Studies have shown they often have low effectiveness, sometimes as little as 10-40% in a given year. 

Besides their overall ineffectiveness, repeated flu shots can actually weaken your immune system over time through something called "original antigenic sin." 

And it would be downright disingenuous to conveniently ignore well-documented risks like Guillain-Barre Syndrome and other neurological complications the pharmaceutical conglomerates would rather you ignore.

You may also want to balance that with the risks of not getting a shot. Depending on the person, their health, and risks. You could say this about any medications JayToday. Aspirin will give you CRVO BRVO Reyes Syndrome, while Paracetamil could give you Steven Johnson syndrome. And yet, how many of us have used them? You are over-emphasising the one in a million compared to the risk of death. and that is kinda "permanent" side effect NOT GETTING A VACCINE. And you could also say that about all the other. Every single drug, that can be prescribed has side effects; even your humble AMBULANCE has side effects. In the US alone, 28 people die in an ambulance accident each year. Would you advise anyone not to call an ambulance because....! Of course not!

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Posted in: Taiwan actress Barbie Hsu dies in Japan after contracting pneumonia triggered by flu See in context

nintendogirlToday  06:14 pm JST

Do not know her... but it's uncommon to hear you die of flu..

It is uncommon to hear of it because, it's like telling someone on the news, that someone died of Asthma. The news broadcasters don't get enough eyeballs. Anyway, about 650,000 die annually from Influenza.Every single year! Not insignificant.

Sadly it doesn't grab the headline because it is so prevalent. If you look at the death rate of people with flu, it increases if you have a concomitant condition. It has a big effect on the elderly and the young the most.

We almost lost our kid to it, as he also had asthma on top. Very scary time! We will make sure he gets vaccinated now. We wouldn't want to go through that again.

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Posted in: Credit card ticketing on public transport nationwide planned for 2026 See in context

Credit Card is debt by another name!

Pay cash! If you can’t pay it by cash, you most certainly can’t pay it by credit cards.

wolfshineToday  10:25 am JST

. That may be resolved by now thankfully but it is time to abandon the IC card as a relic of the past

Just because you don’t like it doesn’t mean nobody likes it kids do t have credit cards, the elderly may not want a credit card, the disabled may not want a credit card. And many people prefer cash or the Suica to credit card. it’s kinda what works for that person. Not just Jack!

MckluskieToday  09:49 am JST

1/will fax die in Japan earlier than paper public transport tickets

I hope not. Fax machines get quick responses due to their making a racket and someone having to physically get up and take an order or request out of the machine, while an e-mail is more likely to get buried and unadressed .

I have started to think that way. It almost acts like a physical, visual,audio nudge to read it and act. but with email. It’s hidden until the human actually opens it, misses it or ignores it. It can actually give the message a sense of urgency compared to the dozens of “e-mails.

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Posted in: Honda, Nissan delay announcement of merger plan details until mid-February See in context

Maybe Nissan need a bit more time to cook the books, and make it more attractive to Honda.

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Posted in: Japanese comedian's TV scenes cut after report he grabbed woman in 2015 See in context

So I hope she went to the police and reported it otherwise this is just raining down on any man who want to take a girl to a hotel. We’re taught NO mean NO. She wasn’t forced. I wonder if it’s, oh dear I had a bit too much to drink and omg what did I do the next morning.

I know, I won’t take any responsibility, I’ll just blame the guy and let the internet know. That’ll ruin his career and make me feel better.

now grabbing her arm, and pulling her arm is one thing, and a no no, but “taking a women’s arm” is often used in English as a nice thing.

If he broke the law she should go to the police, otherwise this is trial by opinion. And not all women need to be believed. As we have seen men convicted of sex crimes only for it to be total rubbish. he said I took her arm, she says he grabbed my arm. Some guys are being hung out to dry on social media. Why could t she have spoken to the police or to him? Trial by X, YouTube and the press.

i kinda feel that men are getting rained on by some women. Scared to go out on a date, and scared to drink. Might need to one of those apps where we record each other giving consent that was on some Netflix show years back.

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Posted in: Two boys arrested for throwing raw eggs at police box in Shizuoka Prefecture See in context

Well KasinoToday  04:23 pm JST

Sounds like something I might have done as a boy - they might also have ADHD and be bored/ frustrated. (not an excuse, just a possible explanation).

That's not unreasonable to consider. If you are bored, there is nothing to do, looking for stimulation. It is possible.

I think it is also one of the reasons why school clubs are important. ( while some others deride them as too much). They are important.

However, they can A) keep kids off the streets, B) occupy their time.C) make friends, and D) have peers around them who are hopefully good role models. E) Boys can burn off their energy. F) Have adult supervision, G) learn something. It is sad to say that in the U.K., where kids have an obesity problem, they cut school clubs and social clubs that kept kids off the streets and occupied their time, and now more kids go around with knives, killing other kids, or go around shoplifting knowing the cops won't/can't do anything. As a kid, we all did stupid things. I'm just glad it's eggs. I remember doing stupid things.

Bucket, Water, Sponge, and cleaning duty are sufficient to teach them a lesson ( kids hate me for making them do that). Our cops were awesome with our kids. I cannot fault them for that! They had the time to sit down and chat and even give them time. Some kids may be 18 for simple legal reasons, but they aren't 18-year-old brains.

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Posted in: Do you think democracy is the best form of government? See in context

As Churchill once said , and I think he nailed it. “Democracy is the worst form of government, except for all the others.

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Posted in: Japan records biggest jump in foreign workers in 2024 See in context

Well I am sorry but this is only going to accelerate as the demographics change and the highly educated high school kids go to university and don't want to do certain jobs. Here is a fact, the workers that are coming, are they ALL university graduates? Are they all coming here because they love Japan or because they can earn more even at rubbish jobs? If you have highly educated kids graduating high school, they don't want a career in serving food or working at a cafe or little shop.( some might for whatever reason) but, someone has to serve that drink, and food, and do the job nobody else wants. The idea that we are "bringing in highly skilled workers" isn't the whole truth. Yes.We are bringing the highly skilled in, but we are also bringing in the immigrants to do jobs the highly educated DO NOT WANT TO DO. We may not like that scenario but we need those workers, and the government needs the tax revenue as they work, and become consumers in Japan.

The highly educated trope is said by all politicians to make the general public feel good about immigration,(every country wants WORLD CLASS DOCTORS and engineers), but there is no way a politician would get re-elected if he said "We need more waiters, cleaners, cooks and dishwashers". I think it is a result of a highly educated workforce. The work may be seen as beneath them until they are unemployed.

As for those who break the law. A one-way ticket out is the best way.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Posted in: Romance across cultures and languages can be difficult — but never impossible See in context

In arguments, there is also language/cultural difference. (I think) The Japanese language may use words, like OMAE, that are different, and they don't seem to have the same effect, whereas, in my language, intonation is rather louder. So, the "YOUR SHOUTING" can come into it when it might just be normal in my mother tongue. Not to mention all the F-bombs and other colourful words we might use that don't exist in Japanese. YOU in English is very different from YOU in Japanese, especially in "Intonation". I think our partners do put up with a lot. Especially if you're just off the boat. If you don't speak Japanese, read Japanese, or understand Japanese, you're as good as a child who cannot read, A child who cannot hear and a child who cannot speak. That's a lot for our partners to take on. So I want to thank my partner for taking all that on.

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Posted in: Patient in hospital in Tokushima strangled to death See in context

DanteKHToday  08:14 pm JST

Kondo was in a psychiatric care ward with another patient.

Why there was not enough surveillance and security inside those psychiatric houses, especially for those mentally unstable patients??

Don't be ridiculous. This is about staffing levels—and Patient checks. My guess is the staff were sleeping. We don't put cameras where people sleep for privacy reasons. Think about it. 30 patients to 2 members of staff. That is a terrible staff-to-patient ratio.

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Posted in: U.S. regulator OKs Eisai-Biogen Alzheimer's drug's continuous dosing See in context

GuruMickToday  10:38 am JST

Continuous dosing requirement problematic with the patient group I would think .

"Did i dose today ? Oh well, I will have another just in case "

Actually No. if this is done as an I.V at hospital, the nurse or doc would do it. So i don't see any reason for an missed dosages.

YohanToday  07:08 pm JST

The question remains, how much will this drug cost and how much will the Japanese National Health Insurance pay and how much has the patient to pay....

I doubt that every old person living on a small retirement allowance is able to pay even 10 percent of the costs.

I think we will be able to negotiate a price deal with the companies to bring the costs down.

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Posted in: Ukraine man pleads not guilty to charges of smuggling 113 kg of drugs See in context

Mr KiplingToday  02:53 pm JST

Abe234...

Would it not have made better sense to get this shipped directly to Poland then?

Not if your plan was to smuggle 113kg of drugs into Japan!

Exactly! That's why his whole story smells of NOT AN EXCEDINGLY GOOD CAKE sir. lol

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Posted in: Ukraine man pleads not guilty to charges of smuggling 113 kg of drugs See in context

Would it not have made better sense to get this shipped directly to Poland then?

I see no business logic is A)flying to Mexico to B) buy a broken machine, to C) fly it back to Japan (especially with a weak yen as imports are expensive) D)repair it (could he repair it in Mexico?)

E) Pay for the shipping to Poland from Japan.

F) then forward on to Ukraine.

now! I’m no engineer, no rocket scientist but I think I smell poop, a joby. And that Puting it politely. While we give the Japan police,immigration a hard time KUDOS to them.

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Posted in: Ukraine man pleads not guilty to charges of smuggling 113 kg of drugs See in context

for me, if found guilty, book, time, ticket flight, home and then army come to mind. Japan gives him a place and he “allegedly” does this. Omg. It’s people who do this that give genuine (law abiding) refugees a bad name. And is used as a reason to NOT give anyone refugee status.

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