Abe234 comments

KiplingToday  08:51 pm JST

Of course, it is the default position. A compliant population who go out and vote for their hereditary, semi feudal masters.

I have to agree and it makes me wonder who the down voters are. If you’ve been in power for over 60 years, is there really much of a democracy? Or a sign of how pathetic the opposition is?

LegrandeToday  09:35 pm JST

Actually the support for the opposition is higher than before.

i’m not sure what to say really!!

But its always a forgone election. LDP win along with the coalition party. Because all the other leaders, want to have their own “little party” rather than joining together to make a “bigger more effective political party” with a real chance of winning. Better to have 100% of your own power in your “own small party” rather than being a small member in a big opposition party that could win real power and implement some other policy changes. Remember when they become unpopular, resign, bow, say sorry, elect a new leader, become unpopular and they rinse and repeat.

It’s not like we can’t put a sweater on.

Fantastic! Now we have a doctor, or a nurse who went a broke patient confidentiality. What would have happened if the docs, nurses, and police found out he did have an accident with say a circular saw? The patient would be within their rights to take the doc, nurse, and hospital for breach of patient confidentiality.

As some one above mentioned , suicidal attempt, self harm, wrist cutting, smoking, drinking, maybe not riding your bike with a helmet, maybe be construed as self injury. Where do we draw the line, and where do the docs decide to become the police? Mmmmm.

The article doesn’t explain who, or why this was reported. And who broke patient confidentiality that’s supposed to be a golden rule with all health care professionals.

StrangerlandOct. 10  11:28 pm JST

There is the definition, and then there is colloquial usage, which is to refer to sickos who sleep with minors.

could please define where your age cut off points are for these sickos? 18 year olds dating a 16 year old? 16 year old dating a 14 year old? 19 dating a 16 year old ? 20 year old dating a 17 year old? Please define your interpretation of paedophile and the age cut off point for a sicko? Where are the goal posts?

in some countries you can legally get married at 16, and have a family? Vote? And even join the military.All adult things!

Gene HennighToday  10:20 pm JST

Oh, I get it. If the girl was trying to extort the man, she deserved to die. I totally disagree. Pedophiles often are pretty good at luring women into bad situations. But if she were extorting him, why, that's a whole different matter.

please check the definition of pedophile if you wish. I would hate to think we’re gonna label a 18, 19,20 year old male a paedo under that interpretation. Paedophiles,have absolutely no sexual interest in women, or teenagers who’ve gone through puberty. I think most men understand the difference between going out with a 17 year old and a 7 year old.

IDanteKHToday  05:03 pm JST

Unemployed, murderer and pedophile.

Paedophiles have no interest in children who have gone through puberty.

We will be having LONGER HOTTER SUMMERS, shorter springs and very short falls.

Water is going to be the biggest threat.

Inflation is just so the government can reduce their debt, and in the UK, US we feel our property has gone up in value,compared to when we bought it, and our mortgage seems so cheap. All smoke and mirrors. the only way for Mr Honda and Ms Suzuki, is to invest. But the kicker here is, you gotta earn enough to invest, taking that money out of the family economy. So it seems like robbing to today, to spend tomorrow. But most have taken a hit to their salary. Salary increases are just mute if you're spending more on food, drink, clothes, juku, etc. Was deflation really that bad? or just bad for the government? Bonus's will fall in the future years, as shareholders demand MORE DIVIDENDS.

You want inflation but you don’t want the price of imports increasing. Kind of double speak! Instead of currency manipulation you could use the very same money, and give it rip The families.

most of this will settle when the fed cut rates by 0.25. And yet I remember Japanese companies complaining when a dollar was only getting 110 yen. Making exports more expensive but imports cheaper. Now it’s imports more expensive and exports cheaper and the dollar repatriated to yen gets a boom. Or to mention how you’re saying the travel industry is having a bumper time. Be careful what you wish for.spending reserves to manipulate the currency won’t really help the average Suzuki or Honda. And if they invest in IDECo or NISA your gonna hit their investment values.

I think the article is misleading. He threw the bike, and it HIT a passing taxi. Reporters have a habit of insinuating something but with just enough room for assumptions to be make. He threw it at a “passing”taxi. Which for me means he was throwing bike, and a taxi happens to be passing. It could have been a bus, a truck or a car. But intent is not mentioned here at all. He’s human, he’s a cop, I’ll give him his his warning, he probably had no ill intent. Pay for the damage. Not sure it’s worth his badge and the ruining of a career.

If it wasn't for the internet, this wouldnt even be on the news. LOL

found no consensus on whether to unify their candidates.

And thats why you haven't been in power for decades. You're a talking shop, with no levers of power, no influence, and about as much use as a chocolate tea pot. An ashtray on a motorbike, Or a one legged man in a butt kicking competition. Kinda sums it up really! As i predicted, the same party will win. Not much of a difference in changing government in China or Japan. Both had one party rule since WW2.

You can tell it’s election time. Sorry! The politicians are playing this. It is not a top priority.

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. The two Chinese ladies at circle k at my place are always speaking in Chinese to each other and it’s quite rude.

toraToday  09:22 am JST

So would you have them forcibly speak to each other in Japanese? Or just not to talk to each other at all? How about the Nepalese and other foreign workers? I think you'd find that would be an infringement of their human rights. 

And I just don't get how you could find two people speaking in their native language rude.

I can. If i am working at a place, and two other workers are speaking chinese, (or any other language)and they suddenly start to speak a totally different,language knowing full well they speak japanese fluently( or what ever other language) , this can cause a sense of whispering since your excluding the other person from taking part in the conversation. We had it in our work place, they all spoke English, perfectly well. but when a couple of staff from the same country got together, they would suddenly switch to their other language. Now, you may justify it, but they could just as easily be talking behind someones back, but right in front of your face and you'd never know about. its akin to whispering. And we would say talking behind someones back,or whispering is rude. Nothing worse than people laughing and you're not even part of the conversation. It can be very uncomfortable, and it can be lonely when your not part of the converstation, either actively or even passively.

kohakuebisuOct. 4  08:26 pm JST

Japan's birthrate is highest in the poorest prefecture Okinawa. I would imagine its because it has the most traditional family structures and social norms. 

I would like to think so too, but the research is the opposite. If you are poorer, with fewer opportunities for say higher educations, fewer opportunities for higher payed jobs, fewer career options, and no good role models to emulate, then you're more likely to have a higher birth rate.Mainly because, they may consider, what is their role in society if not highly educated or having a career. Women have time to go to uni, so they spend four years at uni, and if further educated even longer. So this would usually take a women out of the "I'm dating scene, or starting a family earlier, reducing the fertility time." Once she graduates, the women would like to build her career, earn some money, enjoy her life ( because she earns money) so this reduces the fertility time by a few more years, before menopause starts. So women have delayed the search for a partner, and delayed starting a family. compared to the 1950s or 60s, when there were fewer job and education opportunities. So there is probably a correlation between education, careers, health, and earning ability that influences the total fertility rate. That's why we invest heavily in educating girls in poorer countries. Smaller families, frees up capital to be spent on goods and services. ( Thats what the government want) Now women do not have to have a man to provide wealth and security.With some jobs, and her earning ability, she doesn't need a man to provide for the family. Women can now get loans, credit cards, and get divorced easily, this all takes time out of the fertility years. Women were told they can have it all. and they can,( to a point) they just want more freedom, and a smaller family. Politicians want to have high educated women, reducing the fertility rate, freeing up money to spend on the smaller family, but then wants to have more kids, which takes up a lot of time, financial capital, and time. And thats before the politicians have said, you gotta save for uni, save for your pension. Poorer education equals a higher fertility rate. So higher education results in a smaller TFR. Sorry but it's nothing to do with family ties.

MoskolloToday  03:16 pm JST

He needs to understand that the declining birthrate is directly linked to the rising cost of living.

absolutely not! This is a misnomer. The fallen birth rate is due to multiple factors. We live longer so we can delay having a family. Women can control their fertility as can men. So we can delay or stop extending our family. We have developed as a country so we have other things to spend our money on(as the government keeps telling us to do) you can’t spend more money on new cars and still have three or four kids. Women are more educated and with equal rights women have more choices in a career.( the truth is we can have it all) you can have a career, but you might want a smaller family to enjoy the new car, trips abroad. We have access to great health care so you have. 99% chance of your single child reaching adulthood. And finally we don’t need more kids because soMe will die of disease, famine and war. And we have moved on from farming. So we do t need more kids to run the family farm. money is always said to be the main reason but that’s not historically the fact. Every nation that has gone on to develop has a falling birth rate. Every poor country has a high birth rate. They may not have access to schools, clean water, sanitation, health care, medication, vaccines, new industries. Do they have access to reproductive control. Do women have equal rights and equal access to education and jobs and that bring money to women who can control their bodies, fertility, and how they spend their money.

There is no point earning more money per hour if your only going to be forced to save the difference to save for your retirement, save for your health care, save I case you’re sick, save in case you lose you job, save save save, and work work work work. I’d rather pay a bit more in tax for 40 years to not live in fear. Bevan was certainly onto something. The fear of  Want, the fear of disease, a fear of ignorance, a fear of squalor and a fear of forced idleness. All values we still have today. We want a home, we want our health, we want an affordable education, we want to work, and not be a slave. It’s ok if you’re earning tons of cash, but some are just average Suzukis and Hondas. Maybe Japanese people are so scared of the future they’re scared to spend. Scared to have more kids.not an easy conundrum to solve! But if we live our lives, we get abused for not saving enough, and if we save too much we get punished for saving too much, and the country suffers cause consumers cut back. But the share holders will always win.

I could actually get behind this. If "wealth" was an indicator of satisfaction and happiness in life, then the USA would be the happiest. And if High taxation was a sign of unhappiness, I have to wonder why Finland, Norway,Sweden,Iceland,Denmark,Swizterland,NZ et al are happier. Is there a fear of guns, a fear of getting old, a fear of having no money, no safety net, a fear of the future, a fear of no job, GUNs don't apply to Japan, but a fear of getting old, being poor, a weaker safety net, possibly weaker employment laws, are relevant to Japan. Time to focus on the health of a nation and not just WEALTH. We have already developed. Just not sure what we are chasing.

Some dudeToday  09:56 am JST

Unless they can do better than "hey you guys, Japan is so unique and clean and safe and wacky and smash that subscribe button", then I'll stick to watching paint dry.

Totally. Some really try to play to that racial stereotype or cultural stereotypes. Not to mention some of the Japanese Youtubers hunting out giajin, and then hearing all the praise heaped on Japan. I want to hear about some of the big problems. EG dealing with schools, and not being able to read kanji, being an english teacher and finding out after years, your can barley get buy in Japanese, let alone read it. Try dealing with local governments, dealing with buy homes, WITHOUT A JAPANESE PARTNER to do all the heavy lifting. Or finding some youtubers who are running away from something back home. Possibly a couple in the list above.

As dude today said, I'll stick with watching paint dry or the new Youtube craze. Akiya video porn. Look,I bought a house for 6,000 dollars. Aren't I awesome! Most poeple are just living life, paying their bills, dodging pension payments or health insurance. and trying to find a job. Not great Youtube material but thats the truth of life here. Work,Work work.

Terrible. a simple law should put a stop to this. I also feel some YouTubers are buying old homes for YouTube clicks. It’s good they’re doing up an empty place and Some want to stay and live here. Some will buy an old akiya so cheap, that the YouTube clicks and advertising income pays for the place itself. But what will happen when their kick clicks stop? Just a buy another place and repeat? Some intend to stay, some have families and are here for the long term but will some just get their “kick clicks” get some revenue and after a while, move on, go back home. Or are they hoping their channel will become their “income”. Hopping from akiya to Akiya chasing income revenue.

She had been a Type 1 diabetic since age 3 and no longer is one at all now.

It can happen.

chotto_2Today  12:58 pm JST

She's just replaced insulin with a ton of inmuno suppressants though.

I'd rather be on insulin...

I think you might find there is way way more to it than just diabetes and insulin. The Kidney was replaced because she had kidney failure. ( probably) The leading cause of kidney failure and blindness is diabetes. If your in the end stages of renal failure, and you have diabetes, and they match then clinically it might make sense since you will be on the same immune suppressants anyway. One thing is for sure, it is much better than the alternative. I'd take those extra years of life. She probably hasn't just replaced the insulin. She has gained freedom to drink again, without measuring each milliliter, have shunts put in if you're on dialysis, eat what she likes, without worrying about salt intake, the ability to control the blood pressure, the risk of diabetic retanopathy gone, etc etc and "Time". Now thats something many of us would want more of. You don't have enough knowledge on the case to make that judgement.

masterblasterToday  12:52 pm JST

It's literally "Woman on the take, Riri".

@kohakuebisu

Not to nitpick but ...

Sugar baby is an apt translation.

right! So scammer, rip off artist, cat fishing, con artist, thief, liar, financial abuser, emotional abuser come to my mind. Sugar baby? And what did the victims get in return!

I could be 60 year old multimillionaire, dating a 25 year old, but we all understand the relationship. As they are both happy and consenting. She was scum!

stickman1760Today  07:59 am JST

Interesting question

nagoya often gets overlooked.

Ive lived in Tokyo for over 30 years. Every time I go to Nagoya on business.

overlooked for sure. No big artists come here. Very few theme parks but has ghibli and lego. So apart from business, that’s about it.

Not sure what planet, island the author is on, but you will boil to death. There is nothing really here. All the big concerts skip Nagoya. As for the airport, it’s just a hub, very few direct flights to Europe.

and you’ll struggle to live on 148,000 yen a month. Survive…. Maybe. Live. Nope!!!

These were just Chinese propoganda tools. As zoo's payed china for a bear in the hope that they would make some profit. While we thought china was being nice, panda politics, the public got suckered in, and the CCP were building up different claws. And lets be honest, it had nothing to do with conservation at all. Just a panda peep show. Cute, pretty, nice, but conservation is just public PR.

I guess we might have to consider paying more for simpler, cheaper, treatments, and the money brought in or saved there could be switched to the expensive drug/treatments,(ring fencing would ned to be ensured) but squeezing down on one area will have consequences to some patients. Maybe the Patent rules need to be changed, eg 30 year monopoly instead for the 20 year limit. stick an extra 1% health tax on fags, booze, coke, Mcdonalds, etc etc. We wouldnt notice it, but every bit helps. Maybe some taxes could be ring fenced to be moved to cover the expensive drugs, or atleast make it easier to afford. Maybe some over the counter meds could be nudged up a bit, with that extra being collected (ring fenced) to pay for expensive drugs. Maybe,negotiating more prescriptions for the drug, if they lower the price a bit. Maybe some countries could work together to purchase the drug at a cheaper rate, rather than individually. (however once the drug companies realize this, they could just jack up the prices even higher) making any discounts mute! Insurance companies won't want to pay for it, cause there's no benefit to their bottom line, profits,or shareholders. And the first thing they always say is "treatment denied because (insert small print of excuse)"

Well the video hopefully will clear this up. But who ever is trying to steal it from the other person really has no shame. But maybe thats a sign of American society!. I just can't imagine someone having the audacity to actually try and pinch it from the other person. 18 year old....still a kid in many ways. Legally an adult.

deanzaZZRToday  02:39 pm JST

Democracy in action if the scope of a democracy is a party vote. 

Takaichi, bring it. Her and Trump together will be chaos. Fun times, indeed.

No different than say the US/French, UK NZ parties choosing their candidates and then the public can choose.

Good! Its about time the Japanese Navy got some back bone. If you want to have the support of the Aussies, US,UK,other navies et al, you gotta step up to the plate, and so some work. Sent a clear message to the CCP. We have allowed them to push everyone around for too long. Autocratic,dictatorship, built with capitalism are very hard to deal with as money talked. Only thing is Autocratic dictarships don't have to answer to the public, or business. We thought the CCP would eventually fall apart as the people wanted more than capitalist wealth. Well Kissingers ideas have fallen flat, and we have helped build up the chinese navy, army and airforce, as they creamed in profits from us wanting cheap goods. While we were suckers cute pandas, the CCP were building up its claws. The cold war peace dividend is now over.