archiebald comments

taiko666,

I spent most of my time in Suffolk and the last couple of years of my time in the UK was in Peterborough. Not exactly well known hotspots of crime but I've got friends all over the UK. It doesn't really matter where you go - crime in the UK is everywhere.

Murder took place in Dunblane (yes - the infamous school shooting), my friend's 5 year old son. The muggings happened in the midlands, burglaries happened near Blackburn and in Lowestoft. My Mother was burgled in Suffolk, my brother's business was broken into in the same town, three of my friends had cars stolen, I forget how many times friends have reported car windows being smashed, my wife's rental car was stolen in the Lake District when she visited by herself one time, my rental car was keyed on two separate occasions in different locations during one visit.....

Need I go on...??

There are ratbag families like those in the story that live in the same street as my Mother in Law, she caught 5 and 6 year olds from one particular family from hell breaking into her house on two occasions.

The country HAS gone to the dogs and the blame is on the Nanny State and liberal do-gooders.

They should bring back hanging, the birch, national service and let the police and school teachers crack some heads.

Japan's crime rate may be increasing and the morality decreasing, but I don't think it will ever get as bad as the UK within my life-time.

Whitepocky, Agreed - I left the UK in 1992, have lived in Asia since - mainly in Japan. As part of my employment contract, I have a home leave every 2 years but after the first time returning there, I lost all desire to go back. I'm still in regular contact with more than 50 friends and family members and over the last 17 years since I left - WITHOUT EXCEPTION - every one of them has at some time been a victim of crime including murder, street violence, mugging, burglary, car theft or vandalism.

When I was at school back in the mid 70's I had an old crusty teacher whose favorite phrase was, "The damn country is going to the dogs!". I never did understand what he was talking about until after I moved overseas then returned for home leave.

The country is absolutely falling apart and one day, if I ever end up leaving Japan, I'll be making sure that I do not return there. I find it truly sad that I have to say this about my country of birth.

People with pancreatic cancer do not get better - I know, this took my Mother.

Take a look at the survival rates.

The clock is ticking.

I don't think it can be worse than watching CNN.

If I want to watch a true International TV station, then BBC World is the only one that ticks all the boxes.

likeitis,

I am sure somebody will suss out a way to criticize the Japanese police anyway.

Ain't that the truth.

This sounds like a perfect piece of policework, hats off to the undercover female officer for putting herself on the line!! She deserves a commendation.

tkoind2, Then you need to change companies or I must simply be one of the lucky ones working for a Japanese company here in Nagano.

Work in Japan is like lifetime slavery. Long hours, no overtime pay, negative consequences for taking time off and companies show very little compassion or care for workers.

My company operates on a standard week of 39 hours with no requirement or pressure for compulsory overtime. If overtime is worked, it is paid at standard overtime rates up to the level of section manager, above that you are salaried with a "position allowance" and an expectation of "reasonable overtime" which is up to a maximum of 45 hours per month as stipulated in the labor regulations.

Staff here take holidays more or less at their convenience and even the Japanese workers may take a week off, and on occasion even two weeks.

A couple of years ago, my colleague was diagnosed early with leukaemia due to the excellent annual 人間ドック　system (free of charge full medical once per year, paid for by the company). Took six months off for chemo / radio therapy and came back to work for a short stint. Then was told he required a bone marrow transplant, took another 18 months off work. Our standard company regs state a maximum of 360 days sick leave with guaranteed job return, but as this was the first case they encountered exceeding the normal regs, they changed the entire company rule book just so he could return later without stress. They gave him a new job working as a section manager in a stress free office (was previously in sales)

They work you to death and then cut you off as soon as they have a problem. And expect us to be happy about all of it.

Read the above and in addition, when my Mother in the UK was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer a couple of years ago she went downhill quick. My company provided air tickets to the UK for me and my family with compassionate leave so I could nurse her through her last 6 weeks of life and attend her funeral. And there was a generous wad of condolence money waiting for me on my return, mostly from the company itself.

I'm pretty much committed to this company for life, but only because they earned my gratitude and respect.

I work here as a full time employee under Japanese regulations, so I am in a different case to these workers. Although my job is as secure as anyone's is right now, I came here on the full understanding that I may need to leave one day due to circumstances outside my control.

Therefore, I fail to understand why everyone is claiming these workers were somehow duped into coming to Japan for cheap labor. Let's be honest, they chose to come here so they could earn more than they could at home back in Brazil, and with increased opportunity, it is natural to suffer some increased risk. That's the way of the world and its happening all over the globe right now, not just in Japan. If they wanted better rights, then they could have applied for permanent residency or citizenship at any time in the last 20 years. But even that would not have guaranteed their employment any better than the thousands of Japanese contract and full time workers who are already out of work and a home.

Before it gets buried in other people's bickering, I would just like to congratulate tkoind2 on a fantastic couple of posts.

I wish I could have said it like that!!!

As an enka singer he is excellent by anyone's standard. If you like that sort of thing of course.....

My mother died a couple of years ago and she loved the Hollywood greats. In her latter years her major source of upset was seeing all her heroes and heroines dying off one by one.

Seems like the same thing is happening to me - another sad loss in the acting world.

I'll always remember him as Khan,;

"To the last, I will grapple with thee... from Hell's heart, I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breath at thee!"

I love living in Japan, but what never ceases to amaze me is that this country has virtually zero resources for power generation, mainly relying on imported uranium and fossil fuels. And yet here we see another stupid waste of power that is both directly and indirectly doing its bit to destroy the climate.

I wish the Japanese people would wake up to the fact that shining lights up in the air produces both light and carbon dioxide pollution, while using air conditioners with windows open is NOT going to cool you down, and as for installing outdoor heaters - so unbelievably stupid. AAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGGGGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

The author of this article must be a moron if they cannot figure out the simple rules - and those that state that they are deliberately trying to by-pass the simple rules that a schoolchild can understand, are the non-green idiots.

And by the way, the system works. As one example, here in Japan, the recycling level of PET bottles is higher than any other industrialized nation.

I can assure you that cars are not status symbols in Nagano.

And I certainly couldn't do the weekly grocery run, take the family camping, fly my radio control helicopters or go skiing every weekend of the winter without mine.

Yep, read the last paragraph of that report.

50% from the U.S. 25% from Russia

So how is 88% coming from Japan?

Moderator - Excellent!! Nice to read some real life that doesn't get covered by the normal news outlets.

This was always going to happen eventually. The FAA have been in the pockets of Boeing and the US airlines for far too long.

Just another symptom of cost cutting and lousy service in the US. I had always thought the US was excellent on service but a week in Chicago certainly changed my mind.

Can't you read?

It says that ANA may seek compensation.

How do you know where the parts are manufactured? It is Boeing's responsibility - end of story.

Anyhow, if I were ANA or JAL I wouldn't worry about full schedules going to Beijing for the games. Only an idiot would go there and support the fascist government and its incredibly brainwashed and ignorant population.