Posted in: Inflation dents budgets for cherry blossom viewing in Japan See in context
Our local resident association provided ¥6,000 to each household for the Hanami celebration.
Your local taxes are obviously ¥6,000 too high.
4 ( +10 / -6 )
Posted in: Inflation dents budgets for cherry blossom viewing in Japan See in context
When asked in a multiple-choice question where they planned to travel to in order to see the blossoms, the largest at 73.1 percent picked a "location nearby, during the daytime,"
If 73% are viewing blossoms at a location nearby, the “mean” cost is likely far lower than the “average” cost of 6,872 yen per person.
9 ( +10 / -1 )
Posted in: Biden opposes plan to sell U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel, citing need for 'American steel workers' See in context
Toblerone
yet he brings in illegals in the US while they take away jobs from the American people. What a hypocrite.
Over the past three years, the Biden administration has carried out 4 million expulsions and deportations — more than the Trump administration ever did.
Republicans won’t pass an immigration reform because they need that cheap labor for their under $10 IHOP meals.
Taking away jobs? U.S. unemployment in February 2024 was at 3.9%, the 25th straight month in which joblessness has remained below 4% — the longest such streak since the 1960s.
Trump? When he was inaugurated in January 2017, unemployment was at 4.7%. In October 2020, the month before Trump was voted out of office, unemployment was at 6.9%.
-1 ( +5 / -6 )
Posted in: Biden opposes plan to sell U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel, citing need for 'American steel workers' See in context
Trump said this back on Feb 1.
You must be delighted, @JJE.
Biden is standing with America's steel workers and the manufacturing sector on his proven record of putting America First.
Without Biden’s America First stand, it doesn't take Nostradamus to see where this would be headed for the rank and file. First, Nippon Steel would bust the unions and rehire workers under shady contracts. Then, the rehired workers would be replaced with the waves of illegals arriving over the border Trump never secured as he promised he would!
4 ( +13 / -9 )
Posted in: Ohtani's wife seen with him in photo on social media See in context
Normal in this case means non-celebrity.
Or that the most delicious dish she makes is “dry curry,” according to a report in the Japanese magazine “President.”
-1 ( +4 / -5 )
Posted in: Hiroshima grapples with 'Oppenheimer' Oscars success See in context
it is wrong, it is a war crime
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has jurisdiction over the definition of “war crime” and does not include the use of nuclear weapons as a war crime.
However, if the use of nuclear weapons were considered a “war crime,” all nations capable of using nuclear weapons are prepared to commit a “war crime” when nuclear weapons become the only means of repelling violent attacks on its citizens by a powerful outside force or preventing the resurgence of a violent aggressor that has demonstrated a willingness to repeatedly engage in such violent attacks.
-1 ( +0 / -1 )
Posted in: Ohtani's wife seen with him in photo on social media See in context
Ohtani announced in late February that he had recently married “a normal Japanese woman”
“Normal”? Perhaps not the kindest of words from a husband, but I guess Shohei would be in the best position to make an assessment.
-3 ( +5 / -8 )
Posted in: Japan's Space One Kairos rocket explodes right after lift-off See in context
wallace
It's not rocket science.
No, Wallace. This IS rocket science!
4 ( +9 / -5 )
Posted in: Hiroshima grapples with 'Oppenheimer' Oscars success See in context
soudan
it is wrong, it is a war crime
If a country like Japan is engaging in war crimes to bring its opponents to submission, that aggressor country rightfully loses its protections against war crimes being used to bring it to submission, many might argue.
-12 ( +3 / -15 )
Posted in: Sabalenka, Gauff advance; Osaka ousted at Indian Wells See in context
Why is it that every report involving Naomi Osaka includes the byline "returning after giving birth."
She wasn’t playing that well before giving birth.
— Naomi Osaka’s Tournament Record since March 2021
0 wins out of 23 tournament entries
Coverage: 18 months before her maternity leave, 2 months after
— Naomi Osaka’s Match Record since April 2022
13 losses, 9 wins (one win was a walkover)
0 ( +1 / -1 )
Posted in: Hiroshima grapples with 'Oppenheimer' Oscars success See in context
Basically the death toll from the 2 bombs was less than that would have happened if there had been an actual invasion.
Moreover, according to Malcolm Gladwell’s well-researched “The Bomber Mafia,” the impact of the massive firebombing campaign and atomic bombs was that Japan surrendered in August. If Japan didn’t surrender in August, the Soviets would have invaded. And then the Americans would have invaded, and Japan would have been carved up — just like Germany and the Korean Peninsula eventually were. And the other thing that would have happened is that millions of Japanese would have starved to death that winter — because surrendering in August gave MacArthur time to come in with his occupation forces and feed Japan.
Yes, nuclear weapons are awful, but most of Japan’s residents would have had a radically different future if those bombs had not been used and the nation had not resultantly surrendered in August.
-4 ( +11 / -15 )
Posted in: Hiroshima grapples with 'Oppenheimer' Oscars success See in context
Fighto!
There is no evidence that Japanese would ever have used an atomic bomb on her fellow Asians in WW2.
The Japanese used every weapon they had, even resorting to sacrificing their own youth in kamikaze suicide bombings. Therefore, a reasonable mind would naturally conclude that the Japanese would have used whatever weapon they had to further their means at the time.
4 ( +19 / -15 )
Posted in: Wife of slain foster home head still fighting for truth 5 years on See in context
SAITAMA
“What does this have to do with Saitama?” I thought.
in 2019, the Tokyo Reporter reported …
According to police, Hitoshi Tahara, of no known occupation, said that he acted out of “revenge” in admitting to using a knife to stab Shinya Omori, 46, in the abdomen at Wakakusaryo, a foster home located in the Hatagaya area [Shibuya-ku] that provides care to minors.
Officers arrested Tahara at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. During questioning, the suspect said that he acted out of resentment toward the facility due to his time spent there. “Anyone was fine,” he was quoted by police.
The suspect also said that he had been living in various internet cafes and purchased the knife in Omiya City, Saitama Prefecture between two and three weeks ago.
https://www.tokyoreporter.com/crime/tokyo-former-foster-home-resident-fatally-stabbed-facilitys-chief-out-of-revenge/
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Hiroshima grapples with 'Oppenheimer' Oscars success See in context
On an average day at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, a visitor will encounter large masses of students, often aged 12-14, quickly and loudly pushing into each museum room. Every 5-10 minutes, each room fills with a new flood of jostling, playful students. Their attention is generally on each other. Teachers encourage them to keep quiet out of respect for older visitors, creating even more of a disturbance.
Perhaps there should be a movie about the true value of these school visits. I have never met any Japanese who looked back with value on one of these school trips to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum. But I’m certain that the city of Hiroshima makes a lot of money off them — through lodging, food, transportation, and souvenirs.
By the way, if you desire a more peaceful visit to such a museum, the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum is much less busy.
-2 ( +11 / -13 )
Posted in: Hiroshima grapples with 'Oppenheimer' Oscars success See in context
“Oppenheimer himself couldn’t make up his mind how he felt about making and helping to use the bomb, right to the end of his life,” according to Greg Mitchell, the author of the 2020 book “The Beginning or the End: How Hollywood—and America—Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb.”
In October 1945, Oppenheimer told President Truman, “Mr. President, I feel I have blood on my hands.” In November 1945, he told an audience in Philadelphia that the bomb was “by all the standards of the world we grew up in … an evil thing.” He gave television interviewsstarkly elucidating the risk of nuclear war. In 1949, as the head of an advisory committee for the newly formed Atomic Energy Commission (AEC), he delivered a report warning against developing a hydrogen bomb—a fusion weapon more powerful than the Trinity, Hiroshima or Nagasaki bombs—that had been conceived by fellow Manhattan Project scientist Teller. “A super bomb might become a weapon of genocide,” Oppenheimer wrote. “A super bomb should never be produced.” In 1953, he gave a speech likening the nuclear-capable United States and Soviet Union to “two scorpions in a bottle, each capable of killing the other, but only at the risk of his own life.”
However, in a 1965 interview with CBS News, two years before his death, he responded as follows when asked whether dropping the bomb on Japan was necessary: “The war had started in ‘39. It’d seen the death of tens of millions. It’d seen brutality and degradation, which had no place in the middle of the 20th century. And the ending of the war by this means, certainly cruel, was not undertaken lightly. But I am not confident, as of today, that a better course was then open. I have not a very good answer to this question.”
14 ( +22 / -8 )
Posted in: Japan marks 13 years since quake-tsunami triggered nuclear disaster See in context
Problem with legacy nuclear in Japan, earthquakes.
No, the tsunami caused the damage, not the earthquake. On 11 March, the Fukushima reactors proved to be robust seismically.
If TEPCO had built the Fukushima nuclear plant on the Pacific-facing 35-meter bluff that existed beforehand, instead of first clearing away that bluff, the Fukushima meltdown would never have occurred. This was an engineering miscue for two purposes: (1) to build directly on bedrock (thought to be more earthquake-proof), and (2) to save on the cost of pumping cooling seawater up the 35-meter bluff.
0 ( +1 / -1 )
Posted in: Sumo great Hakuho could lose stable over protege's bullying: reports See in context
What would happen if we applied this reasoning to other areas of Japanese society:
— If an LDP underling engaged in unacceptable behavior, the leader of the LDP would be removed.
— If a teacher engaged in unacceptable behavior, the principal would be removed.
— If an athlete engaged in unacceptable behavior, the coach would be removed.
— If a company employee engaged in unacceptable behavior, the company president would be removed.
It seems that Hakuho’s punishment is far too harsh when compared to how Japanese society generally responds. I have read that the Mongolia-born Hakuho (currently known as Miyagino) has never been a favorite of the Japan Sumo Association (JSA), so I wonder whether the JSA is being exceptionally harsh to force Hakuho out of sumo.
0 ( +5 / -5 )
Posted in: 'Oppenheimer' wins best picture; Murphy, Stone take acing honors at Academy Awards as protests for Gaza rage outside See in context
“Poor Things”: My fave of 2023
Me too! So many of the 10 nominees for Best Picture were very good films, and a small-budget Best Picture nominee that might leave you in tears is “Past Lives.” It is mostly in Korean. The movie is a love story that explores nostalgia, love, and remorse — allowing viewers to delight in the memories of our past lives while acknowledging the loss of childhood things left behind, roads never taken, and relationships that were never meant for us. A delightfully beautiful film.
0 ( +2 / -2 )
Posted in: 'Oppenheimer' wins best picture; Murphy, Stone take acing honors at Academy Awards as protests for Gaza rage outside See in context
The gloriously, dementedly alive “Poor Things,” featuring smart and obscenely funny dialogue, ambitious production and costume design, and a visionary performance by Emma Stone, is an instant classic! Highly recommended.
7 ( +10 / -3 )
Posted in: 'Oppenheimer' set to dominate Oscars See in context
“Past Lives,” which is mostly in Korean and has been nominated for two Academy Awards, including Best Picture, was intensely impactful, as was the immensely creative “Poor Things,” featuring amusing dialogue, ambitious production and costume design, and a visionary performance by Emma Stone.
-1 ( +1 / -2 )
Posted in: McDonald’s Japan releases first-ever matcha pie, perfectly timed for sakura season See in context
The three layers inside the crispy pie dough consist of soft warabi (bracken fern) mochi, smooth matcha bean paste, made by kneading Uji matcha with white bean paste, and kuromitsu (brown sugar syrup) sauce.
How much food coloring? I appreciate the “news” about a new product, but that “pie” doesn’t look that appetizing.
1 ( +4 / -3 )
Posted in: Film poses moral questions about 2011 Fukushima disaster displacement See in context
I look forward to seeing the film.
If TEPCO had built the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant on the Pacific-facing 35-meter bluff that existed beforehand, instead of first clearing away that bluff, the Fukushima meltdown would never have occurred. This was an engineering miscue for two purposes: (1) to build directly on bedrock (thought to be more earthquake-proof), and (2) to save on the cost of pumping cooling seawater up the 35-meter bluff.
4 ( +4 / -0 )
Posted in: Gov't OKs bill to introduce joint custody after divorce See in context
@Sam Watters
Immense sympathy. I can’t imagine what type of soul would down-vote your post/story.
5 ( +5 / -0 )
Posted in: Gov't OKs bill to introduce joint custody after divorce See in context
A choice of joint custody is a step in the right direction, but couples divorcing in Japan many years ago could willingly choose to co-parent. One parent would receive full custody and simply allow the other parent to remain involved in the child’s life. Some parents would choose that route.
A problem remains, however, when a distressed divorcing parent desires to remove the other parent from the child’s life. That distressed parent is not going to choose joint custody and can resort to a false claim of domestic violence, which can easily be done in Japan, where no evidence is required to file a domestic violence claim and enter a government-run shelter for several weeks.
A distressed parent will often use the children as a tool to injure their spouse’s heart — which, in itself, is a form of child abuse, but perhaps not one recognized in Japan unfortunately.
Your spouse disappearing into a shelter with your children most certainly would not be desirable if you’re an innocent left-behind parent who loves the children deeply and has dedicated a lot of time and energy to their growth.
I have no problem with adults who feel a need for the safety of a shelter. But, all too often in Japan, a parent will enter a shelter with children and use the shelter to separate the kids from the other parent. Then, after years of separation from the other parent during required mediation or a family court case, judges will grant legal custody to the parent who has physical custody so as not to disrupt the life of the child. In Japan, those who have physical custody secure legal custody, and the shelters can be used to get that initial physical custody.
In 2011, Time magazine published an article titled “Japan is a Haven for International Child Abduction.” In the decade since, Japan has ratified the Hague treaty (2014) and will soon be offering a choice of joint custody (2024). However, in practice, Japan apparently remains a haven for child abduction — domestically and internationally — for those willing to make false, fabricated claims to achieve their desired outcome.
9 ( +10 / -1 )
Posted in: Tourists banned from private alleys in Kyoto's geisha district See in context
The foreigners who just stand in front of the train ticket gate, usually with luggage, peeve me the most. Go through the gate or get out of the way!
1 ( +4 / -3 )
Posted in: Haley suspends her campaign, leaving Trump as last major Republican candidate See in context
2024: 67,000
This should be 72,000, but it is still not a considerable increase over 2016 after factoring in eight years of population growth.
4 ( +4 / -0 )
Posted in: Haley suspends her campaign, leaving Trump as last major Republican candidate See in context
Blacklabel
The number of “republican” voters in Vermont primary 2020? 37k
2024? 72k
difference? 35k
Yesterday Hayley total? 36.2k
Hmmm…
where did all extra republicans come from?
Garbage.
Total voters in Vermont primary in 2016 and 2024 when a Republican incumbent president was not running:
2016: 62,000
2024: 67,000
Not much difference. In 2020, the Republican incumbent president didn’t have a serious challenge, so the number of Republican voters was low — as is to be expected.
Comparing 2024 to 2020 is garbage. You would need to compare 2024 to 2016.
5 ( +6 / -1 )
Posted in: Haley suspends her campaign, leaving Trump as last major Republican candidate See in context
There is not a single poll that has Biden outperforming Trump,
Are these the same polls that “oversample Democrats over Republicans”? At least was your continual claim right before the previous presidential election, when you predicted a “landslide” Trump victory. And how’d that turn out?
8 ( +9 / -1 )
Posted in: Haley suspends her campaign, leaving Trump as last major Republican candidate See in context
Presidents are never "fired".
Trump was. Isn’t that right, @JJE?
1 ( +5 / -4 )
Posted in: Japanese Olympic Committee slapped with ¥2 bil in back taxes See in context
The JOC is a public interest corporation
Who pays that tax? The national government (for the JOC) to the Tokyo Regional Taxation Bureau?
8 ( +9 / -1 )
Posted in: An expanding NATO uses its diversity as strength
Amazing BoJ taking risk to ship it's short term rate from -0.1 / 0% range to 0 /0.1%. It is…
Posted in: Bank of Japan ends negative interest rate policy, opting for its first hike in 17 years
The US has the most advanced military in the world.
Posted in: An expanding NATO uses its diversity as strength