AsianGaijinYesWeExist comments

Exactly as it should be! In Korea they also check your passport, while every other country I've had a SIM in (UK, Canada, >Austria, PRC, ROC, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand) didn't even do that.

Used to be no checking in Singapore too, until terrorism became a real concern with the Bali bombings.

I've bought prepaid SIM in Malaysia, China and Hong Kong with ease as well. Even in the US, you can buy a prepaid SIM fairly easily from T-Mobile outlets. Japan really needs to work on this issue before the Olympics.

I get connected to check emails and a quick glance of social media. Takes less than 15 minutes, so those time limits don't bother me. 7-Eleven is easy, but one of the other chains wants you to register first, and of course everything was in Japanese. Store clerk was very eager to help but we went nowhere.

As to security concerns with prepaid SIM, in Singapore, as a tourist, you walk into any 7-Eleven, ask for a prepaid SIM, hand your passport to the clerk so he or she can type in some info into the computer, pay, and you're out the door. Sometimes, people (Japanese regulators or whoever) overthink stuff.

hitting on a woman

I think you mean 'hitting a woman'. Hitting ON a woman means something very different.

I get that some men can find it hard to let go of a relationship, especially if it's initiated by the woman and not something he wants. I'll readily admit that I do some, shall I say, lightweight stalking of my ex. Like looking her up on social media. But I get bored or distracted after awhile and move on. But then some men just cannot and will not let go.

With China's economy rapidly losing steam

You mean going from the kind of growth rate mature economies would kill for, to the kind of growth rate that would make them drool? Japan's economy has been you-know-what for decades now. I still see hordes of Japanese tourists the world over. Relax.

When I visited Japan, what I wanted most was free wifi signal, not special deals if I roam with a local telco. But boy do they make it hard for you. Spotty or none at train stations and shopping malls. In hotels, there is no signal in the room, so I was sitting in the lobby in my bathrobe and fuzzy slippers checking my email. Then I realized that I could stand outside most 7-Elevens to get free wifi signal.

He said he received death threats.

Serves him right, for wedging himself between the Korean nationalists and the Japanese rightwingers.

Suiicde involving three people? If that's true then it's either a suicide pact or a murder-suicide then.

Nice to see Manning go out with another ring.

Bonus: seeing Showboat Cam eat some humble pie.

She's kawaii, especially with those slight cheek dimples.

The Japan Olympic Committee (JOC) has reportedly set its sights on the national team taking between 25 to 30 gold >medals—achieving third place overall in the medal standings

Is this even realistic? Japan would have to blow past strong performers Germany and UK, and then have one of the big three powerhouses, US, Russia and China, stumble big time for it to happen.

I guess if all 8 planets, plus Pluto align, it might happen.

it might just be my Western logic trying to process it, but I >really cant understand why

As a non-Japanese Asian, I can assure you, non-Western minds are befuddled too.

@Gary

Makes me wonder, which would be tougher for a Japanese to pick up. On the one hand, they had English lessons in school, so that may help. But then, they should be able to read written Chinese without much difficulties.

Stop wasting your time. Pandas don't fancy pro-creation. If you want baby Pandas, squeeze the seed out of one and plant it into the other artificially. Less hassle for everybody.

Japan gets serious about cybersecurity

Good to hear. So when is Japan going to get serious about: workplace equality, falling birthrate, Fukushima cleanup, improving relations with neighboring countries, aging population, national debt, bullying in schools, work-life balance, corruption, etc?

No actual experience here with Japanese school bullying, but I did watch the J drama 35歳の高校生 and it seems some of the descriptions here mirror what were depicted.

China should just blow it to pieces minutes after it leaves the launch pad. What's Kim going to do? Throw a hissy fit maybe.

China has no intentions of doing anything about NK

What exactly do you expect China to do? China has repeatedly call on Kim to abide by UN resolutions and he refused. Also, did you read the following part of the article?

"While its patience has been stretched to the limit by Pyongyang’s refusal to curb its nuclear ambitions, China’s overriding concern is a collapse of Kim Jong-Un’s regime and the possibility of a U.S.-allied unified Korea on its border."

A collapse of Kim's government could see millions of starving North Koreans rushing into Chinese and South Korean territories. Are you going to help fund the feeding and clothing of these people? Even mighty Germany is having second thoughts about taking in all the refugees it's been getting.

Shocking!!!

This story just made my local news in the U.S. Yup, the co-anchors were laughing as they read it.

Sad and morbid.

Sounds like a loser criminal.

Reminds me of suicide terrorists whose bombs kill only themselves and nobody else got hurt. Kinda lame.

Gee I rather hope they do it to as many American corporations as possible. Nothing that I would like to see more than American corporations with their tails between their legs being forced to do their manufacturing back in the United States.

And have consumers pay $30 for a T-shirt at Wal Mart? All those American workers need their $25 an hour wage, health insurance and 401(k) too, you know. Unless you're proposing that manufacturers hire illegals at $6 per hour?

“Japan does not engage in spying activities in any country,”

I find this statement hard to believe. And this is not a jab specifically targeted at Japan. Countries spy on friends and foes alike.

AsianGaijinYesWeExis JAN. 29, 2016 - 02:36PM JST Ford in Detroit has no idea how to build small cars.

In 2015, Ford sold close to 800,000 in China and 6 million worldwide. One of the biggest in fortune 500 company. Ford knows what they are doing.

Chinese car buyers have, shall we say, 'unique taste'. They love Buick, before Buick was somewhat cool again recently. Besides, a lot of Ford sold outside N America were designed by European Ford, which I have much more respect for.

Like I said, Detroit Ford is only good at building SUVs and trucks. They hit a jackpot once in a while with sedans, by blatantly copying European looks, then milk it for as long as they can. Watch how long the current Fusion design runs, compared to the 5 year cycle of current Japanese makes.

And again, a lot of institutions in US would not buy anything foreign, effectively narrowing down the competition to just three.

They do the same to Tibet and other countries.

Tibet is not a country, no matter what Robert Redford says.

When is China going to get tired of that little yappy dog aka North Korea and just look the other way while 'someone' defuses the 'dear leader regime' and reunites the Koreas? I mean really, this punishment of the people in North Korea has gone on long enough...

You think China actually enjoy having this mad dog at its border? Put yourself in China's shoes for a minute. The moment the regime collapses, millions of starving North Koreans are going to rush over into China looking for food and shelter. Are you going to help China feed and cloth these people?

Also, if the two Koreas reunite, do the US troops go home? Maybe. Or they may move up north to the Korean/Chinese border. Do you think China wants that?

It is simplistic to say what you did, but it's not you or Japan who has to deal with the aftermath.

Since I can't tell a Merlot from a Cabernet Sauvignon, a bottle of Three Buck Chuck is good enough for me.

Wow, this is a pretty hostile crowd here. All I did was ask for some advise on equipment purchase, and you people acted like I just insulted your grandma and her mother.

I never demanded that the NPP in Satsumasendai be shut down, did I? Some other posters here had stronger opposition to the restart of NPP but for some reason I'm taking the flack!?

@Heda

I think you're barking up the wrong tree here. While I agree that nuclear energy is quite safe if nothing goes wrong, I'm more concerned for my loved one living just 30km from a restarted nuclear power plant. My goal is to give her the best tool my modest mean can afford, so that she can make an informed decision on whether to run away from any potential disaster.

Ideally, the entire world is powered by solar, hydro and wind. But we're not there yet.

I live in the U.S., in a state that has just two coal fired power plants left. And they are both scheduled to be decommissioned in a few years' time. My state is blessed geographically because the majority of our power comes from hydro. I understand that's not possible everywhere, but I'm sure you'll agree solar, wind and hydro are still preferable, given human's track record with nuclear so far.

@Stuart

Thanks for the information. Will check it out.

Have you thought about buying her a bubble? I mean, if >you're worried about her dying from radiation then you >should be concerned about the things that are more likely >to kill her such as fossil fuels, traffic accidents, the sun, >second hand smoke, lightning stikes, typhoons etc etc etc

Yeah, that's why I advise all the people I care about to drive newer and safer cars, buckle their seat belts, apply sunscreens, don't smoke and keep their distance from smokers, stay away from open spaces during a lightning storm, and heed weather reports on inclement weather.

But after the fiasco that is Fukushima, should anyone rely solely on what the Japanese government tells them when it comes to how safe they are?