borscht comments

Are any of the policemen who supposedly beat him, prosecutors who allegedly fabricated evidence against him, or judges who didn’t give a farthing alive? If alive, they should be hauled out to explain themselves.

I side with those who think Ishiba has already been chosen by the powers that be behind the PM chair. I hope Takaichi is chosen so that, if she survives longer than four months, she and President Harris can shake hands, smile for the cameras, and simultaneously twist the undies of die-hard fundamentalists.

In the hospital today: Place the card on the scanner. (Take it out of the little plastic sleeve that ‘protects’ prying eyes from the number... ha.) Either enter your PIN or use the facial recognition. Then there are three questions which you have to agree to and then push finish. Much quicker than the paper route which requires someone to read it, enter the data into their computer, and give everything back. By-passed a lot of people doing the paper route.

I worry about the Japanese government’s ability to keep everything secure as in the past they have failed a few times. Of course, if they still use floppy disks, it might be secure.

By the way, karoshi has become an English word where it is easier to say than worked to death, a concept that is hard for some Americans to understand.

This:

Although 85% of employers report giving their workers two days off a week and there are legal restrictions on overtime hours, which are negotiated with labor unions and detailed in contracts.

seems to be an incomplete sentence.

And this:

Proponents of the three-days-off model say it encourages people raising children, those caring for older relatives, retirees living on pensions and others looking for flexibility or additional income to remain in the workforce for longer

is also true of working from home, which companies are also rejecting now that they have more control over their employees.

A four-day workweek will work only if pay remains the same; workers can’t afford lower pay with the rising prices of everything.

This: due to a possible active fault underneath the offline unit

And this: building reactors … directly above active faults is prohibited.

So why this?: Nuclear Regulation Authority plans to seek public comments on its assessment report

Is this nuclear safety by vote or by law?

Also, doesn’t this (lying) mean Japan Atomic Power can’t be trusted to run a safe power plant?:

documents that included inaccuracies and data rewritten without approval

I’ve noticed Japan will do what they think is best when it’s too late.

From refusing US help after the 1985 747 crash which could have saved lives, to not shoring up their elevated highways after the Northridge earthquake in 1994 because, to paraphrase an LDP politician, ‘our engineers are better than Americans.’ Only to find the 1995 Hanshin Earthquake proving him wrong.

But this is merely a request for committee members names so the long tedious process of securing food, supplies, resources, and a location for citizens caught in a disaster can begin; preferably before the next disaster.

I suspect they are stalling on this onerous task until after the LDP election so the newest prime minister can dole out these positions to his friends (and donors).

Congratulations to Ms Itooka

Peter Neil, fyi, of her 117 years in this vale of tears, Maria Branyas Morera spent 99 of them in Spain although she was born in San Francisco to Spanish parents who returned to Spain during WWI.

Did she have American citizenship by right of birth? I don’t know. Did she keep her American citizenship her entire life? Again, I plead ignorance.

Abbreviations didn’t start with texting. They started with the printing press in order to use less space on the page. It’s why we write Mr. and Mrs. instead of Mister/Master or Missus/Mistress.

Before texting was a thing, I spent many decades teaching students that ‘wanna’ is not the correct spelling of ‘want to’.

And it’s a pity that LOL was commandeered by Laughing Out Loud and not Lots of Love as LOL is too often used as an insult.

Bund & BeerDeluveryGuy,

thanks for the clarifying everything; much appreciated.

First, agree with Asiaman7. Japanese in Japan feel lonely, too, at about the same rate as those living abroad. I wonder how many non-Japanese living in Japan feel lonely. Or, more broadly, how many expatriates feel lonely. Especially when looking at a frequency such as

"often or always," "sometimes" or "once in a while."

I have no statistics to back up this claim but I think most people in most places feel lonely 'once in a while' or 'sometimes.' It's part of being human.

Or, and bear with me here, they (either management or employees) could use Fake Names! I saw a non-Japanese Lawson's clerk with the name クルー and thought it was his katakanized Cool nickname.

Clerks could be so lucky as to choose their own nickname: 熊 (Bear) , ロキー (Rocky), プチン (Putin), whatever they wanted. Then when grumpy old men or women wanted to complain out loud, they'd have to use the (made-up) nickname. Plus, the name tags could be interchangeable saving management money.

Police said the man told them that her and his wife were asleep

Who is this ‘her’? The bear?

And maybe stop being influenced by so-called influencers who are probably vapid consumers who beg for their crxp for free.

If some TikToker exclaims you have to take a picture of Mt Fuji seemingly coming out of a Lawson’s roof, please remember: No, you don’t. You can go explore the Atacama desert in Chile instead.

Independent thought, what a concept.

Niece had a chance to rent her house for an Olympics but checked with other owners at a different Olympics and discovered the clean up and repair costs were prohibitive. Renters literally destroyed walls, left food in the bed, spilled alcohol everywhere etc.

When podcasts first started in Japan it was mostly radio stations uploading their regular programming.

I fear this social media presence to ‘young people’ will be the Imperial Household’s regurgitation of standard IHA photo ops.

Why was the location of this random stabbing attempt in the headline?

I guess “Man Tries to Stab Elderly Tourist” was to generic?

Why? If the so-called elderly want to use cash, what’s the problem? Oh, wait, cash for the app makers. I see. Never mind.

About adoption in Japan:

Japan is characterized by one of the highest adoption rates in the world

However, over 90% (some report 98%) are adult males adopted by the wife’s family to continue the family name.

Which means a paltry 10 or 2% are babies, maybe. Maybe some adult females are adopted?

Regardless, mental health is taking a backseat in Japan and needs improving. Not least to reduce murder-suicides like this unfortunate incident.

All of the history in this article was taught in my junior high US history class and unlike the headline and creator- showrunner Monica Beletsky, I paid attention.

Does the Hokuriku Shinkansen go to Kaga from Osaka?

DesertTortoise

Thanks for the information. My knowledge of US taxes is, obviously, out of date. As I said, take my calculations with a pre-tax grain of salt.

Meiyouwenti

The US taxes the entire amount at around 50%. Michigan might have a windfall tax, too; often around 10% of the entire amount.

The $320,000 is reduced by $160,000 (US) which is reduced by $105,400 (lawyer); the entire amount could be previously reduced by $32,000 (Michigan).

Leaving Akima with either $23,400 or, if no Michigan tax, $55,400.

I’m not sure how much of the entire amount Japan will tax Akima.

But I’m no tax accountant so take this with a grain of salt (pre-tax).

The biggest falls in the US stock markets after 1929 and before 2008 was Eisenhower having a heart attack and JFK being assassinated. How do either of those events reflect the performance of the US economy at that time?

When asked about him losing over a billion dollars on the 2008 crash, Warren Buffett said, it'll be back. What did he do? Bought stocks cheap.

What is this down time you refer to? I was either in school, studying, playing and talking with friends, watching TV, doing chores, reading, playing by myself or siblings, traveling with the family, sleeping, or playing little league baseball poorly.

 Todaiji, a Buddhist temple in western Japan designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, 

That's the most important part for a lead paragraph? That the site of the accident and death is a UNESCO site?

For those hauling out their pitchforks and torches bleating for people a certain age to be barred from driving:

At 70 people who renew their driver's licenses need to take a refresher course under the eye of a driving instructor. This includes, of course, a lecture on driving, a driving test, and an eye test that is more comprehensive than the normal driver's license renewal eye test. It includes checking peripheral vision and distance. After 75 people also have to take a dementia test which should be more stringent than it is.

When I turned 70 and took the refresher course, one of my classmates had trouble finding the door out of the classroom, then had trouble finding the car, then got in the passenger side. I didn't find out but I hope he didn't get his license renewed.

As the instructors were there to check driving ability and had no authority to stop someone on dementia-related skills, I fear he passed.

and cover your head and neck to prevent your body heat from escaping

Heat escapes from your body, not just out your head and neck. That's why our armpits get sweaty after hard work or high temperatures. You'd think a doctor would know that. Saying that, I usually wear a hat indoors, too.

222 deaths and 32 caused by hypothermia. Almost 15%? I'm assuming the hypothermia victims were trapped in their houses the first few days, like the 90-year-old woman. I'm hoping they weren't already in evacuation centers (i.e. school gymnasiums) where heat was optional.

I’ve got a couple of questions.

How did the police find the girl and man so fast?

Is a “lodging facility” different from a hotel? Is it a rooming or boarding house?

Does the girl never leave home on a Sunday without telling her parents?

such as by taking part in company internships or studying abroad

They are already studying abroad. Do they mean go home?

I think she was arrested for assault rather than assaulting. But I’m not a journalist so what do I know?

Moderator: Thank you. It has been corrected.