BT comments

Shohei blows away the babe. Babe was great in his day but Showtime is in a league of his own and redefines baseball. Full Stop!

If it was abuse then string them up and hang 'em high. Japan law and enforcement of the law is too slow. It's a muppet show!!! And forget the apologetic bowing if they turn out to be wrong. If leadership and those in high positions make a mistake or take responsibility they do the NOW common fake insincere bow.

I am Japanese, if they want to be sincere then go old school.....Harakiri!

String them both up, muppets!!! so sad....

Horrible, string him up and hang him high!!!

Why is this inappropriate?! The politicians should spend less time on trivial things such as this and focus on doing their job for the Japanese people. I am Japanese and think why is it inappropriate to take photos like this but not inappropriate to televise politicians napping or sleeping during cabinet sessions.....what a joke!!!

Elvis is hereToday  06:57 am JST

Call me old fashioned but, if patients are not up to date with vaccines, and have not followed other governmental guidelines, should they not be expected to pay fully for treatment?

ELVIS has left the building and so should you!

These muppets are so ignorant in their actions plus they are filming themselves. Now as a result they have hurt the industry and chains are re-thinking their business model affecting many including myself and friends with families who used to enjoy going but now cannot because of the sheer stupidity of these perps.

Maximum fine and prison time should be enforced and nice too see their videos have gone viral worldwide, so should bring shame to these punks who now will hopefully have a hard time showing their faces in public.....good riddens!!

String this animal up!!!

Only 3 years? Give her the maximum 8 years....poor kids. Very sad due to a negligent muppet!

String him up!!!!

Japan is forever stuck in 2020. The rest of the world will celebrate the new year and embrace a time when Covid is an afterthought. Japan is still driving in cars fully masked and hiding behind plastic dividers.

Agree ridiculous to wear in a car when you are the only one in the car or even walking down the street when nobody is around.

I will wear a mask in crowded trains, planes and in large crowds. Again, common sense and those who are anti-masking for the sake of complaining about it......muppet!

String him up.....horrible crime. Punish him to the max not the usual Japanese short sentence.

Good, safe precaution as cases in Tokyo are on the rise. Nobody listens to the government including myself and I am Japanese and also grew up in the US. It is more about common sense when people do go out to crowded places, no different than going to disney land or tourist hot spots.

Just so happens a few bad apples or muppets get out of control and ruins it for everyone else. Otherwise, try and enjoy and for those who complain about to many restrictions, don't go out.....simple!!!

We go with chestnut and mushroom paté en croute, roast potatoes, glacé carrots, brussels sprouts (if I can find any - the ones from the allotment won't be ready this year :( ), veggie gravy, stuffing balls, mince pies, Christmas pud with cream. Trifle if there are kids around.

Anyone who's still hungry can top up with veggie sausage rolls and homemade stollen.

Merry Christmas, everyone.

Peace on Earth, goodwill to all JT posters and mods.

This sounds delicious and getting hungry just reading this now!!!

And yes...Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

Agree everyone should try and conserve energy in light of the fact electricity/gas price are way up and the gov't is trying to deal with lack of capacity issues recommending we wear warmer clothes and in layers at home....sure let's see which officials are leading by example.

Vending machines are not only convenient but in rural areas are often a necessity so for the save energy rah rah!! folks, I would suggest you write or get in touch with local officials to have the rail companies turn down the heat in the trains because they are way to hot on high settings all day!! and look around in the City,,,,Neon and flashing lights which is part of the city charm!!! Vending machines off is not going to make a huge impact.

Don't use lights at home, use a flashlight or candles and for those who don't have homes due to a natural disaster or are stranded up north in Aomori and areas of Japan due to bad weather and snow conditions, yeah sure makes sense to get rid of vending machines so people can access food and a hot drink. Perhaps they should go ice fishing and eat snow.....More vending machines the better!!!!

Freedom of choice in Japan to wear or not to wear that is the question......

Well before the pandemic Japanese wore masks to avoid getting others sick and not necessarily to protect themselves or wear masks because of hay fever or allergies.

Japanese is a homogeneous society where conforming to the norm and having consideration for others to not disrupt harmony (meiwaku wo kaketakunai) is the way of thinking.

There is no mandate, no law, no fines in Japan to promote one or the other so left up to society to choose. Those who are not Japanese or from Japan do not understand so the disease is ignorance of assuming what you do in your home country applies everywhere else. Use common sense, I don't wear a mask walking alone with nobody around or even in a public place if I am not in an extremely crowded setting. Look at the Argentina crowd PACKED no masks, sporting events in the west PACKED no masks. In a packed train in Japan not to wear a mask I find risky and so my choice to wear but outside usually have it pulled down below my nose if in a shop which is not crowded.

What is more dangerous are the muppets who become confrontational either because they are for or against and endanger others....such as on airplanes, in a line at a store which you see all the time going viral.

I am both Japanese and American and grew up in both countries so best to respect values of a particular country. As they say when in Rome do as the Romans while still being able to hold true to your own values. At the same time being respectful?!!!!

Brilliant, Convenient and Good Quality! BRAVO!!!!

Only in Japan where you can even buy Ramen, socks and even Pizza! Hope to see more in future especially in areas where there are not many COMBINI or convenience stores to make it easy to grab on the go when in a hurry....

Fully agree, just pay the award and there is no need for legislative action which will take years as usual. Amakawa is a muppet who can' t determine what day it is so if opted to pass this to the legislature, they will not even mull over it.

At least recently some cities and prefectures were given a helpful cash stipend to counter the rise in electricity prices in parallel with rising inflation rates in Japan. I am Japanese and lucky to receive, however friends who live outside of Tokyo did not and was explained to me, the decision is made by the mayor or officials in those respective areas.....doesn't make sense what criteria is used for the basis of these ad hoc decisions, and yet we have an ineffective legal judgement system and legislation which can't re-rewrite or put forth new rules, but spend countless hours debating to reach a consensus. Completely a waste of time to reach a quick an obvious solution. Award the plaintiffs the aid....

Reminds me of when my phone carrier AU dropped the ball with their countrywide server outage this year, where users like myself couldn't send emails, use social media such as LINE, WhatsApp because there was no internet connectivity for ONE WEEK!

AU ultimately mulled the situation and awarded users +230yen in compensation.....muppet management didn't realize it cost more to award the compensation than the pay out itself!!! Take away is for them don't think just do it....thinking isn't part of their strong suit....:)

Japan does not need to spend on military initiatives.....this is like throwing more money into a Toyota to supe it up while other super military powers have Ferarri's. At the end of the day it is a waste of money.

Instead the LDP muppets should focus on allocating funds and resources to tackle inflation, stop spending on unnecessary public work projects which are done to secure budgets thru "Dango" bid rigging. Focus on nursery and elderly care and get on with clamping down on recent abuses which is horrific....e.g. the 3 idiot teachers abusing young school children and the idiot head of the school who looks like an unkempt unclean fuketsu oyaji who all btw were called out in international news coverage (The Guardian and others) so they are done and good riddens to them, you are all blacklisted now :)

And raising taxes??? What!!! Another suggestion to the muppets in Japanese government, stop spending taxpayer money on very exclusive dinners in Akasaka. Agree with many of the other comments posted that the thought of raising taxes to pump military spending is absurd!!! a reflection of the Japanese officials considering it....and I am Japanese and American when I say this....

I am Japanese and grew up in both the US and Japan and now permanently live in Tokyo. Feel bad for those who have to leave but really want to stay....

Problem lies in the Japanese bureaucracy, red tape and lack of a modern practical mindset by organizations to come up with effective solutions. Hope those who stay in Japan can adapt and in some cases befriend locals who are willing to help and there are many who have....

Relying on immigration and government sponsored organizations is often time consuming, and while intentions are good, very slow and impractical. Example, ward offices and Hello Work (organization name is in English....funny and ironic :)p are staffed with non-English speakers and all forms have to be filled out in Japanese! Why are signs on the doorways in multiple languages but not the basic forms!!! Does not make any sense and is half baked. Same as the internet websites and online forms....trying go digital, yet still using Faxes!!! And some page translations are in not good Engrish and other pages are not fully translated and in Japanese....with Kanji/Kana required mandatory fields.....Ahhh Herro, foreigners don't have Kanji names unless they have to translate into equivalent Kanji characters, which my foreign friends often have to do on other websites (also inputs in half-width characters...makes no sense). What brainchild is responsible for overseeing the design of these web pages!!!

The language barrier is a tough hurdle, even though Japan is now promoting English or (Engrish), this is not going to be a quick crossover....many Japanese speak only Japanese Engrish which nobody understands except Japanese, so effectively useless. If this is common in Tokyo and other major Japanese cities, think about those who live in rural areas! Hope this changes to accommodate those who wish to stay, as the intention to provide assistance is there, but lack of Japanese organizations' know-how to implement this....

There are also villages with no electricity, where phones are used and being charged using solar panels. Very resourceful, and allowing for communication between villages and overseas support to help set-up processes to have a sustainable water supply.

Great idea!!

I am American and Japanese.

All I can say is, being groped is far better that being shot or attacked on a train in the USA. Never happened to me but is a common occurrence as of late if you follow the news back home in America. A senseless killing spree or racially motivated attack not just race but for a SENSELESS reason.

And btw, being able to move in a packed morning rush hour packed train for a long commute is hard enough. Also, do you know there are females who falsely accuse a would be groper, then calls them out and later tries to blackmail for cash not to press charges......two victims in this equation. Again, never happened to me, but have seen it and the accuser sometimes would give Jabba the Hut a run for its money, in this case looks from bystanders as if to say "who in their right mind would even think of groping you....." :)

This is horrible, tragic and unacceptable. Feel such sympathy for the child.

BUT none whatsoever for the irresponsible headcases who commit such a crime. Such an atrocity.

Find these people and string them up high!!!

Inspector gadget comments....Hit the nail right on the head!

I am Japanese and also American and to add to what I posted earlier, this is not about being Japanese or Gaijin. It is about the company culture and policies and who cares what others are doing. If you feel just in taking time off then do it and escalate it, and if you get push back then not the company you would want to work for.....I worked for 3 major global investment banks and fortunately never had an issue, same for my Japanese and gaijin colleagues. If leadership is supportive then you are in luck!

Saying it and actually accomplishing it are 2 different things.

I am Japanese and American and amazed there are so many foreigners who speak native Japanese!!! better than some Japanese :)

Japanese who lived abroad or worked at multinational firms are bilingual and tend to work for international firms in Japan. Japanese companies need to attract talent from this pool and send employees abroad for a few years. All companies I have been working for we speak both English and Japanese at work depending on the situation and who we are communicating with so incorporate English into the work culture.

Shame on MUFJ MS, Japanese companies like MUFJ are old fashioned They can't deal with this because traditionally, employees at Japanese companies can't even take vacation without feeling guilty....herd mentality. Employee rights are not a priority and work until you drop is still prevalent. I am sure Morgan Stanley had a more US minded view until they merged under the MUFJ umbrella with the old Japanese mentality.

Fortunately I have been working for only foreign multinational firms and never had a bad experience. Japanese labor laws are draconian and have heard "not so good" stories from my Japanese friends at Japanese companies....take lunch only at noon and hardly any work life balance. Fortunately some progressive firms are changing their ways but the old school blue chip Japanese companies are still living in the past.

Japanese companies are trying to be Global....well, then start with employee rights and set new rules. Afterall, family is most important not the other way around which is still the mindset of some traditional Japanese companies.

Take care the employee and the feeling will be reciprocal!!!

My thoughts exactly so sad...

Also, has nothing to do with economics on raising a child....they should find these idiots and string them up!!!!

Not ok to steal by any means but hey....violent crimes in Japan sometimes get off with a slap on the wrist which doesn't make any sense.

At least this guy wasn't stealing beakers and chemistry items to make crystal meth ala "Breaking Bad!" :)

"Mypoodofu used to be my favorite dish!"

That is funny! It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase, "ugggh....who made this, it takes like sh*t!"

Seriously though, what was this woman thinking....disgusting, and glad the principal caught it before kids could have been ill from this.