budgie comments

Posted in: Special English zones proposed as part of Cool Japan tourism initiative See in context

Yes, perhaps an Island for merchants or a Gaijin Ghetto. Nothing says welcome to foreigners like a cultural quarantine.

4 ( +7 / -3 )

Posted in: The top 10 anime that people in Japan never tire of watching See in context

Not a fan of Anime but Totoro is such a pleasant yarn, yeah I get it.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Australian tycoon calls Chinese government 'mongrels' in TV tirade See in context

Guess he won't be getting that CCTV cable deal...

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Foreign talent doesn’t seem anxious to head for Japan anytime soon. Because the country has yet to develop the socioeconomic conditions and cultural mindset that will allow foreign talented individual See in context

They don't want us - except as window dressing or as cheap labor. The Woodford/Olympus case shows this as true at the top as it is for struggling eikaiwa teachers or for Brazilian auto workers. Any foreigner who can take a hint is making plans to leave. Opportunities exist for those who try elsewhere in the world, here they are dwindling.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

Posted in: Japan must hike sales taxes again to conquer debt: IMF See in context

Taxes up, salaries down, I'm out.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Posted in: SMAP announces dome tour of Japan See in context

The nation just endured 27 hours of those clown on TV over the weekend. What does it take to get away from them?

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Posted in: The major cause of heatstroke is abnormal weather, but children’s lifestyle of playing games in air-conditioned indoor settings has likely contributed to the increase. See in context

The summer isn't even that hot where I live but all the obasans are out in 28-30 degrees with three layers of clothing complaining that it's hot. Yeah they're thin layers, but an undershirt, blouse and light jacket - not to mention hats, masks gloves and parasols - is overkill.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Arrest of Tokyo vagina artist sparks free expression protest See in context

Her 'art' idea was tasteless IMO, but don't the authorities have some bigger fish to fry? How about the Manga industry for purveying pseudo child pornography through its 'literature'? How about teen bikini magazines that dodge pornography laws by showing underage models in swimwear, posed to titillate the reader?

No much easier to go after a woman with a voice. Gotta keep the last say on those vaginas firmly in the hands of the LDP and the oyajis.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Posted in: Abe says horrors of war must never be repeated See in context

He talks pretty for the international market, but as soon as his plane touches down in japan, he'll rush back to Yasukuni to remind the local voters he didn't really mean all that peace talk and stuff.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Posted in: Ex-JSDF commander: Mass murders by disturbed soldier could never happen in Japan See in context

Yeah they could happen anywhere.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Australian activist takes dolphin slaughter town to court See in context

There's no way she can win because she's challenging Japanese 'culture'. In the new right-wing resurgence the constitution doesn't matter - 'culture' comes first. In the public consciousness foreigners were never entitled to the same rights as Japanese.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Posted in: Whaling town passes on hunt traditions to next generation See in context

http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/03/28/japans-appetite-whale-declines-0

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/feb/04/japan-whaling-industry-dead-water

http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article3445818.ece

4,700 tons stockpiled. Public taste for it at all time low. And one must wonder why 'Japan' needs to import whale meat from Iceland. Can't individual retailers/wholesalers source their own meat? It's a government operation. Why is the government subsidizing a failed industry? Why use nationalist feeling to promote the 'culture' of whaling thousands of miles form Japan? Who's getting kickbacks?

I smell corruption.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Posted in: Whaling town passes on hunt traditions to next generation See in context

This is how it should be - a small scale local operation that catches a handful of animals a year. There's no need for a taxpayer subsidized, economically unfeasible expedition halfway across the world to catch a thousand whales they can't even sell.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Posted in: College girls tipple, then topple en masse on Shinjuku street See in context

That's great. The girls were drugged, probably with the intention of sexual assault, and the University wants to tale measures to stop them having a good time. How about call the cops and find the guys they were drinking with for a start. It's not a crime for women to have a drink - and not a big one if they happen to be nineteen - and they should be able to do so safely. There is a perpetrator somewhere and it's not them.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

Posted in: Singapore PM asks Japan to turn page on history See in context

They arrived at the solution to that 'vexing problem' years ago: lie about it.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Posted in: Japan says it had S Korean input on 'comfort women' apology See in context

Interesting that Suga should make it a point that there was 'Korean input'. they couldn't very well have done so without Koreans sharing their stories. But by raising the issue now are they suggesting there was 'foreign meddling'? Seems like a way to deflect to me...

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Posted in: Hashimoto says allied soldiers raped women after D-Day See in context

Yes, allied soldiers did commit rape too. But these were criminal acts conducted by rogue elements. Those who were caught were punished. These crimes are deplorable on their own but come nowhere near the campaign of mass rape and ass-sexual enslavement conducted and organized by the Japanese military and state at the highest levels.

6 ( +8 / -2 )

Posted in: Why are there so few open-air cafes in Japanese cities? See in context

Smokers and sound trucks would have a lot to do with it. But the season would be short. In Honshu, the heat keeps people indoors for half the year; in Hokkaido its the cold for the other half.

There is one Starbucks I know with patio seating and it's pleasant in summer but there are hazards: until the smoking ban kicked in last summer it was a cancer-shop. The sound trucks and other promotions blare past. Even the street has loudspeakers with annoying safety announcements using children's voices. If you're trying to get closer to nature, you might end up even further away from it.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: China uses D-Day anniversary to praise Germany, slam Japan See in context

Problem with Japan's apologies is they rotate in and out. Germany has a universal consensus it was wrong. With Japan one PM apologizes and the next says it never happened.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

Posted in: New whale and dolphin watching body launches in Japan See in context

Will they be eligible for as much government funding (and kickbacks and bribes) as the whaling industry?

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Posted in: Japan starts review of wartime sex slave apology See in context

"While many Japanese accept the country’s guilt, some senior politicians on the right—including Abe—have suggested that the issue is overblown, putting a chill on Japan-South Korea relations."

They did not suggest it was 'overblown', they have denied it altogether. Basically they're either lying or refusing to face facts.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: Hot springs are popular among foreigners, but I think bathing in a traditional sento will also create fun memories. The entire industry has to unite and come up with ideas to incorporate foreign touri See in context

I really don't see the attraction unless it's a private bath. The old guys are gross, bending over in front of everyone, hacking and spluttering, splashing everyone around them with the soapy water from their own shower. Then they have the nerve to complain about 'tattoos'.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Posted in: With so many legal and illegal movie download sites around, what do you see for the future of the film industry? Do you think movie theaters will go out of business? See in context

Box Office sales are higher every year. Nothing beats going to the cinema for a good popcorn flick. Now, if only they'd make a good popcorn flick...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Posted in: After Aug 11 becomes a national holiday in Japan in 2016, that will only leave June without any national holidays. Do you have any suggestions for a national holiday for June? See in context

National Anti-Discrimination day - an opportunity to reflect on articles of the constitution that insist no person be discriminated against on the basis of race, nationality, gender, sexual preference or ethnicity.

National silence day - when all sound trucks and impromptu loudspeaker addresses are banned. No exceptions.

War Crimes Remembrance Day - if the Germans can do it....But seriously it would take a lot of the wind out of China'S and Korea's sails if Japan would man up and admit its past mistakes and annually reaffirm its vow never to behave in such a way again. Not to mention being the right thing to do.

Expose a Black Company Day - every worker is invited to submit the illegal and shady practices of her employers.

Smoke Free Day - all cafes, restaurants and public spaces ban smokers for a day.

Mask Free Day - as above.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Posted in: To allow women to work to their full capacity, we will have to bring in people from Southeast Asia to help with childcare and housework. See in context

This is both racist and sexist.

First it means that they think the role of childcare at home is so essential that working mothers need to be 'replaced' in their 'real' role. Secondly, naturally, the only people suitable are low-wage Asian maids. Probably those that politician's yakuza buddies can import on promises of domestic work and then shunt into the sex trade. Finally it shows that the crusty old men who run the show are not serious about making working conditions easier for mothers with jobs. How about govt-run daycare centers. How about forcing the private sector to abide by non-discrimination laws? In all likelihood he's probably trying to scare people into maintaining the status quo but threatening an influx of 'south East Asians'.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Posted in: Japan should stabilize population at 100 mil by 2060: panel See in context

That means investing in public daycare centers for kids, assisting working mothers, enforcing equality laws in the private sector and a whole lot of stuff the govt has been reluctant to do in the past. Good luck.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: Japan imports 2,000 tons of whale meat from Iceland, Greenpeace says See in context

They've stockpiled almost 5000 tones because they can't sell it. What on earth do they need another 2000 for? Some corrupt politician or bureaucrat is making a mint off the taxpayers while selling them on nationalist sentiment.

1 ( +8 / -7 )

Posted in: Closing Japan's gender gap could boost GDP 12.5%: report See in context

12.5% sounds great. But since most of the old men who run the country would rather see them barefoot and pregnant, that change will be a long time coming. Japan is hidebound by it's older generation who run everything the old way in a world that has outpaced them, and by younger people who don't car enough to vote. sad to say it's only when the oldies die off that real change will come. Since Japan's got the longest living population, that will be a while yet.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: Ministry outlines Japan's preparations to mobilize for 'propaganda war' See in context

Japan will be doing this for domestic consumption only. In fact it can be seen as the final push (putsch?) in the LDP's war on historical facts. They'll use it to expunge all reference to wartime atrocities in education and media. It started back in the sixties when they blacklisted historians and professors who didn't toe the party line.

But again it will only work at home. In fact I doubt they'll even try to take this show overseas. They know full well they can't sell their garbage to the wider world, just because 'china is worse'.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

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