Chubaka comments

We don't know if this skiff and the owner's fishing boat were even insured--many were not. Ease up on the owner--He likely lost a lot more than just this skiff: Probably his home, people he knew, and his livelihood for at least one season. These remnants now washing up in the West Pacific are tragic reminders of a disaster not of their own choosing....

I would think this type of cafe would have much more success "recruiting" some of those life-like female robots now coming into the market. After all, robot aren't going to care if Oyaji-sama smells like cheap whiskey or is overdue for a bath. After a quick wipedown by maintenance staff and dialing in the maturity level desired, Reina-chan robot would ready for more cuddles. Plus they can be equipped to deliver gentle shocks if the guy tries to get frisky.

Japanese robot-makers need to get busy! Leasing out their cute but pricy wares to cuddle cafes could be the start of something big. Not to mention the robotic potential for hostess bars...;)

For Tokyo to lose the chances of a bid for the 2020 Olympics would be very disappointing. Particularly for all the hard-working triathletes and long distance swimmers Ishihara ad naseum sent to the Senkakus in recent months. That is the reason swimmers were over there, wasn't it?

This probably more of a business decision for Jackie Chan than a nationalist statement. After all, the financial backing for his movies come from the old men running corporations in places like Taipei, HK, and Singapore. Jackie is basically placating those Chinese who feel stronger about the issue than he probably does. Aside from all the Chan-bashing here, how many other Asian actors like Jackie Chan do you know who have personally contributed millions of dollars to senior centers (I personally know of these donations) and other philanthropic causes in the USA and around the world? Not many, I can guarantee that.

The reactions to Chan's and other celeb comments about this issue is probably going to lead to future self-censorship of Chinese and Korean movies in Japan by cautious theater owners--before Japanese extremists get a chance to phone in their obligatory death threats. The major impact on open cultural and media exchanges between Japan, China and Korea is a sad and growing by-product of this rocky island conflict.

And Osan America's assertion that if Japan's nationalism had been stronger the past few decades, Japan somehow would have been more respected, is the type of superficial thinking that needs to be challenged. The Chinese response in the 1970s and 1980s to strong Japanese nationalism would have been stronger nationalist and likely military actions by China's post-Mao leadership at that time. Japan could do nothing in that sense without its American defense shield, and that is fundamentally what has always irritated right wing nationalists in the post-war era.

But it is what it is. The United States has kept the peace and protected Japan's prosperity for the past 67 years. If Japan's future governments decide to rearm due to the personal insecurities of a vocal minority and despite what 20th Century history has already shown, then it will certainly lose its economic vitality in the process. Not to mention another generation of Japan's best and brightest to the intoxication and futile mindset of supremacy in Asia.

This article brings up some important points. For how much longer can Tokyo have strong influence on the global economic stage, while also cranking up nationalist rhetoric and actions at home and among its neighbors? If Japan does not continue to nurture the close economic ties she has enjoyed the past few decades with China, Taiwan,and South Korea, the Japanese economy is bound to suffer greatly. And ironically for the nationalists, Japan's power and influence on the world scene will surely recede in proportion to her economic strength.

Japanese nationalists want to cast themselves as fervent anti-communists standing up to "Red" China, as if China's current leadership is the same as those Long March autocrats of another generation. This is a blatant but weak appeal to Taiwan and conservative Westerners, especially in the US. It is a tactic bound to fail as it did in the 1920s and 1930s, because such nationalism ultimately depends on the brutal actions of extremists in its ranks for direction and power.

As in America, the Japanese economy is tenuous now with significant public debt and difficulty in opening new markets as well as preserving good jobs. If nationalist actions expand under the new LDP government, they will undoubtedly breach economic cooperation between China, South Korea, and Japan. It is delusional to assume China would continue normal trade with Japan in such a political climate. That also means more government spending to prop up her economy and a dramatic fall in the value of the Yen. Western tourists may flock to Japan as a result, but does Japan really want to return to a 1960s-style economy and status?

MasterBape and Yasukuni have eloquently stated the views of many Americans on this growing conflict. Unfortunately the wicked old nationalists who are egging on this conflict with their north Asian neighbors will not be around in a decade to reap the whirlwind. Right or wrong, the power of China nowadays extends far beyond the need for strong relations with Japan. Travel around the world today and you can see the influence of China as prevalent as America

Technology and markets are available around the world and China has taken full advantage of this. I was visiting universities in Netherlands this summer and saw relatively few Japanese students, but thousands of adult Chinese student professionals eagerly learning, sharing and building relationships while in Europe. China does not need Japan in order to maintain prosperity.

Militarily, the US is war-weary and I believe is presently more concerned about protecting Japan from itself, e.g. prideful nationalists. The road to war is paved through Japan's schools. We can expect the current and especially future generations of Japanese students to be once more indoctrinated in Imperial nationalism as soon as Abe returns to power. Those of us who read JT on a regular basis do so because we know and love Japan's wonderful culture and her kind people. But we also know her history. That is why this course of events is so painful to watch....

Hey, might even improve her vocal range--a la Mama Cass when she began singing with what would become the Mamas and the Papas. Cass also suffered an accidental head injury that soon led to a marvelous, albeit too short career.

Most Americans and historians consider Abraham Lincoln to be our greatest President, not to mention the most-written about political figure in the annals of American history. That alone makes this latest archival find to be of interest to both Lincoln scholars and the average American reader. The era in which Lincoln served was the most important in US history, and to have allowed a weak sister Confederacy run by incompetents like Jefferson Davis to continue in existence would have been far more draining to the nation in the long term. Politicians in South Carolina and elsewhere forced the issues after several decades of attempted appeasement. Wealthy Southern landowners addicted to a cruel economic policy carried on the backs of African-American slaves fully supported these belligerents, eventually using disadvantaged whites to carry out their dictums. To slam Lincoln and the Union over the causes of the Civil War shows just how uninformed you are...

How is that mouse doing these days? Chopped liver too?

Johnny Kitagawa would probably love to have his hands on this kid's career, literally and figuratively. Yohio is smart to make his solo debut soon--The band he's with is third-rate IMO and holding him back at this point. Combine him with some competent young Japanese idols and you have an Asian "supergroup" in the running, at least commercially...

As a certified nutritionist, I would support his coaches' concerns. Any athlete aiming for the world-class level needs to have a better diet than just starch and meat. A good amount of veggies will help support his coordination and endurance. But if those green peppers are pickled, don't bother, kid...

Belittling the hits that good players have gotten against him so far, as he has in postgame interviews, will give those players even more motivation when they face him during the regular season. And the Rangers may not be as good this season in spite of signing Darvish, given how other teams in their division have reloaded.

Kimura-kun apparently needs to lay off some of those energy drinks he also endorses. Yet these speeding incidents may help and not hurt him get more auto endorsement deals. Toyota and every other car manufacturer wants to appeal to the Twenty-something demographic. So this kind of news is priceless--Kimura now has street cred with a new generation of male car buyers. He can even smirk about his driving escapades in a future commercial. Nothing like staying in the limelight...

What a horrific legacy to leave behind as a physician! 12 years on, I wonder how these children have been affected, and if their families have any legal recourse?

NY critics will either be completely charmed by Ryoko's cute accent or dismayed by her inability to act convincingly on cue with American actors. Should be interesting to follow. Gambate, Ryochan!

Given the current restrictions around Iwo To, it is gratifying to see that some American veterans are still allowed to visit and pay their respects there. The harsh and stark environs on Iwo Jima apparently did not discourage some hardcore Imperial soldiers from holding out for years on this volcanic isle. The last two soldiers from Lt. Ohno's squad eventually gave up in 1951, after six long years of living in caves and waiting for a counterinvasion from the Mainland that never came.

I was hoping for some enlightened comments from Okinawan posters here on this controversy, but instead we get typical right wing extremist revisionism from Yuri Otani about how Americans wasted Okinawa...But of course nothing about how the Imperial Army used and brutalized native Okinawans before and during that invasion. Likely more women and children were killed by the suicidal intentions of deluded Imperial soldiers and officers than by American forces. And undoubtedly a number of those Imperial cave detonators have been enshrined in Yaskuni along with Imperial Army participants from other Pacific War atrocities around Asia. But I am curious if Americans did draw down from Okinawa, as I believe they should, what assurances do the Okinawan people have against further manipulation by mainland pols and investors eager to snatch up these lands for their own interests and profits? I sense such an impact on the weak Okinawa economy would play right into the hands of mainland power brokers who are poised for any such opportunity.