Japan Today

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Posted in: Man goes on trial for kicking customer to death in ramen shop See in context

Not an expert on the Japan legal system so I have an honest question here... If he indeed pleaded guilty to the assault, what is the trial about? Is the entire thing just a penalty phase? (Just realized that you could kind of, tongue in cheek of course, claim that all Japanese criminal trials are just a penalty phase...)

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Posted in: When pedophiles or minors convicted of violent crimes are released from prison, do you think residents in communities they move to should be informed of who they are and where they are living? See in context

Once a pedophile, always a pedophiles - so YES to that part of the question. I don't think these 2 categories of criminals (minors with a violent offense) belong in the same category.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Posted in: 'Jihadi John' won't have the same impact unmasked See in context

If he kills again on camera, the element of surprise will be gone and the reaction may well be, “Oh, him again.”

I think a lot of us have already felt this reaction long ago. What a coward, killing people who've got their hands tied behind their back. Nothing menacing at all once you've seen it a couple times. He really does think he's tough, too, the way he looks into the camera. Total moron.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Is 'Metal Gear Solid V' finally getting a release date? Mysterious countdown appears on website See in context

I've been waiting and waiting for this game... Rumor has it the date is September 1. Still 6 months away... Give me a break, Konami!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Asahi supporter sentenced for scrawling lavatory editorials See in context

It's funny because the prosecutor's questions sound less like those of a prosecutor and more like a nagging wife. And his answers are just like a husband caught cheating ("I was really stupid," and "I felt excited, and just wasn’t thinking what I was doing.").

11 ( +12 / -1 )

Posted in: Man arrested for spraying graffiti near Yotsuya Station in Tokyo See in context

...saying he had been in a very special mood after having consumed a lot of alcohol, and that he had liked some designs he had looked up online, so he decided to copy them by spraying graffiti on buildings.

Low IQ and high BAC is never a good combination...

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Posted in: Some Japanese see slain hostages as troublemakers See in context

The voices of the Japanese complaining about this stuff can be translated as follows: "We are happy being isolated and insignificant and watching our TV shows about food and celebrities unknown the world over. We are blessed with convenience and a plethora of canned coffee varieties. Who would want to leave this utopia? Shame on those meddlesome folks that wish to travel or contribute to international causes, as this poses an occasional risk and is totally unnecessary."

7 ( +9 / -3 )

Posted in: Otomo first manga artist to win top French prize See in context

Congrats to him. I credit 'Akira' with getting me interested in Japan in the first place way back when I was a teenager.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: Abe cuts short Middle East trip to deal with hostage crisis See in context

These guys were being held for several months, captured long before Abe's recent $200 million pledge. Which just goes to show you these punks have no true vision or religious/philosophical belief. They probably have numerous captives, of nationalities not remotely connected to those that have waged war on IS, and are simply waiting for a convenient time to use them for personal gain.

18 ( +19 / -1 )

Posted in: Man arrested for molesting elementary schoolgirl See in context

Don't worry folks, I'm sure he'll be arrested again.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: Man arrested for molesting student on her way to school See in context

It made the headlines cause it doesn't happen very often.

It made the headlines because they caught the guy. The crime itself definitely happens often. It happened twice, within the span of a year, to my own eight year old daughter. Yes, this exact same thing! A guy on a bike rode past and grabbed her. And I get similar such "incident alert" types of emails from the local elementary school at several times in a school year. This never made headline news though. It may have if they had a perp to walk past the cameras.

7 ( +7 / -0 )

Posted in: Whereabouts of 141 children nationwide unknown See in context

Wow, assuming all the speculations in this article are correct, only 69 kids are missing? Very impressive, Japan. I think there are thousands missing in most developed countries. And by "missing" I mean runaways, kids kidnapped by parents, strangers, others, etc.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Posted in: Music streaming under fire, but soaring See in context

Can't put my finger on it but when an artist, particularly an extremely wealthy artist with millions of album sales, refuses to make their music available on streaming services it just smacks of arrogance, stubbornness and greed. The technology enables millions to hear your music who otherwise wouldn't take the risk of spending $10-15 on a particular album. For an artist to insist that the public take such a leap is selfish. Their shows are so rare and so expensive it's not like you can just use the live setting to learn about an artist. And the argument that radio is a fairer alternative doesn't work - commercial radio is horrible and plays one song from an artist - in this case "Shake it Off" - ad nauseam. If I hear a few other songs from an artist on Spotify and like it, I will spend the money on that artist and buy the album - many times even their past work as well. And like it or not streaming services will be here forever - it's the Internet, stupid!

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Nicki Minaj apologizes for Nazi imagery in video See in context

This is a star whose biggest hit of the year so far was "Anaconda," a song solely made to promote a video which was made to promote her butt. Folks shouldn't set their expectations too high in terms of her having a grasp of historical sensitivity.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Posted in: Japan's dated, smoky cafes unfazed by Starbucks success See in context

It's ironic because while these old folks scoff at Starbucks and non-smoking chains, claiming people can take their time and enjoy a cup of coffee in these smaller places, many go to Starbucks precisely to avoid the cramped, smoky atmosphere of these often overpriced caves. And one more thing, I don't buy into the legitimacy of Japan being the 4th largest coffee consumer as the number includes the stuff bought in vending machines. That stuff shouldn't count as "coffee."

11 ( +24 / -13 )

Posted in: Survey shows one in three Japanese young adults doesn’t see the point in effort See in context

The Institute of Statistical Mathematics solicited responses from 6,400 people, but only received 3,170 answers.

So roughly half of those solicited didn't see the point of effort in terms of filling out the survey.

9 ( +11 / -2 )

Posted in: Recovering crown princess attends 1st imperial banquet in 11 years See in context

...the IHA beat her into depression and seclusion.

That could be right, and probably is. On the other hand, maybe she had some mental health issues in the past that weren't disclosed. Or she could have ended up depressed regardless of her lifestyle. These JT pages are filled top to bottom with horror stories involving Japanese people from all walks of life that suffer from depression and other mental health issues.

8 ( +13 / -5 )

Posted in: Japan’s PR battle for U.S. hearts and minds See in context

I'd be surprised if China's media efforts have any positive impression on the US - at least in terms of folks at "street level." It has failed miserably in whatever claim it has in Tibet; Americans have always been sympathetic to Tibet and China has tarnished its image with what it's done there. And China's attitude towards Taiwan and recently HK? Not a positive impression. There are simply too many more important territorial disputes out there - West Bank, Kashmir, etc., for the US to care much about these Islands...

6 ( +10 / -4 )

Posted in: Man arrested for pouring urine from PET bottle on girl See in context

To get off on this sort of thing you have to be a sad, lonely loser of such epic proportions it is simply not even fathomable to even the most lowly members of society.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

Posted in: Man revives woman with AED, but branded 'pervert' for removing her clothes to apply electrode pads See in context

Interesting that the driver's main reaction at that time was not panic or "please save her life," but a totally irrational response of accusation and calling the authorities. Very interesting set of priorities in that person's mind.

18 ( +20 / -2 )

Posted in: N Korea frees U.S. man; 2 more still detained See in context

I'll never defend NK for all it does, but if you're a tourist and your idea of a good time is to head to NK to spread your religion and drop a bible on a table every now and again in hopes of saving souls, knowing full well that sort of thing isn't tolerated, you kind of deserve what you get.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Posted in: Pensioner arrested for dumping 200 kgs of porn in park See in context

Two observations: Why did the cops take the time to weigh this dropped load? Second:

unloading 17 sacks

Something tells me a lot more than 17 sacks were unloaded given the amount of porn we're talking :-)

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Posted in: Kansai taxis flout laws in quest for more lucrative business See in context

How does the magazine expect to effect any change at all to this alleged behavior if it doesn't even identify this Company X? One wonders why it even bothered to publish it at all.

15 ( +17 / -2 )

Posted in: Abe in Italy See in context

"Pull my finger," said Abe.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Posted in: Obuchi apologizes after political funds misuse reports See in context

Obuchi’s political funding oversight body had spent about 3.6 million yen over five years from 2008 at a clothing shop run by her sister’s husband

Wait, so the funding oversight boy was the one that misused funds? What's next, a story about a criminal that's actually a cop? Oh, wait, that happens all the time... Never mind.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Posted in: Bono apologises for free U2 album on iTunes accounts See in context

I've seen a lot of criticism of U2 since this incident, but not a lot of criticism of Apple, who in my opinion is the primary party to blame. It's their platform, they funded this scheme, and used the album "release" to promote their products during the iPhone 6 launch. Lots of bands would have jumped at the chance to shove their music down the throats of hundreds of millions of people but it was Apple that allowed U2 this prize.

7 ( +11 / -4 )

Posted in: Yankees pitcher Tanaka, model Rola among winners of 'Best Jeanist Awards 2014' See in context

Tanaka was hoping for the Cy Youngest award but due to injury he'll have to settle for this. He also wasn't eligible for the Goldest Glove award.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Posted in: Tokyo court orders Google to delete data linking man to crime See in context

I disagree that search results can infringe on someone's rights. It's no more than just a list of various sources (that might infringe on rights). It's like holding a newspaper liable for match-fixing simply for reporting the score of a fixed match. I think the court should simply have said, while the results themselves are not illegal per se, there are instances where the harm of a particular search result can outweigh the good, and in those limited cases the courts have discretion to order the results deleted.

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Posted in: Car being chased by police crashes, killing driver See in context

You rarely if ever see a police car actually give chase the wrong way down a street; it only increases the level of danger. But comments critical of cops are a dime a dozen on this site so I'll just end there.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

Posted in: Japan's sozzled salarymen: the lost tribe in a modern pickle See in context

At some point the discussion needs to turn away from the old "society is changing and yet we still work too hard" to the fact that Japan is more or less a society run by functioning alcoholics. When you wake up more or less hungover every day, your motivation to do something new and better yourself is non-existent. You get dressed, deal with the hordes of people and noise, and slip into your cubicle comfortable with the fact that you can zone out for most of the day.

14 ( +16 / -2 )

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