Japan Today

conchobar comments

Posted in: Japan ready to send 1,000 troops to help with Philippines relief effort See in context

I read that the Ospreys have been essential to saving lives. I thought they were supposed to be doomsday machines!

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Posted in: Rightwing message See in context

The funniest thing you can do in Japan is to go with a large group of Chinese, Koreans, and Westerners to tour the Yasukuni shrine.

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Posted in: Republicans threaten U.S. gov't shutdown over Obamacare See in context

bfg4987,let's please stop pretending that economics is a science with predictive powers comparable to Newtonian mechanics, because if it was we wouldn't be suffering a global fiscal meltdown in the first place, we'd be plugging into (some stuff) + (some stuff) = PROFIT all day long and there'd be no need for debate.

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Posted in: S Korea, China blast Japan over Yasukuni visits See in context

The problem with Yasukuni is not that it enshrines war criminals. The problem is that the museum area is a sickening, alternate reality that is still promoting the Greater East Asian Co-Prosperity fascist Sphere. They should separate the right-wing Nanjing denial crap from the shrine or I'm afraid the pols are rightfully guilty-by-association.

And BTW referencing the Japanese wikipedia on issues like this is pointless. The netouyo run web pages that organize right-wingers to edit sensitive wikipedia articles to promote their fascist viewpoints.

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Posted in: Life after death? Yes, says one doctor See in context

I took ChibaChick's suggestion and looked at the NDERF website. It's obviously from the same people who brought us Intelligent Design. It is often claimed that people from many different cultures who aren't even Christians all see this same undeniably Christian vision. But, all of the "witnesses" are from traditionally Christian countries or countries like South Korea that have a very prominent Christian population. You can hardly claim that they independently had the same vision of Heaven without extensive prior exposure to such a vision. Even more damning is that this "organization" asks them 40 yes/no questions that are all phrased very specifically to match the Christian vision of Heaven. Here is a sample, from the responses of a three-year old girl: Did you encounter or become aware of any beings who previously lived on earth who are described by name in religions (for example: Jesus, Muhammad, Buddha, etc.)? Yes (Eliana talks about Mister God and Jesus)

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Posted in: 18-year-old boy arrested over murder of woman in Kichijoji See in context

Cortes Elijah > What did you read a few times? Every account of the crime states that they came at her from behind and stabbed her in the back. She didn't know they were there until she had a knife in her back. And you hope they catch him? Um...try reading the headline a few times.

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Posted in: Woman stabbed to death in Tokyo's Kichijoji; one suspect in custody See in context

Very sad story, but the way the Japanese media and netizens initially reacted to it as further evidence of a gaijin crime epidemic is also quite disturbing, and ironic now that it seems 1.5 of the two perpetrators were Japanese.

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Posted in: China orders vendors to stop selling 'Tokyo Big Bang' fireworks See in context

I agree with Tardistraveler. This is a pattern in PRC propaganda. They allowed the violent anti-Japanese demonstrations to continue for exactly as long as they wished, and have fanned the flames in the media ever since, but then they ban the sale of a little firecracker just so The Ministry of Truth can say, "See. Peaceful, harmonious China."

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Posted in: China must stop making threats in maritime disputes: Panetta See in context

Tiger_In_The_Hermitage@ Tibet has a long history as an independent country. Yes, it was conquered by various Chinese empires including the Communists, does that invalidate its prior independence and make it, too, China's inherent territory? Also, the PLA invasion of Tibet was just as brutal as the Japanese invasion of China, but I'm sure you aren't aware because Japan isn't the only country that censors history...

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Posted in: Okinawans rally in Ginza See in context

People saying that the US is the cause of tension between Japan and China are so clueless, it just blows my mind.

China's anger at US involvement in Asia is very simple: US presence prevents China from getting her way without a fight.

If the US really did leave (which won't happen of course, but I will just play along with you all), all disputes between Japan and China would either immediately be resolved in China's favor or they would go to war, simple as that. I don't think the angry youth here realize how deep Chinese hatred of Japan runs. Public opinion in China is overwhelmingly demanding war with Japan. The leaders know better because they can't afford a war with the US, but as soon as the US left China would just pounce. You would trade a problem with US bases for a problem with Chinese bases.

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Posted in: 2 U.S. firefighters shot dead, 2 wounded in arson 'trap' See in context

Gun nuts love to say that we don't need more gun control because then criminals will be the only ones with guns, but it turns out that most criminals who can't legally purchase guns purchase them from straw buyers -- people who legally buy guns to sell them to criminals for a nice profit. Gun dealers are aware and complicit, because the NRA makes them very hard to prosecute. Why turn down a sale? Get real people, more guns means more violence. Easy availability for law-abiding citizens translates to easy availability for criminals and about-to-be criminals. Guns don't kill people but they ensure the body count is ten times higher than what a slasher could do. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/guns/procon/guns.html http://www.suntimes.com/news/crime/14715658-418/chicago-gangs-dont-have-to-go-far-to-buy-guns.html

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Posted in: Taiwan demonstrators burn Japanese flag See in context

Keep in mind that despite widespread anti-mainland sentiment in both Taiwan and Hong Kong, they do have significant pro-mainland minorities, so these small-scale protests should not be taken as a sign of a sea change in public opinion. I'm sure that anti-unification Taiwanese are completely aware that supporting China in this dispute would be sealing their own fate.

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Posted in: Noda says China must protect Japanese citizens, companies as protests resume See in context

issa1-- While I disagree with the Chinese and Korean governments using the history issue as an argument in every political dispute, the Japanese politicians are completely at fault for continuing to give them ammunition. In Japanese culture, doesn't an apology only count if the sinner shows sincere self-reflection? You say "no matter how many times the Japanese people apologize," but complete or partial denials are common from high-ranking officials.

It's not enough for a few politicians to occasionally make a perfunctory apology. They are the exception rather than the norm. It needs to be widespread and expected behavior for a Japanese politician to show remorse for WW2. If even a few German politicians deny the Holocaust, do we let it go and say "well, they've apologized enough, and all the Nazis are dead anyway"? The ultimate proof that Japanese acknowledgement of war crimes is lacking is the widespread ignorance of the issue shown by Japanese people. Many have never even heard of the Nanjing Massacre, have no idea where anti-Japanese sentiment comes from, and don't understand why peaceful Japan suffered the atomic bombs. For the Chinese and Koreans to forgive and forget would be akin to a mother forgiving a murderer who killed her son and then told everyone she complains too much.

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