Dave Fair comments

Japan can't even negotiate a return of it's own citizens who were abducted by North Korea on Japanese soil decades ago so I'm just wondering who in their right mind thinks that J-gov is going to make headway in a conflict as complicated as this? Seriously, just send some medical supplies and baby formula and stop the with the shenanigans!

5,000 yen, that ought to cover the bottles of cheap sake drunk in celebration!

virusrexToday 10:08 am JST

The mayor is correct in being cautious, a huge influx of people, that have been more and more uncontrolled, and with the extra boost of being the first year after stopping restrictions? That is a disaster in the making.

Shibuya had to make a decision between spend a huge lot of resources to control the people into safety (with the risk of this not being enough) or cancel the celebration and disuade people from coming by all available means (with the risk again of this not being enough and people participating anyway).

Sorry to disagree but have you ever been to any popular annual matsuri, perhaps the Akasaka Hikawa Matsuri held in mid September or the Sanja Matsuri festival in Asakusa? Seems the local governments do manage!

To be honest if it weren't for the large foreign turnout this would not be an issue. But just look at the annual Akasaka Hikawa Matsuri held in mid September or the Sanja Matsuri festival in Asakusa with drunk yakuza full body tatoos in full display and nearly two million people per event visiting during the three-day event and not a single word by the local government about all the shenanigans happening there!

William_BlakeOct. 21 06:03 pm JST

The Myth of Japan’s Bored Police

Wanna bet there were at least a half dozen cops, probably more who descended on the scene for this fisticuff?

I had to pick up my wife at the station last weekend and when I arrived there were 3 marked police cars, 2 unmarked and one who I had to pull over for as he rushed to the scene. I parked my car and went to check out WTF was going on and there were more than a dozen uniformed and plain clothes cops surrounding a single guy who was drunk and not being cooperative, I cannot confirm if a weapon was in his possession before I arrived but his hands were empty when I got there! I stuck around a while, cops keeping an eye on me all the while, and finally the cops started leaving one by one with just 2 remaining when I was forced to leave due to my wife's insistence and her boredom.

Maybe I missed it and there was potential for an Akihabara like moment but in my non professional view it was a bit overkill and to my point.

must be boring to work in a Japanese news outlet. Kinda like being a cop in Japan I guess, got to go out and look for trouble, no matter how trivial and make it into an international newsworthy incident. Back in the good ol' days the cops would have walked these guys home and been on their marry ways! Now they feel the need to arrest people for looking at someone the wrong way!

The Japanese government said Wednesday it will allow operators to raise railway fares during holiday seasons and weekends as a crowd control measure, amid concerns about "overtourism" due to a rapid recovery in people traveling since the lifting of coronavirus restrictions.

Please spare me the B.S. We all know this is just a way to increase profits plain and simple. Does anyone honestly believe that raising fares is going to decrease people traveling? Give me a break!

being homeless and unemployed -- he could have applied for public assistance to cover basic housing and living expenses.

you must be new to Japan!

arrested on the spot for entering the police station without a just cause

that's a criminal offense? Wonder what prompted authorities to come up with that legislation, I guess people barging into kobans to snatch an officer's sidearm?

at first I thought, what, no jail time? then it dawned on me, he has already spent how long being held for questioning pre-trial so I guess 5-years suspended isn't the end of the world. However, a short prison stint still could do more to persuade others from doing such offensive behavior.

The ministry has instructed Bigmotor to conduct inspections at all 135 of its locations, including the 34 deemed to have engaged in fraudulent activity, for any other cases of illegality. It said it received the report from Bigmotor and is scrutinizing its content.

Well, now we know for sure that J-gov is trying to get to the bottom of this absurd scandal! I guess the ministry has better things to do than conduct it's OWN inspections!

A temporary victory by this verdict in the Shizuoka family court, just a hiccup as everyone knows the radically right Japanese Supreme Court will ultimately overturn this ruling!

DisillusionedToday 07:20 am JST

If he was hungry he would have stolen something more substantial than snacks and no alcahol beer. Just an old fella exercising his entitlement.

Guess if he had stolen a bottle of aojiru and a package of tofu you would have a totally different view of this elderly man, maybe even consider him desperate, not entitled?

Slapping lipstick on a pig doesn't change the fact it's still a pig! It always amazes me that companies think by renaming something it it is therefore cleansed. But what do I know, maybe lipstick on a pig looks kawaī to Japanese.

YubaruToday 07:36 am JST

This is 100% about the "pride" of the prosecutor's office! They are NEVER wrong, and will waste any amount of taxpayers money to prove it, even when they are wrong!

If you disagree with the above statement please provide one, JUST ONE case where any prosecutor's office ANYWHERE in Japan HAS at any time accepted 1st: an initial innocence or not guilty judgment, 2nd: a retrial judgment, 3rd: any higher court ruling reversing a guilty verdict.

I am not stating my opinion on the matter, I'm just asking anyone who disagrees to prove the above statement incorrect.

Stephen ChinToday 05:23 am JST

Japan Today !

Why? Man dies after apparent attack by lion?

Why not just: Man dies after attack by lion?

Because there is no way to ascertain the lions side of the story as it has remained silent on the issue ;)

Ummm, stupid question but here goes! I'm guessing by the fact that this is a LION, not a mere house cat, that when you have an animal of such power and unpredictability that such an animal is required to be removed from the enclosure when cleaning or maintainable is being performed and put into a separation unit/cage or am I just completely off the mark here?

this sounds more likely a failure on the 33-year-old ramen shop owner to keep the local yakuza happy in their collection of weekly contributions.

It's not just so simple a task as to one day switch from Imperial to Metric. Just think what it would take for just one sector, say the Japanese auto industry to convert from Metric to Imperial. ALL of the machinery, lathes, milling machines, every wrench and socket in a craftsman's toolbox and EVERY nut and bolt and the countless replacement stock would all be worthless and need to be replaced with Imperial. This would be a HUGE cost not just for the industry but for the mechanic and line worker who would have to pay, not we the tax payers.

America will come around eventually but most likely I won't be around to see it.

I'm sure the Japanese prison guards will be a lot kinder to him than the harsh treatment he was subjected to by his father! They will surely provide him with the tenderness and compassion, the fatherly figure he had always wished for. So I joke a little.

YubaruToday 08:14 am JST

If they do this, they will then have to ban Sokka Gakkai, given their heavy involvement in Japanese politics.

How about coming into the 21st Century? SG hasn't been connected with Komeito since the last one!

Talk about beating a dead horse!

YubaruToday, know anyone in Sokka Gakkai? If you did, as I do first hand, you would have a different perspective! My experience with members is that they are ACTIVELY involved in Komeito, erecting posters and participating in election events, at the direction of their local Sokka Gakkai superiors as well as directed to donate to Komeito. They go all-out once the election cycle begins! Sure, the law says that religious organizations are banned from political activities but is their a paper trail, does the law say anything about individual members activities and does the law prevent Sokka Gakkai and Komeito leaders meeting in person, say for tea, guessing not so is it at all possible that Komeito is getting their marching orders from president Daisaku Ikeda, no doubt.

I have questioned my Sokka Gakkai acquaintances about pressure from their immediate superiors within the church and with some needling on my part been able to ascertain that indeed they are acting on behalf of the church's direction but the LDP/J-Gov will not start turning over stones to find out as long as Komeito is their junior coalition partner and the LDP's hold on power!

a perfect display of Kabuki theater!

For those of you posting kudos to J-Gov be mindful that NOTHING and I mean NOTHING tangible happens in Japan from a government proposal unless it is a tax on regular folk or criminalizing something intended for regular folk. This will be shelved after the LDP gets whatever out of it and c'est la vie!

LegrandeToday 07:35 am JST

LDP scrambling and in damage control only after the Fukuhara Ai case shined a light on this issue...

My exact first thought when I saw the headline! Now that a high profile JAPANESE celebrity finds themself in a pickle and the laws are the reason the government wants to show the public they are sympathetic, JAPANESE celebrity mind you!

Something tells me that DJ Soda would receive a LOT more empathy and sympathy on JT if she were not Korean, just a gut feeling!

U.S. Ambassador to Japan Rahm Emanuel will visit a city in Japan's northeastern prefecture of Fukushima on Aug 31, and plans to eat fish from the area to show support for Tokyo's decision to release treated radioactive water from a crippled nuclear plant there into the sea

I would be more impressed if he were to have his wife and children eat fish from the area with him! This is one diplomatic exercise the United States ought to keep it's distance from and stay silent on!

Under the envisioned system, a public entity would issue a certificate proving that the applicant is not a convicted sex offender, the sources said.

Cram schools, sports clubs and other private operators would not be required to use the system, they said.

Well, there is the loophole which will be exploited by convicted sex offenders.

Parents and child support groups have been calling for the establishment of such a system. But some experts have been critical, arguing that it infringes privacy rights and freedom to choose one's occupation, both of which are protected under the Constitution.

Maybe someone ought to explain to these so-called experts that "privacy rights" and "freedom to choose one's occupation" are not absolute under the Constitution, that there are regulations and restrictions on nearly every right.

Seesaw7Today 09:14 am JST

She obviously has no friends to ask for help. Sad.

I would have to agree. I think it's hard for most of us who make comments to understand the constraints of Japanese society, whether real or conceived. "Oh, just drop the baby off at a "baby hatch" or "adoption center" like as if they are dotting the map as frequently as a convenience store or it's as simple as making a hair appointment. BTW, look up how many "baby hatches" there are scattered across Japan, guessing just one?

And then there is the stigma attached of being a single woman and having to go through all the red tape and per-natal hospital visits and the costs of it all not to mention a delivery in a hospital room probably having no health insurance working in a pub part-time. She would obviously have to have someone to be there according to the hospital when she delivers the baby so a family member or friend which she would have to involve.

Now I'm not making excuses on her behalf but merely point out the hurdles involved in a society and a governmental structure that tends to put much of the burden on the individual and leaves people with little means VERY few options or support. She will pay a very steep price for her actions and rightfully so but we must not forget that were there a more abundant means of support that there might have been a more positive outcome, a life saved, one less murder. R.I.P. little one.

Coulda beenToday 04:48 pm JST

Should be plenty of witnesses to corroborate the truth of the incident.

Two points you have overlooked. First and most importantly, he was arrested and there is over a 99% conviction rate right there! Secondly, ANY Japanese court will side with the police in such a case so eye witnesses are unnecessary BUT are welcomed by the prosecution to emphasizes there case.

The job of a Japanese defense attorney is not to prove innocence but to convince the prosecutor not to charge. Once a charge is made the best a lawyer can achieve is try to get the minimum sentence possible.

The increase in teachers' workload and subsequent long working hours are also leading to a decrease in the number of people seeking to become teachers, making it increasingly difficult to cover for those who have taken leave due to illnesses or have retired.

Maybe offer teachers a 5-day work week and end their often mandatory participation in after school hour activities and more would stick around!