Dave Fair comments

Well, if they had more cabinet members wearing skirts, not pants it may have been less notable! Out of 24 just two women? There goes the governments diversity push down the pooper!

Hakamada is entitled to receive compensation of up to about 200 million yen ($1.4 million) when prosecutors accept the ruling, making the acquittal final.

Time to pass into law Double Jeopardy in Japan (a protection that prevents a defendant from being tried twice for the same offense. Double jeopardy applies after an acquittal or a conviction is reached). Prosecutors, not defendants, should be prevented from appealing a courts ruling! Secondly, set up an appeals panel and base the decision on the merits of the ruling as it's HIGHLY unlikely new evidence will be admitted by prosecutors. During this process, the defendant is released and allowed to go home, if one is still there. Prosecutors NEVER accept a not guilty ruling and to save face, probably a promotion, are more or less forced to appeal such rulings. If J-prosecutors can't win a case in a J-court then suck it up and move on or find another job. Time to end this but as plain to see here, justice in Japan takes decades to happen, a lifetime for some :(

The Nagoya High Court handed down the reduced sentence to Mai Watanabe, known by the moniker "Itadaki Joshi Riri-chan," literally "Sugar Baby Riri," as damages had been paid on her behalf to one of the victims. The court upheld a fine of 8 million yen.

Wow, I guess when you have money, or in her case a Sugar Daddy who paid on her behalf, you can buy your way out of prison time! Seems like she should have paid the victims full restitution as part of her sentence and not simply a fine of 8 million.

MocheakeToday 07:53 am JST

Hmm. How much money, jewelry, etc did they get? Or did they just come to assault her while hubby was conveniently away on a business trip?

What are you inferring by using ..."*while hubby was conveniently away on a business trip?*" Sounds like you are inferring that he was in some way involved on this assault and wanted harm to come to her?

We have a park a stone throw away and we always find litter about. But what don't we find at all, a single trash bin! And BTW what don't we have any, foreign tourists so who to point the finger at? If you want the tourists and the yen they bring in, pony up and deal with the issues, put a few trash bins in convenient places and problem more or less solved. Maybe even pretend to be Eco-friendly and have separate bins for burnables, pet bottles and non-burnables and show them that good ol' Kyoto Protocol spirit, (京都議定書, Kyōto Giteisho)

WasabiToday 10:18 am JST

If the US army want to stay, they must pay the rent and keep to their base only.

Shouldn't the question be "If Japan wants the US military to stay,...?" If you are a farmer and have a wolf problem and decide to ask your neighbor who has a few extra guard dogs to come over and stay at your farm to protect your flock from the wolves, are you going to insist that your neighbor pay for their stay and upkeep?

Next question is how do you expect these US military personnel to "keep to their base only."? Have you ever been to a US military base in Japan and seen their size?

Daniel NeagariSep. 26 07:04 pm JST

....OOOOKKKKKK... so reading and comprehension is lacking.read the article you posted again please

I did and I am quoting from the article.

The operator of the Seven-Eleven convenience store chain is covered by the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Act, which governs foreign investment in Japanese companies to prevent leaking technologies that could be diverted for military purposes.

Although convenience store operations, which are Seven & i's core business, are not among the designated industries, the Finance Ministry has applied the rule to the firm. It has not, however, disclosed which of Seven & i's businesses the rule applies to.

The government can block the investment if it deems the acquisition would cause issues with economic security.

TheRegulatorToday 06:55 am JST

The pure joy of hosting foreign armed forces in your country.

you do understand what that comment entails don't you, that Japan stand on her own two feet and be fully capable of defending herself and all the complications of achieving that ability? I don't think anyone is disputing the fact that the US military has a few bad apples and that there needs to be actions taken, as does ANY military in the world as recruits happen to be on occasion, how should we say, not the best apples in the basket? And that isn't necessarily a bad thing as in war you want your most fierce and aggressive men facing off against the enemy!

So, here is the question then for you, is Japan better off scrapping the US-Japan status forces agreement and SIGNIFICANTLY increasing it's defense budget along with a big military personnel increase to compensate, and remember Japan has it's own bad apples with-in it's ranks, lets be honest.

Daniel NeagariToday 03:24 pm JST

@Dave do you come from the future!?!?!?!?

Because as far as I know, the Japanese Government hasn't said anything officially regarding the 7 & i Hldgs. buyout stuff....

Seven & i takeover bid by Canadian retailer faces Japan gov't review

https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20240823/p2g/00m/0bu/012000c

meaningless news! It all to obvious that the Biden administration nor a Harris or Trump administration would ever allow such an acquisition by Nippon Steel, a Japanese firm nor any foreign entity. All three have all but made their positions clear and the executive branch has the power to approve or deny such a decision when the industry is of national security or could disrupt economic stability.

Does anyone honestly believe if the shoe were on the other foot and U.S. Steel were in a position to acquire Nippon Steel that the Japanese government wouldn't intervene and prevent it? Look at J-Gov's latest move to stop a Canadian firm from acquiring 7-Eleven if you want a clear answer to that question!

tigerjaneToday 04:15 pm JST

agreed :(

At least this 87 year old man will be treated better by the government in prison ironically than he and his wife were before this tragedy. The judge thinks that prison time is warranted but what he doesn't seem to realize is this man's actions will torment him every waking moment until his passing, no matter where his final days are.

stickman1760Today 01:35 pm JST

Have you been to your ward office to discuss any possible help that might be available?

Unfortunately, my mother-in-law's official residence is in Tokyo and for the tremendous amount of paperwork and healthcare considerations (which are numerous) we decided not to transfer her residence to our home in Saitama. We checked with our local government but were told she cannot receive any services here unless she is a resident. So, stuck in a Catch22

Always surprised by the number of people who will jump to defend a murderer.

I'm always surprised by the number of people without empathy! My 57 year old wife and I, same age, are the sole caretakers of my wife's 88 year old mother who suffers from Alzheimer for the last 3 years before my wife's father passed away, who suffered from dementia. I worry my wife, who works full time from home, will at any time take her own life cause she just can't take it anymore! I quit my job so that I can help out as it is a round the clock task. She cannot do much of anything on her own, can fortunately go to the restroom by herself and can put food into her mouth but that is about it. She can't be left alone for a minute or she might burn the house down. Lets not even get into what this has done for my wife and I's personal relationship as there is none. It's like taking care of a two year old, unfortunately digressing over time! So before you pass judgement on this poor man and his wife, I ask you, have you walked a mile in his shoes?

BigPToday 07:26 am JST

There goes your career and pension.

Nah, he's upper management. He will submit his retirement papers and NHK will demote him one rank, that being the "strict action"

wallaceToday 09:52 am JST

Putin will never attack a NATO country.

Well....., he might but that would be the end of him, Russia or possibly all of us so is that a gamble he is willing to take, I'm highly betting not. He knows Russia could not win a conventional war with NATO, he can't even take Ukraine and his stock piles of cold war hardware is being eliminated faster than they can replace it, the Chinese don't see a desire to help out any longer and the Russian economy is being decimated. Putin is on his last leg and starting a fight with NATO will not be tolerated by those who have the power to issue a so-called Black Swan Event.

SanjinosebleedToday 06:48 am JST

Ukraine and it’s western backers should come the the negotiating table and end this stupid war!

Hmmmm, if someone much stronger than you invaded your home, harmed your family and decided to occupy and the only advice from your friends, your allies and the authorities was you were involved in a "stupid war" and you should come to a negotiated sentiment, how would you feel? Ukraine did not start this war, it's defending itself and targeted strikes on military targets and infrastructure within Russia supporting it is well within Geneva Convention protocols.

The Japanese Finance Ministry just killed any chance of a Nippon Steel takeover of U.S. Steel, like, zero chance! The Biden Administration can now use the same logic to justify it's refusal on the acquisition. I believe Kamala Harris as well as Trump have also voiced opposition to the deal so that's that, end of story!

story should be titled:

Mother gets 10 years for fatal child abuse of 6-year-old daughter, out in 5!

Pathetic stories like this should not be published by the media as it just gives other lowlife scumbags new ideas and something else to try!

This could all be over if the Philippine navy were to hold so-called exercises with her ally the United States, hint Mr. Biden! Lets see if China would want to ram a US navy war ship, think not! China needs to learn she's not the badass on the open seas that she thinks she is!

wanderlustToday 10:54 am JST

Would it include phones mounted on the handlebars, being used as a mobile navigation map?

I would guess not as long as the phone is mounted and not held in hand. This is the same as in a car, just think, nearly every car has a car navigation system these days and many drivers have mounted phones. Wonder about headphones, have they been banned as well cause that is a bigger hazard!

Ummmmmm........, this acquisition isn't going anywhere, not a chance in hell. This is one industry that has been the cornerstone of EVERY war the US has been involved with, even the war in Ukraine. Steel is the backbone of the military used in ships, tanks, aircraft, munitions and so much more! There is NO WAY congress would sign off on this no matter who the president is.

Agent_NeoToday 12:54 pm JST

There is nothing wrong with using whale meat as a food alternative to beef or pork.

Heard of Minamata disease?

Mercury levels can be 20 to 5,000 times higher in dolphin and small whale meat than levels recommended by the UN World Health Organization and the Japanese Ministry of Health.

Studies of populations that consume cetacean meat and blubber have shown that mercury and other contaminants adversely affect fetal development, including infant immune function, neural development and memory, as well as increasing the risk of developing Parkinson’s, hypertension and arteriosclerosis in adults.

Tuna is not even recommended for children and especially pregnant women as it also exceeds safety levels for reasons above.

wallaceToday 11:09 am JST

The Japanese whaling industry employs less than 1,000 workers surviving only because of billions in subsidies including the construction of the new whaling ship. Let it survive without taxpayers' money.

It can't survive on its own! The reason why the Fisheries Agency is so hell bent on keeping it afloat has nothing to do with tradition but amakudari, the golden parachute for those high level bureaucrats after retirement as well as the kickbacks from the whaling fleet operators.

Whaling: Why the practice will not go away

As long as J-Gov continues to subsidize the industry as it can't keep afloat on sales of meat alone, maybe not. And if J-Gov doesn't care that consumption continues to decline and fewer and fewer Japanese are willing to support the industry, maybe not.

But lets just be intellectually honest, this isn't about Japanese culture, or an issue of "food security", this is about bureaucrats getting kickbacks and landing cozy after-retirement jobs with large companies. This is about an industry hunting whales thousands of kilometers from home with large factory ships at tremendous expense, NOT traditional, coastal, father-and-son fishing operations just barely making it financially from one season to another hoping to keep food on the table. So maybe the premise of the title is incorrect and should be,

Whaling: Will the practice go away?

And I think we all kinda know the answer to that, don't we!

There's a saying, " what goes around.... comes around " and something tells me much more so once this 24 year old is thrown in prison!

35-year-old man arrested for assaulting wife in Sapporo

Must be a VERY inactive weekend for a story like this to get published! The wife not hospitalized?, no report of injuries? etc.... ? I would actually be more interested in knowing if the POS loses his job as a visiting caregiver cause something tells me he has some anger management issues!

I have often scolded my wife when crossing a street as she never checks to verify it's safe to do so. This is so common, pedestrians have a responsibility to themselves NOT to get killed. I'm NOT saying that drivers aren't at fault, of course they are but as stated in the story, the incident occurred on a straight road, should have been easy to spot the oncoming car and this mother had a responsibility to protect her child. Just common sense!

This is one fish Japan is better off releasing! Does Japan really think there is something to gain in a long drawn out extradition and IF granted, an even longer court battle here in Japan, which Watson will lose of course? Watson's court battle and ultimate imprisonment will just bring much more international scrutiny of Japan's justice system as well as the government subsidized whaling industry and make a hero out of Watson in the process.