DiscoJ comments

Tangerine2000:

The economists?......what few newspapers are being honest about is that around 3700 economists were asked and only about 600 responded. This tells me that the majority are wary about giving any forecasts and don't know themselves. Why?

That's a pretty big leap to make, Tangerine2000. 3700 is probably the number that were initially contacted. 600 is the number that completed the whole survey. I don't think we know how many ignored it from the start, how many didn't see the email (or answer the call), or how many dropped out once they knew it was about the referendum.

Economists were wrong about the Euro. Economists were wrong about monetary union. Economists didn't foresee the 2008 financial crisis.

That's interesting background but a little irrelevant to the matter at hand. I would want to know what is wrong or misleading about the current forecasts, not about a completely different set of predictions from over a decade ago. People and methods tend to change and improve with experience.

Headline needs to have brackets around the 'not'.

You can't compare those percentages across countries like that. Countries such as Brazil, India, China, Turkey and Mexico will always have relatively high percentages on attitude questions (such as those above) due to the way people answer questionnaires. The headline is extremely misleading. YouGov should be aware of that.

A Japanese new source I read had some additional details. Most importantly, the child wasn't breathing for an extended period (I think it was at least 40 minutes, perhaps longer). Though doctors managed to resuscitate her, it seems suffered some brain damage and has been having feeding difficulties as a result.

Strangerland: For those lucky/successful enough to have their rent subsidised and for those who otherwise have more money than anyone really needs, yes. For everyone else, obviously not. But then that's right there in the CEO's words: 'where global players live, work and gather'.

I work near Toranomon Hills and actually kinda like it. I also like the nearby Atago towers. Izumi Garden isn't bad either. Most of MORI's modern skyscrapers are quite aesthetically pleasing and have elements (e.g. bars, observation decks, etc.) which are well within a regular person's reach. Despite this, I'd still question if these new developments are really even needed right now as it doesn't seem the current buildings are all being fully utilised as it is (though of course maybe leases are being signed).

I'll also continue to reject the notion that a new stop on the Hibiya line is needed in that location, especially in connection to the Olympics. Kamiyacho and Kasumigaseki are not that far apart. Toranomon has a Ginza line station and Shimbashi and Onarimon are not that far on foot. If for the Olympics, one of the Metro or Toei lines should be extended down to Odaiba or somewhere that events are actually taking place at. How will this new station help with the Olympics?

"hafu" omg but I hate this word. half what? half human being?

Half ethnically Japanese. Maybe, hopefully, a better word (e.g. an actual Japanese word) will spring up in time, but the meaning of the current term is pretty clear. People jump to criticise it on a nationality basis quite often, but it's an ethnic word. Whether that's good or bad is up to you, but the points debated should be relevant to the word's actual meaning.

why the heck being born in Japan you have to been told your whole life you're just half something?

And what of someone of mixed parentage who's born and raised outside of Japan, and never took Japanese citizenship? 'Half' can still be equally applied to them. It's not just for people living in Japan.

This kind of system will be probably be particularly helpful for announcements. Even where station names are written in romaji, non-Japanese-speaking foreigners/tourists might not know how the station name sounds when announce. This initiative can reduce that kind of confusion.

Also, there are plenty of stations with very similar names on some lines (e.g. Marunouchi and its Shinjuku-Gyoenmae, Shinjuku-sanchome, Shinjuku, Nishi-Shinjuku craziness; the Nishi-Shinjuku-Gochome that exists on Toei Oedo Line, etc.). The numbering system might not be that helpful on the Yamanote Line specifically, but presuming it's just the first step for JR, I'm glad they're doing it.

I'm still waiting for more meaningful details before deciding to throw Mr. Cameron under a bus. Lots of conclusions being jumped to here when the full set of facts have yet to emerge.

I think I understand it fairly well and have no real objections to it in principle, but in practice I am a little worried. The way the law was pushed through avoiding any and all public consultations/referendums doesn't fill me with confidence about the government's underlying aims with the legislation.

No one is giving money away. Just changing the concept from mine and yours to ours.

For me, 'ours' would be a joint account, not handing over all control and receiving an 'allowance'. Where we'd need to keep to a budget (e.g. 10,000 a month, 500 a day or whatever), I hope we'd discuss it, agree upon something reasonable and then trust each other to stick to it. The point for me, and perhaps some others, is that there's no clear reason to just hand control over totally.

As it's in current fashion, it's not old-fashioned at all. And most people don't seem to want to get out of it.

It's old-fashioned in the same sense a standard 'husband goes to work, wife stays at home' type of marriage. It might still be present, and even desirable for many, but in modern life it's far from the only choice. Thinking that every couple should be like that, thinking it's the only/best way for marriage, certainly is old-fashioned.

I pity the poor blokes who are so desperate to hang on to their wallet/cards/paycheck. Ditto the women who brag about taking their man's money and hanging on to their own. That's not what marriage is about.

Like fishy states above, couples can control their own finances whilst still supporting their family together. There's nothing there that needs 'pity'. It's a pretty common setup in many places, including the UK.

I can't even imagine handing over my cards or paycheck to anyone, especially not a housewife. If it's a question of budgeting/financial planning, I'll always be happy to discuss and set up/feed into a joint account but I wouldn't hand full control over to anyone.

This place is doing good business. It was only 3,000JPY when it opened a few years ago. It just went up to 8,000JPY in March. The every increasing price is probably one reason why the number of foreigners outnumbers the Japanese. It is more expensive that Disneyland and you get no food (unless you pay even more). It's just one of Tokyo's most blatant tourist traps at this point.

Wow, congratulations.

If we're critiquing the photo, I would say that the focus point/depth of field is perhaps a little odd. Both the couple and the far end of the blossoms are clear in focus, whilst the close blossoms are out of it. Pushing all the blossoms out of focus (or keeping all of them in) would've enhanced the framing effect and resulted in a better picture I think.

If it was a actual wedding, it's a shame about weather. After so many weeks/months of mostly clear skies, the past week has been terribly gloomy.

Bright red shades have not been popular among younger girls/women (<40) for a number of years now. Linking the preference in this country for dull tones to Abenomics seems tenuous at best. The odd occasion where I do see a young woman with bright red lipstick, they are usually Korean (presuming I hear them speak).

sighclops: Some of those girls go to such places (thinking Shibuya especially) in the hopes of getting scouted by someone. And many scouters probably are legitimately just looking for models for fashion magazines and the like. The scouts don't all work in porn (probably not even most of them) and at least some of of the girls who 'are simply keeping to themselves' might literally be waiting to get approached.

There's plenty of blogs and websites full of info and advice on how to get scouted (in short - look naturally pretty, a decent body and go to Harajuku or Shibuya). http://ameblo.jp/cameratokamera/entry-11486156303.html (this one even indicates that a genuine scout probably wouldn't approach a minor unless they were with a parent/guardian) http://suke-up.com/4163.html http://natsumedia.sonnaanatani.com/scout/

The problem is that it may be difficult for a targeted girl to realise that a scout is untrustworthy until it's 'too late' (and some ridiculous contract is signed/threats are made).

In any case, porn companies trying to use contracts as a justification for sexual abuse and rape obviously need to be demolished.

Strangerland: It says '12 million' and the 'weekend's proceeds'. That's 6,000,000JPY/day. Now 600,000/day certainly would be reasonable (and about average for a reasonably active conbini according to Chiebukuro).

I don't believe for a second that this wasn't a set-up. The only question in my mind is whether it was an employee or the owner. I also the 12 million for one weekend suspicious too. ONE weekend, ONE conbini, Koyama. 12 million. No way. That's a misprint or a crime in itself.

Because Apple values privacy (read: their marketing strategy) above national security.

In this case, since the 'danger' to the public has already passed and there's perhaps nothing of interest on that phone (it was a work phone, not a private one), I think Apple should do what it can do to help. It's a shame the US government has given people so much reason to distrust it in recent years. Even when some surveillance/'invasions' of privacy are justified, public opinion is still against them.

Though I pretty much like noodles, the sounds of a roomful of grown adults slurping their food is simply disgusting to me. I'll now only enter noodle shops if its spacious and empty.

'Another tradition down the pan'? You think this event is that significant? It sounds like a fun and cheap event that anyone can attend. Real yabusame is obviously something that needs proper training in both archery and horseback riding before it can even be attempted. This is not trying to replace that.

Everything is generally fine as long as they know where they're going.

Even if there was a trap/sting operation, he's still to blame for his own actions, doubly so as his wife was heavily pregnant and triply so as a member of the government. The borderline criminals who are defrauding the taxpayer and accepting bribes should get out too, but this guy was right to resign.

It's also on the BBC now.

Strangerland: As I said, it's about understanding what happened. And probably 99% of all non-political/non-weather news stories could be described as 'none of any of our businesses', that doesn't mean we won't (or shouldn't) question the details presented.

The nature of the woman is the most interesting part of this story, that's why the comments are focused on her. The culprit just sounds like yet another unemployed guy dissatisfied with his lot in life taking out his frustrations on someone who in no way deserves it. It's sad but seems relatively common in these types of crime stories.

But regarding the woman, yeah, sorry but there are questions to be asked about 1.) why she was carrying so much money and 2.) why she allegedly asked the perpetrator for even more money. It's not about blaming/criticising her, it's about understanding what actually happened.

Shonan, your sarcasm seems even stronger now. How would 'retired husband syndrome' influence the divorce of a couple in their 30s (or 20s, or 40s, or 50s). It's obviously not 'a large percentage'.

shonan: Is that retirement point more sarcasm from you? The retirement issue, even if true, is only going to affect the 60+.

Osaka's suicide rate appears to be the lowest, but its murder rate is the highest. Just a coincidence?

Alistair, if their engagement (in August last year) and now marriage was due to a pregnancy, Kitagawa would probably be showing by now.