Disillusioned comments

Unfortunately, there are also many creepy predators lurking on these sites which have resulted in assaults and deaths.

sakurasuki - Couldn't blame driver 100%, 

Drivers must drive to the conditions and are 100% responsible.

Tokyo argues that eating whale is part of Japanese culture and an issue of "food security" in the resource-poor country, which imports large amounts of animal meat.

This is not an answer to the whaling issue. Japanese people do not rely on whale meat to sustain themselves. In fact, very few people eat it regularly. The majority of the population do not eat it all. It is served as a special menu in specialised restaurants at ridiculous prices. This has nothing to do with 'food security'. It is only about profiting from the slaughter of whales. The answer to the question is, Japan has billions of dollars invested in their whaling industry and they will not let it go. It's not culture or food security. It's money!

You have more chance of winning the Lotto than predicting where and when an earthquake will happen somewhere in the Japanese archipelago. I admire their diligence but this has cost the tourist industry ￥￥￥￥.

Earthquakes happen in Japan and have been happening for thousadns of years. Stating a megaquake is coming Is a bit of a given. The likelyhood is no more today than it was 10 years ago, 100 years ago or 1,000 years ago. None of the previous 'megaquakes' in Japan have been predicted so why should anyone believe the next one will be. Being prepared for the inevitable is a good thing though.

It's pretty clear that Trump's agenda is only to leave his mark on history and not to be the leader of a nation. Hopefully, Americans will have the common sense not to vote for this fool.

Which came first? The mountain or the convenience store? Get rid of the convenience store and create a viewing platform for an excellent view of Mt. Fuji.

Yey, there are still those in the community who believe Covid is a scam and refuse to get vaccinations.

So, now this unemployed brat doesn't have anywhere to live as well. 46 years old and carries on like a spoiuled teenager.

Each year in Japan there are over 200,000 abortions. Every two weeks, a newborn infant dies of abandonment. And each year, more than 50 children lose their lives to physical abuse at the hands of their parents.

Some pretty disturbing statistics there.

It's only taken 50 years for Japan to start to catch up with the modern world. Hopefully, they will structure child support as well. Currently, there is no structure. It's only what the ex says (usually the mother). My ex-wife demanded I pay her ¥200,000 per month and she would let me see my kids to take them out to lunch once a month. I told her I couldn't afford to pay it and wanted to negotiate to an affordable amount. I also told he I wanted to see my kids every second weekend. She refused to negotiate and cut me off completely. I haven't seen my kids for ten years and there is nothing I can do about it. I approached the family court and was told that was no way of getting to see my kids unless she agreed to it. I went to the apartment to beg her to let me see my kids through the intercom and she called the cops. I waited outside my kids' school so I could see them. I saw them, they told their mother and she put a restraining order on me. I did nothing to this woman to make her act like this. The only reason she did it is, because she could. Hopefully, this new structure will stop these unruly tyrants making their kids become estranged from their fathers.

Articles like this evoke a lot of emotion. Anger, sadness, sorrow, confusion and resentment. As much as it sounds very callous, this poor child is in a better place now.

More fuel for the move to make all international trainees use contraception.

The guidelines, issued in 1953 by the Cabinet Legislation Bureau

That one statement explains the system very well. Japan doesn't want those pesky foreigners telling Japanese people what tp do.

"There is a possibility that economic concerns are impacting their views on life," 

A possibility? Considering their fathers are likely earning less or the same as they were twenty years ago makes these kids pretty smart. Hopefully, these kids will follow through with their views and use appropriate contraception.

Wow! That must hurt the Japanese car manufacturers, both financially and their pride. Perhaps all the scandals involving Japanese car manufacturers falsifying data are starting to catch up with them.

There are many Chinese and Korean brands of cars in Australia. The Korean cars are (KIA & Hyundai) excellent!

Protester James Cummings, a Sydney local, said it was "not the right day to be celebrating a national day".

Sadly, this article is quite sensationalistic with many untruths. The date of Australia is not the actual date Australia became a nation. It was January 18. This 'Invasion Day' banner is also sensationalistic. It's true the first Australians were persicuted in the first 150 years of settlement and many resoration efforts have been made. These protest rallies are organised by troublemakers who are intent on disrupting any and all negotiations of resorations. It wouldn't matter what date it was, they would still protest. Many were complaining that Australia should not have a public holiday to celebrate its national day. There was some joker on the news this evening exclaiming everybody should move out of Sydney and give it back to the first Australians. This article does not mention anything about what has been for the first Australian people. They have been given a lot of land and landmarks. All their culturally significant areas have been recognised, most of which have been protected by law. They are given free housing, which is abused. They are given interest free loans for vehicles that never get paid back.

By the way, these people are not indigenous to Australia. They are indigenous to Africa and came to Australia some 40,000 years ago.

Just kill yourself! The kids don't deserve to die;

Japanese employers just don't get it. This labor shortage they keep going on about is for low paying jobs with long hours. It's not a shortage of labor. It's a shortage of people who want to work long hours for a pittance. Now, they believe people will come from overseas to work for next to nothing and still have to contribute the pension scam. If they were serious they would make all foreigners exempt from the scam, which would give them more money in their pockets and make the jobs more appealing.

The whole LDP are as crooked as the day is long. They have been scamming Japanese people for over 70 years. The only reasons they stay in power are vote buying, grafting, the 50-60% of people who vote are brainwashed and the opposition party are useless. TIJ! You can't help people who won't help themselves.

No words! Just shaking my head in disbelief.

Japan is really dropping the ball on these creeps. Using the internet tp groom minors is a serious offense and carries mandatory jail time where I come from.

How much did Uni Qlo pay Disney for the rights to produce a bag using their character?

Good luck getting to an SOS button on a packed peak hour train. You are lucky if you can scratch your nose on the subway trains in peak hour.

Yubaru - And the stock market ended the year in record territory. The gap between the "haves" and "have nots" is growing.

Totally agree! Japan is going back to as it was 200 years ago. There is a ruling class and then there are the minions. The middle class is disappearing in Japan. No wage growth for over twenty years, 60% of the workforce on low paying short-term or part time contracts, an ever-increasing cost of living nd a shortage of labor all add up to increased poverty for the masses. Meanwhile, large corporations get huge tax breaks o fill their coffers. TIJ!

Cue Judge Dread, "I am the law!"

Remember what happened after hurricane Katrina in Florida? "Looters will be shot!"

obladi - A victimless crime, but thems the rules

Yeah, it's a victimless crime until he gets behind the wheel of a car and kills somebody. It's beyond me why people risk cooking their brains with these kinds of drugs. They must really hate themselves and their lives.

Records have only been kept for 150 years or so. That is a very short time in global climate time. Yes, it was very hot, but that does not necessarily mean the end of the world.

A new year will not change the fact that Japan's economy has been in a downward spiral for over twenty years. Zero salary growth and an ever increasing cost of living only means the same struggle for 90% of the population. It's impossible to remain optimistic under these circumstances.