DMoore comments

A Korean company where the elder son does not have primogeniture - interesting...

Four years on the loose... and he was supposed to be enforcing the law all these years?! He should be forced to repay four years' worth of salary to the taxpayers!!

Then it must be the place anyway...

Took matters into own hands? You mean, a pair of shears in one hand and the "d**k" in the other... Heh!

Nakanoguy01, thanks for the elucidation - I am sure if "wire fraud" exists in Japan the penalty must be a slap on the wrist as deduced from the number of "Oreore" incidents including those that end up failing (a lady friend of mine got "an urgent message from her sister" to plunk 750,000 yen into some account; fortunately her sister cropped up after a short trip and they were able to stop the fund transfer [set for the following morning] beforehand). As for mail fraud, does a thing approximating the systems overseas (I hear committing a felony through use of the US Postal Service is imposed a heavy penalty like 5 years of incarceration for EACH count, assume the same for wire... goodness with the three money laundering charges it does add up to some 300 years behind bars for the threesome!) exist in Japan?

I say it would be hilarious if it turned out to be a bunch of SOUR grapes (I raise my hand to be official taster - heck, I won't even charge to taste a grape out of that bunch... Ha!)

Yubaru, you said it! We seem to live in a world now where everyone (lady or not) "doth protest too much"!

This story really is difficult to follow - Reuters needs better editors... the Ponzi scheme I follow is a problem but these people are being indicted for mail fraud and wire fraud, how does this work? Seems to be an American thing...

Taking from the .... and giving to the .... dumdumdum...

Hmm... you're right it seems. Actually when did diplomacy in Japan become a Finance Ministry prerogative? I see even now that OECD has ambassadors, a MOFA person.

Camnai, I take it that you find it "Ironic that the Alamo gets in at the same time as the Blue and John Crow Mountains" because of the "diversity" angle as well as the fact that the British colony developed thanks to the "property" brought over to the Caribbean under the "proslavery" Union Jack? BTW Texpomeroy when you say the Japanese did not bring up "Kudaranai" reference you intended a pun on "Kudara" and (now, having been wiped out - or is genocide the current word of preference - by the ancestors of today's Koreans) "nai" as in "no longer"?

Congratulations to Singapore for getting its Botanical Gardens on the registry! Well done - just hope some chap's not going to start going around claiming "cultural genocide" because the English art of gardening has taken roots in Asia. No dampers please! It is a jolly good show and deserves a nice round of applauses!

I am wondering, does anyone know if they showed Flipper on Japanese TV? If so what was the general reception - did they think that Flipper should be left to roam free since there are enough fish out there for everyone?

It is a long-haul flight, like Tokyo-New York.

So in Japan all you have to do is become old, bring up an old affair a quarter of a century or so back, then off the partner because "I've suffered for so long"... to get away with murder without spending any time in the pen?!?!?!

Taking from The Poor = TTP? Dum dum dum...

We need a mandatory cap on Diet session extensions! 95 days?! That's more than a "quarter of a year" with which budgets are measured! It COSTS to keep these OTL guys "in session" you know - and coming out of TAX money too! If some publisher were to sell subscriptions for a $1,000/yr for issues, 12 months later come up with their 5th issue & a note saying "we operate on the Azteca calendar of 465 days in a year" plus "an automatic subscriptions renewal notice" saying it is $2,000/"yr" would one go along with that? Much more prone to ask the Postal Inspector to initiate criminal fraud investigations! I mean, do these parties in power and government employees think they can get away with anything?! If they were private sector they'd surely all be in legal hotwater at the very least! Bullocks!!

Thank you Sherlock - I was able to do some Research into opening accounts overseas via TMUFJ!

Wasn't James in trouble along with his dad for the London news of the world debacle? Well, he does seem to be good at "getting away from the real world" angle so could fit the bill for the top Fox studio spot.

Maybe a textbook annotation on the Japanese a few hundred years from now: "A nation which extinguished itself by allowing its younger generations to believe that 'relationships can be considered bothersome and are to be avoided'..." - the Japanese better wake up and fix things!

By Jove! You may be right! Actually Yen, Yuan... why, both Y! Perhaps by the time this little kid grows up and has a bank account, may have an account exchangeable in both!

Interesting - btw I wonder, is the AFP photo which goes along with this story from Japan or a footage from a MUFJ bank branch in China/HK/wherever? I'm sure the kid hasn't the foggiest about banking... probably going to grow up to be a star though the way he's posing for the camera!

Even the luck of the Irish has a breaking point - 13... sure sounds unlucky!

Third time lucky I hope! Yes, an explanation - somebody, please! "The lurch" is not funny... especially for someone taking off, most likely for good!

Well I'm DEFINITELY not rowing my way home! I will also make sure to avoid the "three-hour tour" right before the weather starts "getting rough" (unless an actress named "Ginger Grant" is on board)!

There's always the flip side: a Japanese student of mine at the Uni wrote me a memo about a new law in Japan and told me,"Now I can be counted on during erections, even though I am only 18!" Needless to say, I told her the second letter in "that word" is an "L" ... I told her, no need to look the word without the "L" up now, but trust me and also NEVER forget the "L" in the word "public"! Can't say I'll miss all this...

Blimey, this... is trickier than I thought! So - a parting shot to follow the Parthian one: it indeed seems there are only 7 regulars (President, 2 Vice Presidents, 3 Directors-at-Large and a Reserve Director) with 4 associates (Secretary, Treasurer, a Director-at-large and a Reserve Director) in office now; does not add up, is there a regular-designated seat open now? Wonder how this came about. Unless all the other candidates did not get any vote, assuming they did not vote for themselves, a seat was left open? A mystery, worthy of an Agatha Christie-type novel?

Well turbostat that's rather offhand, no? I couldn't care less about this personally since I am leaving Japan soon - however, I think your browser may require updating [or now set to block out ramblings?] since one (of several) that mine caught was for 2013, referring to FCCJ, freedom of the press and our "stars" Mr. Penn & Ms. Birmingham: https://globalitewatchdog.wordpress.com/2013/11/09/ ... As The Economist notes, this Canadian tends to ramble {certainly could use a good editor, yet perhaps he is still "dysfunctional" or suffering from trauma or whatever...} but I once knew a chap who studied at Mississippi University ["at Oxford" he'd note] and talked like (egads!) Faulkner, that did not mean I could treat him like sod, now could I? I quote a paragraph herewith, with portions abbreviated for sake of brevity, to say the least: "Penn said he discussed the matter with FCCJ president Lucy Birmingham, who has worked for years... at NHK. Penn said that he and Birmingham agreed they would take no disciplinary action. Penn said that he believes people are innocent until proven guilty, and he wouldn’t take disciplinary action until guilt is proven in court. He said the club can only deal with actions initiated by fellow club members, not outsiders, even if they are veteran professional journalists. He urged this reporter to take police and court action ..., and said he would comply with any court decision, such as a restraining order barring ... ... from press conferences at the club. He said he should not have to accept any responsibility for the actions of ... , though he did in fact appoint h... to a press freedom sub-committee. He said that the club has a number of “dysfunctional” members with various issues, and he’s trying his best to build up the club’s reputation and take action to protect journalists in Japan from abuses." The primary source is out there! Oh, a Parthian shot: who are the unnamed three FCCJ board members-elect. I say, don't leave us in a lurch! D

Ah, those Hammer Films of youth! Of course in addition to being a son of an Italian contessa I think it worth mentioning that he was a Lee - you know, 1066 and All That... or is that an allusion only the British understand?

Strangerland, thanks for the enlightenment! Actually I am starting to wonder if the "blacklisting by others in Japan's journalistic community" has something to do with this? If so it'd not only be "troubling" but I'm sure there will be a whole lot of "conspiracy mongers" looking underneath beds! Well the best news for ME is... I'm out of here, hurray! I've done my time, and the sweet sight of home beckons me! Just a few more weeks and I'll be able to get away from all this!!!