ElecFixer comments

Better to let the inefficient and bloated companies fail.

The culture of middle men all skimming their cut reduces the income for the producer and increases the cost for the consumer.

Let the more efficient and dynamic companies full the gap and grow. Only those that do away with their closed business practices protecting a series of middle men will succeed in today's modern markets.

Japan needs a shakeup. The old way of doing things needs to change.

Agreed. What was he doing out in his own wandering the streets? Dark and cold these days. No decent mother would let that happen.

Also, I've been in a lot of hotel rooms with people I was visiting

We've all got to earn a living somehow

Maybe because you felt the need to enlighten us all with your corrections first. Nothing wrong with correcting a mistake.

As for why they operate out of an apartment? Not uncommon. Lots of small companies start that way. Cheaper than office space, and with toilet and all utilities

I find that confusing. "Who rents" might be a better choice of words.

The company rents the apartment.

The company operates out of the apartment.

The man works for the company, and was working alone at the time.

What's so confusing about that?

The sad thing is, it is actually a valuable and necessary role in society. We definitely need teachers, just as we need police officers and fire fighters.

Exactly. We need teachers just as much as we need all other blue collar workers performing manual labour.

But that's the whole point. The barrier to entry is extremely low. Why should we revere teachers any more than we should revere cleaners or checkout girls?

The answer is we shouldn't. It's just as easy to become any one of them.

A few years pass, the regret of life choices kicks in, a teacher sees all the more affluent parents younger than them and the children / luxuries they can afford, and we end up rehashing the same old bitterness.

Or, rather, the rest if us have to tolerate listening to it all over again.

You chose your path (the easy one). Accept it.

A teacher is only "qualified" up to the educational level of an 18 year old.

What is an 18 year old worth in the job market? Not very much. And yet most of the teachers commenting here continually grumble about their low salaries.

Bad life choices. Should have studied and trained for the higher paid jobs, instead of taking the easy path and resenting those that didn't.

It's an easy job requiring minimal qualifications. That's why the salaries are not high... Because anyone can do it.

And then it comes as a shock to them when they find out they have to work for 6 hours a day, 10 months of the year.

Just more self entitled millennials giving up when things get a bit challenging.

@RareReason

When visiting other countries, the majority of Japanese tourists do so only on guided tours. Especially those middle aged and older.

Considering the age of policy makers... They probably never saw any issue with requiring guided tours. They are probably unaware there is any other way of travelling than with a young woman dressed like an air hostess carrying a flag.

hahahaha very true!!!

I never put these two together till now.

Nailed it.

I, for one, am glad for this.

Because without it, all you lot might run out of things to complain about.

The arguments comparing the value of crypto currencies to "paper money" are moot.

Crypto currency is only ever worth the value of the paper money it can be converted back to.

I made it all up.

But it's just as believable as the conspiracy you are all making up about the protection of immigration officials.

She continually cried wolf claiming she needed medical care.

Eventually, she consumed cleaning products in order to simulate sickness and allergic reactions.

Unfortunately for her, she consumed a fatal amount which had a far more rapid results than she anticipated.

The unpublished findings are due to the method she used to obtain the cleaning products, to protect the shame of that method for herself and the other party (I'm sure you have figured it out by now). Her family have agreed to keep this fact silent.

The family reserve the right to complain about what they deem to be inappropriate care after the self poisoning, but the prosecutors concluded that the speed and impact of the poisoning were symptoms detention centre workers would not be able to recognise, and what she consumed would have been fatal with or without medial care.

I think its silly to make escooters classified the same as small vehicles and require registration. That means you would not be able to ride them around the parks because you would be riding a motor vehicle in the park. There are some huge parks down here in Kyushu and Shikoku. I see people using escooters down here round the big parks perfectly safely. They do not go close to others and I see them carefully slow down and even get off when near any busy area. Its a shame that a few idiots with no sense ruin it for everyone else.

I hope others can distinguish this debate on the effectiveness of subsidies from a debate on wealth inequality.

Exactly!!!

@UK9393

You are confusing the issue.

RareReason is right! This is a subsidy.

The debate on whether subsidies are effective or not is a valid talking point. There is an argument to be made for not propping up failing industries, but to be fair, that wasn't RareReason's point of discussion.

This isn't about who can afford to take advantage of a subsidy. A subsidy is encourage spending in a particular area.

Theres an emu farm in Chiba we stopped at

they do a great grill. expensive but finger lickin good

Oh... It's fine for Cleo to joke about poor people now, isn't it?

Yes... But are we not trying to revive the tourism and entertainment sector?

Exactly!

@ian

Today 01:24 pm JST

This!

How come y'all keep jumping to extremes about uber rich?

Get the middle class to start splashing the cash

Woke the entire family. Apart from the cat who only woke up when I turned the light on (and got angry at me for turning it on)

Cleo and others,

Dude, y'all mixing up your issues.

This aint about how fair it is that some folk ain't got the dollars to spend. Its about kick starting those with the green to get and start splashing it about a bit.

There is a bit number of people between uber rich and uber poor. Ever heard kid middle class?