F4HA604 comments

If MLB is so much superior to NPB, how come Team Japan with majority NPB players won the WBC 2 out of 3 times against teams with majority MLB players?

perplexing

Most people here are stuck with a false dilemma.

Either live with the abusive but protective husband whom life would be far worse without, or live unprotected in a neighbourhood that is hostile to you because of what you did 70 years ago.

Pretty much follows the line of the typical arguments made by an abusive husband who thinks he owns his wife for her sake.

If its going to be troublesome either way, Japan should just re-militarize and maybe even make some nukes. A whole new can of worms but the current problems can be done with, and then Japanese people won't have to be told by Americans: "Better me than Russians, now bend over backwards"

Yes the method of punishment was questionable, and Yes it went totally wrong. Thankfully it turned out not too bad. But I'd much rather this happen than a parent opting to beat their child as punishment and having that go totally wrong.

If you child goes around throwing rocks at people and cars you gotta correct that. I'd assume "talking to the child" was the first step, which didn't work. In which case you gotta step up the correction method somehow.

I think its much more irresponsible for a parent to just give up on a child or let him do whatever he wants (in this case throw rocks at people and cars).

How many people here bashing on the dad actually have experience with trying to correct the behaviour of a child who just won't listen to reasoning?

@shonanbb

Not saying I approve, but as the article says: "Gambling is largely illegal in Japan" Of course unless its at a Pachinko or state endorsed horse/bike/boat races or toto lottery kind of stuff.

Also underground-casinos typically mean that they're run by Yaks, and with Japanese law a car dealer can get into trouble just by merely selling a car to a Yak member.

@Sense

Nah dog Dhalsim gives killer noogies

In an alternate world where this article was about Japan rather than Europe, JTers would be 100% sympathetic to the migrants.

I am neither 100% for Abenomics nor 100% against it, I think parts of it were good moves and others were obvious blunders.

Details of the Abenomics aside, how can anyone expect Japan to have pulled off a unilateral economic recovery amidst the woes of every other major market in the world?

Do you people really think that if someone else pulled a someoneelse-nomics Japan would've unilaterally prospered in the highly intertwined global economy that is in general kind of bear-ish?

JT Abe hater's view of the world is so clouded due to their unrestrained hate for the guy. Its technically not any different from America's Trump lovers.

(everything trump/abe says and does is right/wrong cuz i love/hate him. Therefore, facts and reason take no place in my judgement of him and his policies.)

I'm Canadian, so to me the American election is both important and not my business at the same time. But my opinion is that it is WAAAAAY out of place for a non-citizen of one country to call for action either for or against a candidate for another country's top position. I would've been pretty livid if say the Guardian called for action by England's "allies" to prevent Trudeau from being elected (as disappointing as he has been so far).

Oh and grown adults throwing around HP references is super lame

Hell no for the sake of economic recovery. The damage the previous one did is more than obvious from any of the charts. The cabinet is already hinting at not moving forward with it, and its just the min of finance that's still strongly pushing for it.

I'm surprised not more Abe haters of JT aren't polling for yes, it would definitely mean demise for his government and Abenomics, while a postponement/call of would mean prolonged life.

Go Canada!

Lol cuz you know, everyone who have lived in fishing villages for generations where they eat fish almost every meal is fat. Pretty sure other variables overlooked by the study play more significant roles in the findings.

Not a 1 to 1 match but kind of like saying:

everyone who died last year drank beverages that contain water water intake leads to death at a rate of 100% (the study did not delve into what kinds of water containing beverages the subjects drank) QED

@Wc626

" with many posters saying that japan would be like the "Mr. Bean" in the spy business and how they would stick-out like a sore thumb wherever they went."

I kno this comment is gonna be deleted pretty soon, but I'm gonna post it so the moderators can read it before they go ahead and send me that notification email.

Why is it that its okay for JTers to openly make comments about how Japanese people are comically inferior/incapable peoples, but when Japanese people make comments about how other people are inferior in some way to them its a hate crime worthy of denouncement by the rest of the world?

New houses are going up left right and centre here in Kansai as people are buying before the consumption tax hike despite building materials being fairly overpriced right now (as a result of the Fukushima/2020 Olympics sandwich). This move will pretty much ensure that this trend continues through this year.

The trend might even accelerate if the government deregulates "minpaku" as they are said to be planning to do in April cuz ppl will definitely go for more on the side income real-estate.

At the same time this move casts some doubt on the theory that PM Abe wants to call the next step of the tax hike off in exchange for a shock election for both upper and lower houses.

@WatchingStuff

"" why do they demand the statues be removed AFTER the deal was agreed upon?"

Because that was part of the original deal.

People assume that the apology/compensation deal was unconditional, but it wasn't, the conditions were that the deal would be final, irreversible, and that the SK govt would make a real effort to remove the statue from areas adjacent to the embassy.

Why? For you people who have no clue, International Diplomatic law - The receiving state is under a special duty to protect the mission premises from intrusion or damage or "impairment of its dignity".

@Thunderbird

"Pictures showing the crude history and boards telling about the japanese agression all over Seoul (bilingual permanent signs especially where the tourists flocks, Cheonggyecheon riverside as an example) and they stumble over a statue?"

Right so this highlights whats really the issue: The issue is not white washing history or the presence of the statues themselves - if it was Japan would be demanding the museum, etc to be taken down too.

The issue is about the location of the statue. They could move it smack in the middle of Myongdong for example and have more people (including Japanese tourists) see it.

Smith's analogy, as always, is just hilariously off the point. What are you like 8?

YOISHO~!

The US's paternalistic leashe (and everything it encompasses) is one of the more important pillars holding up the US's status as a global superpower.

Much of the data he refers is totally outdated or only looks at the negative aspect of the deals (for the USA) and totally ignores the benefits the US is gaining from said deals.

I personally want Trump to win the presidency and to pull through with his promises with regards to his West Pacific policies (although he'd probably be forced to flip-flop exactly like how Hatoyama did with his policy toward the USA) once/if he gets elected president.

The world needs a shake up, and the sooner the better. Release the building tension at an early stage before it builds to a level where a conflict on the scale of WW3 is inevitable.

@ Bertue Japan will do what the US wants regardless who is at the helm.

@ Asian Gaijin Its hard to imagine that US forces are stationed in Japanese bases strictly for the sake of being hired muscle to protect against what Japan perceives to be threats to their country.

@Wc626 Actually the pact is such that 1st bullet will definitely be taken by SDF, which then opens the door for USAFJ to strike back. But having said that Japan is obligated to pay for upholding comfortable living standards for their overlord's minions.

@nakanoguy01 Here on JT emotion based knee-jerk Japan hate is of No.1 priority. Objectivity is optional.

JT J-Haters go on about how J-Media is causing knee-jerk reaction in "Lemmings-like" Japanese ppl, but they set aside the fact that anti-Japan internet media like JT is very much doing the same, causing knee-jerk reactions in simple minded Hateimus Japonicii who consolidate their confirmation biases with regards to how Japan and its people are always mistaken in whatever they think/do.

I agree with Triumph, with business its always supply and demand and this is fact across the board and not just in Japan. You can't expect JAL, a corporation that just turned its business around after a bailout, to stand firm in the face of eminent losses just to show solidarity with France.

@SenseNotSoCommon

Less majesty = more democracy.

LOL, so Russia or China is more democratic than say England or Netherlands? Simpleton.

I've organized an event with more than 3000 attendees, and we set it up so we had 1 managing staff per 50-60, and we had to organize things for a period of 6 days 7 nights. It was total chaos making sure everyone was accounted for with transportation, accommodations, food/drink, etc.

Just imagine the logistics... No wonder the IJN lost the war, they were busy not fighting lol.

@TheGodfather

I agree with save the gaijin, its morally disgusting and should be punished but by no means should the kid be made a criminal. He is a teen who is in dire need of a slap on the wrist.

I just came back (to Japan) from a trip home which included a detour in Vegas, I was in a betting lounge and this white dude (who I presume just lost big) was going around like a maniac and yelling the N-word right to black people's faces telling them to GTFO. No one did anything, not even the black people in the lounge.

Do you really think they'd persecute a teen in the states for saying some racist crap on twitter even if it were against the law? Why do you and people like you insist on holding Japan to a much higher moral standard than that is the norm in your own country?

@Kohakuebisu "I think the real focus needs to be on the domestic economy. Get more women into the workforce, sort out the pensions mess, and get the oldies with money spending."

I agree with what you're saying here, but whats most important is timing and order in which these things happen.

If we get more women in the workforce now, supply of labour will go up putting downward pressure on wages. Right now theres growing upward pressure on wages paid by companies as there is higher demand for work than there are people to take the job offers (source:keidanren). Of course at some point in the future we would want women working and paying taxes( at least the ones who want to work), and that revenue would go to supporting the pension burden. But we would also still want the pension system drastically reformed first before we throw more money into it.

Old people spending money, at least the ones who have money to spend, is a tough one tho as they have no clue as to how long they will live, and the last thing they want is to have to be supported by their children/grandchildren.

@ Strangerland

Parental pressure had a lot to do with it, Princess Masako's dad had a lot at stake.

Crustpunker is the Gaijin on a white horse who has descended upon Japan to save its women from their horrible horrible men. Nothing that doesn't fit that paradigm is acceptable to him lol.

I totally agree with the author, my coworkers can't speak a word of English but they go on vacations overseas just fine, and there's enough legitimate info / BS both online and elsewhere in Japanese.

So long as a few select industries like businessmen, researchers, diplomats, etc can use English its fine. Spending 100s of hours of tax payer funded mandatory education hours on a language that the majority will use only when travelling or wikipediaing something that doesn't have a Japanese article is bogus. I'm guessing the Eikaiwa teachers here on JT would have more to gain from having that sector kept private too, otherwise they gonna have to run around the streets yellin "THEY TUKKKER JERBZ".

There just isn't a demand for english on the layman's level here as there isn't much use for it in the lives of most regular Japanese citizens.

@kurisupisu - Sure the STUDY of one is undoubtedly so, like sudoku or anything else that uses your brain. Doesn't mean multilinguals don't get dementia. Or are you saying old retired individuals who are at risk of going senile should be the main segment to pressure into acquiring another language? If so that's already reality to some extent, tonnes of retirees with time and money on their hands are attending language classes

And no Reckless, the majority of Japanese people will not need Chinese in the future like they don't need English today.

I work in this industry, Chinese e-com companies bought up containers (40') after containers full of Japanese products from all across Japan (from cakes made in Hokkaido to sugar made in Okinawa/Kagoshima, supplements, fashion & accesories, diapers and other everyday necessities, etc). A lot of China's tough import regulations don't apply to these e-com transactions so its the easiest way to move products into China from Japan.

Singles day and other commercialized days are seriously a gongshow of opportunities to make serious coinage.

Judging from my friends and co-workers here, I really have to disagree with all the theories about how the economy or social conditions as the main factors playing to the psyches of young couples not having more babies.

I've never heard anyone say: "Taxes are too high and I don't make enough, hence I'm not going to have more kids" or "There aren't enough pre-schools and parks, hence I'm going to refrain from having kids", etc.

Sounds like armchair sociology to me, at least its more or less detached from the voices of young couples around me. Most of them are turned off from the workload (of raising a child) after their first. In other words they value their own "single-life style" enjoyment of life over the presumed enjoyment that can be had from having more kids (like being able to travel overseas, etc)

And this isn't a pattern that's only present in my Japanese friends neither, many of my friends back in Canada are very much the same regardless of what tax-bracket they're in.

The Base will be relocated, but both the J-Govt and the anti-base Okinawans will lose face and credibility.

The sole winners will be the pro-base relocation Okinawans.

Although I'm sure the stories in this article are pretty extreme cases, I do find that my Japanese friends share relationships with their parents where a lot more is expected of them compared to us North Americans.

Parents are expected to front the entire bill for post secondary in Japan where as where I'm from, yeah lots of people got money from their parents but they would hide it as a good chunk of their peers would work part time or take a few semesters off to pay their own tuition.

Also, when people get married here its pretty common to have parents from both sides throw down lump sums to go into down payments for a house or condo.

I really got mixed feelings about this aspect of Japanese/ Asian culture. On the one hand its great, on the other hand there is a lot of extra sacrifice involved with assuming the role of parents.

@LegrandeRio

If you were familiar with Japanese politics you would realize that those things are irrelevant.

Japanese government officials have on many occasions said that nuclear armament was not anti-constitutional, that doesn't mean Japan is going to have nukes.

Just because he said they had the right doesn't mean they will.

So since Nazis and ww2, Israel would be against German forces interfering with Islamic attacks on Israeli civilians?

Go back to school son.