Posted in: Do you consider the U.S. firebombing of Tokyo on March 9-10, 1945, to be a war crime? See in context
Nibek32Mar. 10 01:04 pm JST
Let by gones be by gones embrace the future because the same question could be asked regarding pealharbor right?
No. Japan attacked a US military base. The US targeted Japanese civilians including children.
During the war, especially during World War II, atrocities were committed by both sides. From a historical perspective, you cannot say "The US targeted Japanese civilians including children" without considering that Japan also targeted civilians and hospitals. According to estimates (which can be verified online, including asking ChatGPT), the Americans were responsible for approximately 300,000 to 500,000 civilian deaths; historians estimate that Japan caused between 10 and 20 million civilian deaths in Asia, particularly in China and occupied areas. Estimates of civilian deaths are based on historical research and official documentation, but since these events are complex, the numbers can vary slightly depending on the source. However, it is generally accepted that Japan was responsible for a higher number of civilian casualties, mainly due to its atrocities in Asia.
If we want to answer the survey question "Do you consider the U.S. firebombing of Tokyo on March 9-10, 1945, to be a war crime?" the answer is definitely "Yes." If we want to say "Did the United States commit war crimes and target civilians?" the answer is "Yes." However, we cannot complain by saying "The US targeted Japanese civilians including children." Japan, just before Pearl Harbor, committed most of its attacks and crimes against civilians (such as the Nanjing Massacre and sexual slavery). The American action was atrocious, but Japan heavily contributed—not only with the attack on Pearl Harbor but also with various reports of its bloody conduct in Asia—to fueling the hatred and severity of the response against it. It's sad, but it's history.
-4 ( +12 / -16 )
Posted in: Do you consider the U.S. firebombing of Tokyo on March 9-10, 1945, to be a war crime? See in context
The American bombings of Tokyo were undoubtedly atrocious. From a moral and humanitarian perspective, the bombing of Tokyo must be considered a large-scale massacre of civilians. However, from a legal standpoint, at the time there was no clear legal framework defining such acts as war crimes, which is why no American officers were prosecuted for them. Unfortunately, at the time of these events, Japan's reputation was different from what it is today, as Japan itself was committing some of the most heinous war crimes in human history. As a result, the perception of the American action was (completely unfairly) seen almost as a form of justice/punishment for the numerous Japanese atrocities (Nanjing Massacre, Unit 731 Human Experiments, Mistreatment of war prisoners including forced labor, starvation, torture, executions, Bataan Death March, use of chemical and biological weapons, comfort women system, massacres and civilian atrocities such as Changjiao or Manila, targeting Civilians in the Pacific War including attacks on hospitals).
The main difference between U.S. and Japanese war crimes is that:
Many top Japanese officials were tried in the Tokyo Trials, but some war criminals, particularly from Unit 731, were never prosecuted due to U.S. protection and the interest of the U.S. to use their data.
The U.S. was not prosecuted because it was the winner and controlled postwar justice. While some actions were morally questionable, international law was applied asymmetrically in fto favor winners.-5 ( +11 / -16 )
Posted in: Japan ranks 3rd worst place for working women in 2024 int'l ranking See in context
Peter NeilToday 12:18 am JST
Harry_Gatto Mar. 9 11:08 pm JST
“Is the picture at the head of this article supposed to be the typical working environment of a female in Japan?“
the photo is a person reading comments and thinking, “what is wrong with these people?”
More realistically, it's a picture of a woman thinking: "Oh no, I am underpaid compared to my male colleagues. When I get married, I will be tacitly expected to resign work to take care of my family because Japanese society expects this from me. I will spend my life preparing bentos, and my husband will often come home drunk after yet another nomikai.
-7 ( +5 / -12 )
Posted in: Why so many marriages in Japan are sexless – and what you can do about it See in context
Vincent Ricci
Maybe these foreigners should try not to marry the first girl they meet just to get a visa and wait for the real true love of their life, even if she’s not Japanese.
You hit the point. You hit a very sensitive point of many foreigners in Japan (and, indeed, you are getting many downvotes).
It is true. Too many foreigners in Japan love Japan because it is the homeland of anime/manga, and just want a Japanese girl for a visa. When I attended the Japanese language school, and during my working life, I met a lot of such time of men, who decided to marry a Japanese girl after a few days.
-13 ( +12 / -25 )
Posted in: Little-known porn 'white post' boxes fading into Japan's lurid past See in context
I saw one of these white boxes in Mito (Ibaraki) about ten years ago.
It is funny to notice that when these boxes were installed porn magazines were easily accessible in the nearest combini.
They installed white boxes “to protect young people from exposure to explicit material not intended for their unsuspecting eyes”, but young people were able to find and peek at adult material in any conbini/bookstore. They claimed to protect the eyes of young people, but at the same time, lolicon manga were legal.
-9 ( +8 / -17 )
Posted in: 100-year-old Pearl Harbor survivor recalls confusion and chaos during Japanese bombing See in context
Nowadays, thanks to its kawai/anime/manga/videogames related culture and its image of respectful and peaceful society, Japan’s darkest pages in history were forgotten or are simply unkwkonwn by young generations.
Pearl Harbour, The Nanjing Massacre, Unit 731 were some of the most infamous and atrocious pages in human history.
1 ( +6 / -5 )
Posted in: Alcoholism in Japan and where to find help See in context
Sake do not mean (Japanese rice wine). Nihonshu does.
I thought the same. A person who writes for a newspaper called "Japan Today" should know at least the basics of Japanese culture.
3 ( +8 / -5 )
Posted in: Kishida unhurt after explosive device thrown at him in Wakayama See in context
There is a raising wave of anger among young Japanese. In the last two decades young Japanese, thanks to social media and the internet discovered the world outside Japan, and discovered that Japan is not the “perfect country” and the “best country in the world”. They discovered that life outside Japan is better concerning many aspects (such as great work-life balance, woman rights, quality of free time, less stress and better salary). They do not want to be traditional Japanese salarymen anymore, they do not want to spend their life inside crowded trains and Japanese companies doing overtime work and waiting for a cheap pension (the Japanese pension system is in a very difficult status and the low birthrate will increase the problem). In the previous generations, it was easier to say that the world outside Japan was hell and that Japan was paradise. Now, more and more younger Japanese know the real world and hate politicians…..and the most mentally unstable ones become a danger.
-6 ( +19 / -25 )
Posted in: Coming-of-Age Day ceremonies held across Japan See in context
Congratulations.
Your gloomy salary-man and office-lady life is approaching.
-4 ( +10 / -14 )
Posted in: Man arrested for using smartphone to film up teenager’s skirt See in context
How grand that purple_depressed_bacon got 6 downvotes for calling this behavior what it is - sexual harassment.
Do not be surprised.
There are always unshakable Japan supporters who downvote every comment which not confirm their image of "all perfect Japan".
After many years spent in Japan, and after meeting hundreds of western living or studying in Japan, I can firmly say that almost 90% of them are anime-manga-games lovers, thinking that Japan will solve their incompetence in their home country, seeking a Japanese partner and believing in “Japan is heaven, the rest of the world is hell”.
I can also say that almost all of them have a traumatic awakening after the honeymoon phase of living abroad finishes and especially after starting to raise children in the Japanese school system (and, concerning the topic of this article, especially if they are raising a girl).
-6 ( +19 / -25 )
Posted in: Japan logs record August trade deficit on weak yen, costly oil See in context
Weak yen is only a small part of a larger problem. It is not a consequence of corona pandemic and oil price. The Japanese economy is weak. Period!
The lack of young workforce and the insane amount of elderly, plus the well-known Japanese reluctance in accepting immigrants, will bury the Japanese economy more and more.
Moreover, Japan is no more a leader in high-tech production. Just see smartphones. Apple and Samsung of course, but also the various Chinese brands such as Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, lead the market in the west and in Asia. Similarly concerning PC.
Japan's future is gloomy. Considering the current trend, it will become a nursing home island full of old persons where the main active businesses will be nursing care and medical assistance for the elderly.
0 ( +27 / -27 )
Posted in: Body of newborn baby found in resort hotel trash container See in context
Another one?!?!
Lack of sexual education, lack of values in young japanese, the shame culture and the stigma against single mothers (very strong in japanese society) are the main reasons.
1 ( +4 / -3 )
Posted in: Japan minister says women 'underestimated' See in context
The problem is related to culture and education. Japanese women are “molded” from childhood by Japanese society, Japanese media, and the Japanese education system to be a perfect “Japanese woman”. Japanese men want to marry the abovementioned type of woman, a remissive perfect Japanese woman. Many women act childish and silly for this reason.
The consequence is that most Japanese women are too much accustomed to this model of woman and there are not interested to change it. They like to be at home, they like to spend their days doing 女子会, because this is the way they were educated.
Most Japanese women do not know the world outside Japan. It is not a mystery that many women that had work or study experiences abroad never come back to Japan or do their best to leave Japan.
Search on the net "The Devil you know: Gender inequality in Japan" and download the report. According to it, when asking "ACHIEVING EQUALITY BETWEEN MEN AND WOMEN IS IMPORTANT TO ME PERSONALLY" only 41% of japanese women are in agreement (and only 31% of japanese men). As a comparison, Italy/Germany/Sweden/Canada/Australia about 70% of women are in agreement.
13 ( +23 / -10 )
Posted in: Teacher arrested for filming up girl’s skirt See in context
He is an elementary school teacher. He admitted the allegation. Disgusting and creepy!
But another important point is that he was arrested for “disturbing the public peace”. It is sexual harassment and, since the victim is a teenage girl, it is pedophilia.
A drunk person shouting on the street is “disturbing the public peace”. This is pedophilia and sexual harassment.
1 ( +4 / -3 )
Posted in: Japan nuclear regulator OKs details for Fukushima plant water release See in context
It is time to leave Japan if you ever thought about it. I personally know 6 families (foreigner partner and Japanese partner) with children, some are colleagues and some are friends that are planning to move outside Japan.
I won't blame them. Their children are more important to them than silly things such as “Japan is clean”.
For those who say “I will stop eating fish from Fukushima” or “I live in south Japan”, I reply “Then, stop to eat ALL fish and fish-based products”. When you seat in a sushi restaurant they do not say where the fish come from. Maybe they just say 国産 to say it is from Japan. Of course, they will never say "this is from Fukushima". Fish from Fukushima will become very cheaper and buying and processing fish from Fukushima will become very profitable for all restaurants and food-related companies. Bon appetit!
Remember when, after the nuclear accident, the government claimed on TV that foods from Fukushima were safe. Remember when well-paid TV personalities ate peaches and other foods from Fukushima in front of the camera.
4 ( +10 / -6 )
Posted in: Adult video mosaic destroyer’s trial ends with guilty verdict in Kyoto court See in context
Japan is a country of paradoxes. The country that requires by law to place mosaics on the performers’ genitals in adult video, and at the same time a country that created hentai anime/manga, including lolicon manga and all the most perverted media.
0 ( +5 / -5 )
Posted in: Japan OKs plan to release Fukushima nuclear plant wastewater See in context
Yes, Japanese citizens do not says YES to this. The Japanese Government does. But, what is the difference?
In this country citizens just say OK to government and show no interest in politics and political debate. Besides, talking about politics clash with the cultural norms of japanese society, since political debate means to show your opinion and, sometimes, contradict your interlocutor's opinion.
Most of citizens are old people that are just tired of their lives, after a life spent as yes-men drones and overtime at work. Most of the young citizens (the ones that could raise their voices for the future of the country) are disinterested in politic-related things, maybe because they are too busy in building their future according to the strict rule of the Japanese society (since your future could be heavily impacted if you fail, especially the step of the exam-hell).
Yes, almost all citizens here are indifferent to politic-related things.
Moreover, on Japanese TV there is NOTHING about political debate. The 80% of broadcast is food-related programs.
-4 ( +4 / -8 )
Posted in: Woman arrested over murder of newborn son See in context
Again. Poor baby.
This type of news is horribly frequent.
I do not think that all these pregnancies are related to sex workers (so, persons that are more exposed to unwanted pregnancy).
What are the reasons? I think a fatal mix of problems in Japanese society: lack of mental-health support, lack of support for women and single mothers, lack of awareness about sexual education, lack of moral values, lack of money, and lack of stable work.
Being Japan an advanced and developed country, being young Japanese literally overexposed to sexual themes (Hentai, sexualized young idols…..), and since in Japanese religion there are no moral stigmas about contraception, I expected that contraception and sexual education were well-established in the society and especially in the young generations. Instead, the more I live in Japan and I know about young Japanese, I am more and more shocked by the unawareness of young Japanese about these themes.
2 ( +7 / -5 )
Posted in: France issues arrest warrant for Japanese woman over 'parental kidnapping' See in context
Best wishes Vincent. It is time for Japan to wake up and face the international child abduction problem. Japan is always angry when someone says "Japan is the black hole for child abduction", but does nothing to face the problem.
As in many other issues, Japan prefers to wait and to turn the head o the other side.
Wake up Japan! Why Japan is a party to the 1980 Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, why did Japan confirm the convention in 2013, but nothing change?
It is not only the juku culture, the over-work culture, the lack of work-life balance culture, the endemic bullying in Japanese schools........it is also the problems related to family, including the child abduction, that create mentally unstable children, adults and future parents (and we can read about it every day in the "crime" section of this site).
0 ( +6 / -6 )
Posted in: Tokyo reports 16 coronavirus cases; nationwide tally 112 See in context
Every day the same propaganda numbers.
I expect downvotes, but let’s do some comparison.
Just a statistics game.
Compare Japan and Italy (I refer to Italy since it is one of the countries that realized a good approach to the pandemic).
JAPAN:
Test rate: 0.37 tests per 1000 citizens.
NO NEED to have a Covid certification to enter offices, to enter restaurants…
Population: 120 million.
Daily cases (tested positive Nationwide Situation): 159 (Nov 18th).
Vaccination rate (total of citizens): 76.3%
ITALY:
Test rate 8.48 tests per 1000 citizens.
EU digital Covid certification is MANDATORY for alla the citizens above 12 years, to enter offices, to enter restaurants, to enter cinemas/theater/concerts/conferences, to enter gyms, to enter themeparks, to ride trains/planes, to visits relatives in hospitals…..
Population: 60 million.
Daily cases (tested positive Nationwide Situation): 10,544 (Nov 18th).
Vaccination rate (total of citizens): 73.8%
If we “correct” the Japan daily cases by using the same test rate applied in Italy: 159 cases* (8.48/0.37)=3,644 cases.
Considering the overpopulation in Tokyo and other cities, the overcrowded trains, the difficulties to be tested in Japan unless you have severe symptoms, and the nonexistence of a digital covid certification in daily life……all factors that increase the virus circulation, I would say AT LEAST a x2.5 of the cases in Japan (3644x2.5= about 9,100 cases).
In Italy there is a difference of about -2.5% of total vaccinated, therefore a higher number of infected citizens compared to Japan is reasonable.
However, it is not statistically reasonable the 159 cases declared by Japan.
But yes, ok, we must trust the government.
5 ( +19 / -14 )
Posted in: Nearest fishing port to Fukushima nuclear plant reopens See in context
Let's start with the "GO TO EAT FUKUSHIMA FISH" campaign
16 ( +17 / -1 )
Posted in: 79-year-old man arrested for stabbing downstairs neighbor See in context
Another one case! It is really disturbing.
"Japan, the safest country in the world"……. maye it is better to say "the country with the highest occurrence of mentally ill around".
Tons of perverts, tons of mentally ill, tons of suicides, tons of parents injuring infants, tons of national and international child abduction (world record for child abduction), tons of mentally unstable neighbors……..
Wait wait wait! I know, there are tons of crimes in any country, but Japan is usually depicted as the "peace and love country", and I would be cautious before praising a country as “the safest in the world”.
I would never say that Europe is the safest place in the world, but such mentally ill are definitively lesser than in Japan. It is most probable to be robbed on a train, but it is really less probable to bump into such types of mentally ill.
13 ( +17 / -4 )
Posted in: Tokyo reports 20 coronavirus cases; nationwide tally 163 See in context
What a circus.
These numbers are totally not realistic, especially considering the very low testing number in Japan.
Countries with same vaccination rate (as fully vaccinated persons), and with Digital COVID Certificate necessary for everything in daily life (to enter offices or to enter a restaurant), are still registering thousands of infected daily, and Japan (120 milions citizens without COVID Certificatein used in daily life) declare only 76 infections.
If you do not test, if you test very few persons each day, of course only 76 infections will be registered.
Of course, you are free to believe this fairy tale of 76 infections. Yes, believe, the same as “in Fukushima is everything ok” declared few months after the disaster (and everything is NOT ok 10 years later). Believe….
4 ( +22 / -18 )
Posted in: Former Princess Mako says marriage was a 'necessary choice' See in context
Enjoy the new life in the USA.
She will be happier than in Japan. Not only because she will be far from the imperial family and the related gossip, but also because as a woman she will enjoy a better life than in Japan.
Yes, Japan is safe and clean, but there is a big big big difference between being a woman in Japan and a woman in the west.
Enjoy! You made the right choice.
9 ( +9 / -0 )
Posted in: Woman goes on trial over starvation death of 10-month-old daughter See in context
Again?!?! Poor girl.
News about child and newborn abuses are really frequent. The “crime” section of JT has this type of news every week (sometimes daily).
Japan needs better mental health support. Definitely. Compared to western countries, Japan is underdeveloped from this point of view.
And, I would also suggest to Japan a preparental education. In this case, the mother is mentally disturbed, but I see too many childish parents in this country. Children raising children.
Childish-parents, mental problems, the low work-life balance, and the high social pressure in Japan, may become a lethal mix. So, much support to parents and much mental health support.
11 ( +11 / -0 )
Posted in: How to buy a home in Japan as a foreigner: Webinar See in context
If you plan to buy a house in Japan anytime from now,then prepare yourself to be surrounded by tens of millions of pensioners and no one to support that pension fund.You won't enjoy house parties and have to slave till the day you drop dead.
Totally agree.
Buying a house in Japan in this era of aging population problem is equivalent to buying a house next to a hospice.
And, considering the typical depreciation of Japanese homes, the home's value will be zero when you are old.
4 ( +5 / -1 )
Posted in: Ishikawa town builds giant squid with COVID relief funds See in context
This is the stupidest and ugliest idea I've ever seen.
There were hundreds other and better ways to boost tourism. Above all, there were hundreds of other ways to use that money in this pandemic time
0 ( +0 / -0 )
Posted in: Aso repeats claim that treated Fukushima water is good to drink See in context
If it is really so safe for humans, then discharge it in the Tokyo bay!
2 ( +3 / -1 )
Posted in: 300 hotel rooms planned for Olympic athletes with minor or no COVID symptoms See in context
The condo complex in the Athletes Village are depressing.
Yes, it is inside Tokyo and very convenient in many aspects, but can't believe someone want to buy an apartment in these buildings after the olympics!
6 ( +7 / -1 )
Posted in: Battling ingrained sexism in the Japanese workplace See in context
Japan: no country for women
1 ( +2 / -1 )
Posted in: Court orders dissolution of Unification Church in Japan
Posted in: Trump downplays national security team texting military operation plan on Signal as minor 'glitch'
There have been talks, of course, Vance didn’t go there to just eat a whale steak. And what did the…
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