Japan Today

Geoff Gillespie comments

Posted in: Two boys arrested for throwing raw eggs at police box in Shizuoka Prefecture See in context

Did my fair share of this kind of thing as a lad and yes, it was out of boredom and frustration. I sincerely hope that they aren't put through the custodial system, where they will rub shoulders with real criminals and will most likely end up as life long felons. Yes, they need to be punished but be honest, who didn't read this with a smile on their face?

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Posted in: Teenager falls from building in Tokyo, killing himself, injuring passerby See in context

@ Gaijinjland

I think “falls to death” in the headline would suffice since it’s not known if it was suicide, accident, etc. yet.

Yes, of course. Just like 'Accident resulting in injury or death' on the trains doesn't mean somebody jumped in front of a train, right? Time to stop sugar coating all of this and call it what it is. Seriously underestimated mental health issues swept under the carpet by the authorities and ignored by families for fear of the associated stigma of having a family member affected.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

Posted in: Moped rider arrested for snatching glasses off people's faces See in context

@ Newgirlintown

Should’ve gone to Specsavers (UK readers only).

Much appreciated....

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

Posted in: LDP member Inoguchi's husband, daughter confirmed dead in Tokyo fire See in context

@ robert maes

the penthouse had a terrace. A temporary heaven from the indoor fire while waiting for rescue.

I think you probably mean a temporary haven.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: ‘For the very first time I really enjoyed sex!’ How lesbian escort agencies became a form of self-care in Japan See in context

@ Lord Dartmouth

If it isn't, it certainly should be.

Seriously? Why is that....? What is it about this that offends you so much?

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Posted in: U.S. nuclear carrier George Washington returns to Yokosuka base See in context

I honestly never realised that this board was populated by so many conservative Americans. The comments here have been extremely enlightening. If those that have posted the more questionable comments here are actually serious, I don't think I belong here. My bad, I suppose.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

Posted in: U.S. nuclear carrier George Washington returns to Yokosuka base See in context

@ TaiwanIsNotChina

Not at all. Japan could choose to develop its rightful nuclear weapons but chooses not to.

Not all all. Japan's 'pacifist' constitution allows it to hide under the US security umbrella and therefore it DOESN'T NEED its own nuclear deterrent. Can you name another country in the world that is reliant on another one for its security? Japan has sat on the bench for too long, time for it to join the game.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Posted in: Osaka zookeeper indicted for stealing food for monkeys and chimpanzees See in context

I thought the headline meant he stole fruit and vegetables from a store and was going to feed them to the monkeys and chimpanzees.

Likwise. Very poorly written headline.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: Samurai ritual suicide contest cancelled by organizer in west Japan See in context

@ Mr Kipling

Too bad for the humorless killjoys.

I can't tell whether or not you're being sarcastic here. I really want to believe you are...

@ Speed

It's just macabre role play like air guitar. Harmless.

Seriously? We're going to compare ritualistic suicide to air guitar? What is macabre about air guitar?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: What should journalists do when the facts don’t matter? See in context

The facts always matter to someone, just not enough people these days. Should the day ever come when they really don't matter to anyone...well, it'll time to pull down the shutters and go home, won't it?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Toilet use restrictions on trans gov't employee lifted See in context

@

BertieWooster

It's really very simple. He has a male body with male body parts and male chromosomes, he's a man and uses mens' toilets. It doesn't matter what he feels. His mental health is not helped by going into agreement with his private fantasy

Amen to that, somebody talking the truth for once.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Posted in: Hey, Japanese taxi driver, take us to the best horror in Tokyo See in context

@ NCIS Reruns

Generally speaking, I haven't had much luck requesting taxi drivers to take me to _____ (insert name of facility), unless it's an emergency hospital.

Spot on. That headline should read "Hey, Japanese taxi driver, take us to the best horror in Tokyo if I draw you a map and tell you exactly how to get there because you won't have the foggiest" Not like London cabbies, are they?

As for this story, how can it be scary all the time you are aware that you're sitting in the back of a taxi?

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

Posted in: 39-year-old woman arrested over attempted murder of young daughter See in context

@garypen

Unemployed? She sounds very much employed, being a caretaker to seven people.

@blue in green

Sounds like the woman needed a break. Her call to 119 was a cry for help.

Well said, fellas. Being a housewife and mother is a 24 hour job, no drinks with the guys after work or golf at the weekend for them. It's about time Japanese men understood this fact. Their clothes don't wash themselves, their meals need cooking and their kids need the discipline they aren't there to give.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Posted in: Team with Korean roots wins famous Japanese high school baseball tournament See in context

Is it just me or is that first sentence all over the place? Shouldn't it read...

A team with ties to the ethnic Korean community has won Japan's famous high school baseball tournament, known as Koshien, for the first time.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Posted in: 50-year-old man arrested after kissing teenage girl at festival in Tottori See in context

What is indecent about the cheek and how was this 'assault'? As a previous poster pointed out, a peck on the cheek has always been an acceptable greeting in most western countries. Lighten up, Japan...

-9 ( +16 / -25 )

Posted in: Body of missing TV presenter Michael Mosley found on Greek island See in context

Big fan, really quite upset about this. He has produced some of the most entertaining and still informative TV of the last twenty years or so. RIP.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Posted in: Panda memorial See in context

Utterly ludicrous.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Posted in: Woman stabbed at Yokohama music arena See in context

@ justasking

Unfortunately, Japan is not as safe as it once was. Prayers for a speedy recovery for this lady.

Why does anybody voicing this opinion here at Japan Today always get voted down when it is plainly a fact? I've lived in Japan for twenty years and is undoubtedly less safe that it was when I first arrived. I'm afraid anyone who says otherwise is in denial.

-7 ( +0 / -7 )

Posted in: Do you think there will be many functioning democracies around the world in, say, 20 years from now? See in context

The key word here is functioning. As others here have pointed out, democracy is on the decline and there are currently virtually none that are democracies in any meaningful sense. The majority of western democracies are in reality plutocracies.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Posted in: Decapitated head found at Sapporo home of arrested doctor, daughter See in context

@Roy SophveasonToday 

Japan has a high rate of mental illness,

It doesn't. The prevalence of CMD in Japan is much lower than in the USA (about a third) and Europe (about half). [Source: https://doi.org/10.1111/pcn.12894]

I think you may be having the wool pulled over your eyes a little here. You are quoting official figures. It is common knowledge that, due to the stigma attached, the vast majority of mental health issues go unreported and therefore undocumented in Japan, rendering these figures meaningless.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

Posted in: 'Oppenheimer' isn't opening in Japan this week, but the country has a long history of cinema about the war See in context

Japan’s cinema industry is savvy enough to take a wait-and-see approach to blockbuster films. If "Oppenheimer" fails at the box office in other markets, then Japan may decide on a quick opening in a smaller number of cinemas. If it is the global hit the producers hope, it may open across the country.

This from a supposed academic, a professor of English, Creative Writing and Film? He knows nothing about Japanese cinema. It has nothing at all to do with wait-and-see, how would that explain a six month delay for John Wick 4, the latest in a very successful franchise starring one of Japan's absolute favourite movie stars, Keanu Reeves? Christopher Nolan's movies are always hugely popular in Japan and it would be very painful for distributors for "Oppenheimer" not to open.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Posted in: Should NATO open an office in Japan? See in context

Simple answer to this. Would Japan welcome NATO assistance once China moves on Taiwan and Japan becomes a front line target due to its US military bases? If not, then the answer is a resounding no. If they do, the answer is logically yes.

4 ( +11 / -7 )

Posted in: Awa Odori dance festival to sell premium seats for ¥200,000 See in context

I wouldn't spend ¥20 on it....

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Posted in: AI poses 'extinction' risk, say experts See in context

@ Matt

Not at all sure whether or not you‘re being obtuse here but to seriously copare the printing press or the spinning Jenny to AI technology is naive at best and ignorant at worst. Those machines were tools, tools that were operated and controlled by men. As long as AI remains a tool, there's no problem.

And Nobody mentioned anybody smashing things....

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: AI poses 'extinction' risk, say experts See in context

@ Mat

Standard Luddite fear mongering. 

Tell that to Homo Erectus. As soon as the intellectually superior Homo Sapien appeared, his days were numbered. So has it always been. We are at the beginning of a long road that ends in us having created our replacements. That's not Luddite thinking, that's common sense. For them, no death just software upgrades and spare parts. How long before they realise we are no longer of any practical use to them?

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Posted in: Teacher arrested for groping girl suspected in multiple cases See in context

Purely practical question here ,so please don't collectively bite my head off for asking it, but my understanding is that elementary school in Japan is from ages 6 to 10. Do girls of that age even have 'breasts' to speak of? Whatever, creeps like this should never be allowed anywhere near a school...

2 ( +4 / -2 )

Posted in: Ukraine's Kostyuk booed at French Open after no handshake with Belarus' Sabalenka because of war See in context

@ Thuban

Nobody should be snubbed a handshake for reasons like ethnicity, the country they're born in or the color of their skin.

This type of behavior is rude and unsportsmanlike. Athletes are not politicians.

I wonder if you would feel the same way if it were your home being violated by invaders. Walk a mile in her shoes before you criticize her...

-1 ( +13 / -14 )

Posted in: Tokyo company aims to be 1st business to put lander on moon See in context

@ Marc Lowe

....exactly the pioneer spirit that made America the greatest nation on the planet. 

Wow. Seriously...?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Posted in: 51-year-old man arrested for allegedly paying minor for sex See in context

@ Alongfortheride

So does that mean she will also be arrested for prostitution?

No, no, no...she's the "victim" here, isn't she?

9 ( +16 / -7 )

Recent Comments

Popular

Articles, Offers & Useful Resources

A mix of what's trending on our other sites


©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.